Custom sustainable House Designs

A selection of beautiful homes custom designed for our clients. These sustainable house designs showcase some of the best ideas and materials on offer. Features include passive design, low-carbon materials, and the latest building techniques.

Timeless Design

Healthy Materials

Cutting Edge Methods

The things we design and build are a testament to our ability to create a better world than the one we were given. The choices we make today will echo down the years.

We design using traditional patterns which enhance the lived experience of a home. These patterns provide a sense of timeless comfort which is hard to come by in a new home.

We aim to guide you and your build team in the construction of a durable, efficient, safe, and sustainable home. We do this by combining modern building science with a sensitivity to the origin and lifecycle of materials.

Figlea Hall

An addition to an existing homestead. The property is an old dairy farm which is in the process of being converted to a self-sufficient permaculture farm, with a large system of aquaculture ponds. The new building will house the living spaces for the large family, and includes a traditional timber frame, super insulated walls and roof with rainscreen cladding, double glazed timber/aluminium windows, and a large solar array.

Due for Completion Nov 2021.

See the flythrough here:

Wodinstead

The idea behind this project is to build a modern home in the suburbs that is tough enough to stand for a thousand years, as have some of its counterparts around the world.

A heavy timber frame, resting on foundations sunk to bedrock, forms the heart of the building. Highly durable Stringybark and Callitris timbers, along with strawbale walls and thick traditional lime plaster create a strong, quiet, super-insulated haven despite having neighbours only 5 metres away.

Hand crafted double glazed Cedar windows, deeply buried air cooling tubes, 10.000L of rainwater storage, a budding permaculture forest garden, and a 7kW solar array ensure energy efficiency and self-sufficiency.

Completed Late 2021

Chateaux Primus

This home will be a predominantly self built project utilising durable, sustainable materials. Located in the sub-tropics, we have concentrated on airflow and shading to protect the strawbale walls and provide maximum summer comfort.

The home will be built around a large Hammer Beam timber frame. This forms the Great Room, comprising the Lounge, Dining, and Kitchen. We are planning to use several mature Eucalyptus trees from the site to build the traditional frame.

Opening off the Kitchen to the North is a semi-enclosed Lanai, or outdoor living room, housed under a wide sheltering roof

Construction starting mid-2022

See the Flythrough here:

Traditional Timber Frames

These images are part of a set of traditional timber frame and truss designs created for Humphreys Timber Framing.
These styles represent an interesting cross section of framing types. All are drawn from historical sources and modified to suit our beautiful and unique Australian timber.
The craftsmen creating these traditional frames today for homes and barns are trained in the classical skills of forestry and carpentry. These skills are at risk of disappearing in our modern world but building in this way is beautiful, sustainable, and a truly fulfilling experience for everyone involved.
This building style requires specialist design knowledge and an understanding of the techniques involved. We are the only designers in Australia who understand these systems and can provide a holistic deign package which includes a traditional timber frame at its heart.

Tabulam

A fusion of traditional Australian, Japanese, and Swiss elements demonstrates the beauty and adaptability of vernacular styles in this 3 bed, 2 bath home spread across a pair of timber framed pavilions.

Boardwalks, a mezzanine space, and interlinked indoor/outdoor spaces create a multitude of environments for the use of a growing family throughout the seasons. The East facing glass wall streams morning light into the master bedroom and mezzanine living space, while the large north facing glazed doors are perfectly shaded for winter sun and summer shade.

The Zincalume roof, cement wall panels, and hardwood frame provide the durability for this home to last for hundreds of years, aging into the landscape as it does.

Jen's Tiny

This Tiny House on Wheels is a collaborative project undertaken with the owner/builder. The home is being constructed directly on the bed of a 7×2.4m 4.5t trailer and uses both new and repurposed materials to create a healthy, durable, and light-weight home for a very low cost.

There are a lot of great miniaturised and eco friendly features going into the home, such as underslung water tanks and storage boxes, light stick framing, and a composting toilet.

Construction underway April 2021

Work With Us

Most people will only ever build one home, and we want to help make sure yours is the best it can be. The journey can be long and confusing, so we’ve compiled some useful tools and information to get you started the right way.

Once you’ve gathered your ideas, our team will be here to join you in building a better future.

So go on. Take that first step.

STEP 1

Download our FREE Ebook

“5 Mistakes People Make

When Building”

STEP 2

Download the Project Startup Kit

and begin your journey to

a beautiful new custom home

STEP 3

Book an Initial Consultation

to discuss your project with

our expert design team