It’s easy being green in Hervey Bay

Pulling up to meet Bev and Judi at their bright, modern home recently was almost like visiting any regular suburban house in any street in Hervey Bay.  But looks can be deceptive as I found out exactly how unusual and special this seven-year old sustainable house really is.

The House

Made of Gympie sandstone, a good natural insulator on three sides, the western side of the house is clad in corrugated iron, which allows the day’s heat to quickly dissipate which would otherwise be trapped by the sandstone.  The ceiling is insulated with cellulose – which is a recycled paper product pumped directly into the ceiling cavity.

Inside the walls are made of compressed straw panels instead of standard gyprock. The Easiwall system comes from Victoria, and Bev and Judi showed me a short DVD on its manufacture and use in the building industry.  The manufacturer, Sustainable Building Systems, claims that it takes 18 acres of annually renewable straw, a by-product of cereal production, to build a standard 18 square house, whereas it takes one acre of clear cut forest which takes 30 years to be replaced to do the same job with standard products.

Not only is the compressed straw 100% recyclable, it is also flame retardant, sound proof, and quick to install, requiring no wooden wall frames.  The cost, including transport from Victoria, was similar to regular building materials and methods, and was calculated to be carbon neutral.

Other features of the house include east-west louvres for cross ventilation, a breathing timber floor of untreated cypress pine, Breathe-easy paint (with added Rescue Remedy), and a solar hot water system.

How did they achieve this?

This is the first house that Bev and Judi have built.

“We left the rat-race of Sydney 10 years ago to find a quieter, more relaxed and balanced lifestyle in Hervey Bay,” Bev said.  “And we have been collecting ideas on houses from magazines, television shows and the internet for years.  This was our opportunity to build our ideal house in conjunction with a local builder.  We did lots of research and the house evolved as new things were discovered or we found what worked and what wouldn’t.”

Inside the House

For their own well being they have selected untreated timber beds, untreated latex mattresses, furniture made from recycled timber, optical smoke alarms (as distinct from the standard radio-active alarms), triple filters (including ultraviolet) for their rain water, ionized laundry balls instead of washing powder, and the town water is filtered before it enters the house, removing all traces of chlorine and other chemicals and odours.

Outside the House

Every drop of water is accounted for in this house.  Rainwater tanks and pumps abound and are set to multiply in the future.  Grey water and the first cold water from showers are all diverted outside.  Palms have been replaced with a very productive edible garden – surprisingly diverse for a small suburban yard.  I never knew there were so many different varieties of spinach that could be eaten raw and added to salads.  No fewer than four compost bins and tumblers were in action.  Raised garden beds made of timber or modular plastic help avoid back aches when gardening.

An ozone generator, along side a sand filter, cleans the swimming pool water (instead of chlorine or salt mixtures), something that is more often seen for spas, and not pools.

The owners are currently investigating installing an additional photo voltaic solar system on top of the 1kW system installed under the recent Australian government incentive, and the solar hot water system installed when the house was built seven years ago.

Concerns for the Future

“As natural medicine practitioners we are motivated to live as organically, cutting down on chemical and synthetic products as much as possible.  We have to change ourselves before we can hope to change others.

“We are concerned that there is not enough awareness of major health and environmental issues facing us now, and that is why Transition Town Hervey Bay is such an important part of the local community.  By becoming involved people can make simple little changes on an individual level to increase their own well-being, as well as contribute in some small way to the well-being of the planet,” say Bev and Judi.

Article by: Christel Schrank
Date: November 2009