SHD roundup

For those who are feeling a bit “time poor” at the moment, here’s a selection of the Climate Zone 7 homes “open” for this year’s Sustainable House Day:

Radiata at Wendouree: a small timber house. Tiny House appeal, but maybe a bit small for you? Then look at this one bedroom (95 square metres) beauty designed by Enduring Domain Architecture and constructed by Timberset.

Finniss House at Narrabundah: A “house in two “halves”, designed so the parents can retreat to the back half and rent out the front, when the kids have flown the nest. Designed by Light House Architecture and Science

Thylogale in Tasmania. A very highly insulated dream home for its owners.

The homes we’ve looked at so far don’t include plans, and that can make it challenging to work out which way is north (which is important for good “passive solar” design). Our tip is to look carefully at the shadows: they’ll give away the location of the sun, which is always on the north side. Look at how the homes on display have exploited the sun in their design.

We’ll expand this list as time permits, but please pop over to sustainablehouseday.com to see what’s on offer - and remember to use the maps posted earlier to help you hunt for the homes in Climate Zone 7.

Have a great weekend!