Smarter Small Home Brochure

THE SMARTER SMALL HOMEStyliSh. liveable. very affordable.

SNEAK PEEKHow to count the carbon in

your home

INSIDE: AFFORDABLE HOUSING REVEALEDMEET THE bRAinS bEHind THE SOLuTiOn

wHAT’S THE RECiPE FOR LOw-wASTE buiLdinG?

iSSue 7 / 2009

LookHomeThE SmAll

homE miNi

iSSuE

contentscontents

Publisher: James Hardie Australia Pty Ltd Editorial direction: Spindrift Media

Art direction: North Design + Branding Printing: Offset Alpine Printing

All reasonable efforts have been undertaken to make sure that information presented in this issue of LookHome™ is accurate at the time of printing. However, to the extent possible at law, James Hardie excludes all liability for any errors or omissions in information that may occur. Reproduction of LookHome™ in whole or part is prohibited without James Hardie’s prior permission. All correspondence to: LookHome™, James Hardie Australia Pty Ltd, 10 Colquhoun Street, Rosehill NSW 2142. Phone: 13 11 03. © 2009 James Hardie Australia Pty Ltd. ™ and ® denote a trademark or registered mark owned by James Hardie International Finance BV. The design and building of The Smarter Small Home™, featured in this issue of LookHome, is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of Brett Blacklow, Earth Spirit Home Pty Ltd.

27TheproducTs Whatmaterialscreate

TheSmarterSmallHome.

31 ThenexTsTeps Interested?Here’swhat

youcandonext.

32Bonusoffers Findoutabouttheother

LookHome™magazines,

awardsandevenTV!Co

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1 WeLcomeToThesmarTersmaLLhome™

Stepintothefuturewiththis

innovativeAustralianhome.

2 fadingdream? Withhousingaffordability

incrisis,istherereally

asolution?

10 aninnovaTivejourney

meettheteambehind

thehousethat’ssetting

benchmarksinAustralia.

25sTyLeandsusTainaBiLiTy Why good things come

in small packages.

14 inTroducing…ThesmarTersmaLLhome

Stylish. Livable. And very affordable.

27

31

25

2LookHome

looKhoMe

14

32

CreATIngdreAmHomeSAnd

communitiescanbeajourney

that’sfilledwithexcitementbut

it’salsopotentiallyfraughtwith

difficulties.Whiledreamingup

imagesofbeautifulspacesand

welcomingroomsiseasy,itcan

beachallengeturningthisinto

reality.Inrecentyears,thishas

beenmadeincreasinglyhard

withrisinghomeandlandprices.

Theproblemofhousing

affordabilityinAustraliaisareal

one—andmanyofyouwantto

knowifthereisalightonthe

horizon.Thankstothefeedback

wereceivedfrommanyreaders

inourrecentsurvey,weknow

thatyouwantsustainablehome

ideasthatminimiseimpacton

theenvironment.Youalsowant

beautifulhomesthatyoucanafford.

Werevealonegreatoption.

InthisspecialissueofLookHome™,

welookatanaffordable,stylish

andsustainablesolution:The

SmarterSmallHome™.

We’lltakeyoubehindthescenes

tolookatallthewaysthishomehas

beendesignedandbuiltasmarter

way.We’lllookatenergy,carbon

footprint,andofcourse,costs.

We’llcompareittotraditionalways

ofbuilding.mostofallthough,

we’llshowhowthishomedelivers

thedesiresofmanyAustralians—

affordably.Let’sfaceit,mostofus

lovetheoutdoorsandbackyard

barbecues,butwealsowantfamily

roomsthatarehometotheXbox

andplasmaTV.TheSmarterSmall

Hometakesallofthisintoaccount,

whilekeepingafirmlidoncosts.

JoinusinexploringTheSmarter

SmallHome.Youcanusesomeof

theideasinyourownhomeand

createaspacethat’strulyaffordable,

sustainable—andlivable.

WeLcomehome

looKhoMe 1

wORdS VALERIE KHOO

An increasing number of Australians are finding it hard to afford their own home. Will home ownership become a thing of the past – or is there a viable solution?

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housingaffordability

looKhoMe 3

ITALLComeSdoWnToSImpLe

economics.Housingpricesarehigh

becausedemandoutstripssupply.That’s

thecoreoftheproblem.Butwhenyou

peelbackthelayerstoanalysetheissue

ofhousingaffordabilityinAustralia,there

liesacomplexwebofdriversthatrange

fromchangingdemographicsandlackof

infrastructuretocomplexplanninglaws

hinderingprogressandinnovation.

Therehavebeennumerousstudies

andreportsonhousingaffordabilityin

Australia.Whiletheymayusedifferent

standardstomeasureaffordability,the

resultsarethesame.There’saproblem—

andit’snotgettingbetter.

TheSenatereport‘Agoodhouse

ishardtofind:Housingaffordability

inAustralia’wasreleasedbythe

SenateSelectCommitteeonHousing

AffordabilityinAustraliainJune2008.

CitingfiguresfromtheAustralianBureau

ofStatistics,thereportstatedthathouse

priceshaveincreasedmarkedlyinrecent

years,bymuchmorethanconsumer

pricesorincomes.

Itstatestheaveragehousepricein

thecapitalcitiesisnowequivalentto

morethansevenyearsofaverage

earnings.Theequivalentfigurefromthe

1950stotheearly1980sisthreeyearsof

averageearnings.

TheAffordabilityIndexcompiledbythe

CommonwealthBankandtheHousing

IndustryAssociation(whichalsotakes

intoaccountinterestratelevels)shows

theindexhasrecentlyreacheditslowest

points(ofaffordability)inthe24yearsfor

whichit’sbeencompiled.

Anotherbenchmarkusedtomeasure

housingstress,bothinAustraliaand

overseas,isknownasthe‘ontario

measure’orthe‘30/40rule’.Thisrestricts

themeasurementtohouseholdsinthe

lowest40%ofincomedistributionthat

arepayingmorethan30%ofincome

It’s a paradox that we can

be short of land. But the reality is that

population and immigration

is rising.

In the 1990s, Australian

families have seen the rise

of the McMansion (right),

overly large homes that

maximise use of lot size.

looKhoMe4

onhousing.AccordingtotheSenate

report:“onthisdefinition,itisestimated

thattherearenowoveronemillionlow

andmiddleincomefamiliesandsingles

inhousingstress.Thisrepresentsabout

10%ofthepopulation.

Thesearejustsomeoftheindicators

confirmingthecrisisinhousing

affordability.Sowhatarethekeydrivers

thatimpacttheissue?

demandandsuppLyInacountryashugeasAustralia,it’sa

paradoxthatwecanbeshortofland.

Buttherealityisthatpopulationand

immigrationisrising.demandhasalso

beendrivenbyfactorssuchas:

• Easier access to credit.Thelow

interestratesthatpervadedthelate

1990sandtheriseofnon-banklenders

(suchasAussieHomeLoansand

Wizard)boostedbuyingpowerfor

consumers,drivingupdemand.

• Changing demographics.Inthe

meantime,typicalfamilyhouseholds

fromgenerationsagohavegiven

waytofewerchildren,singlepeople

stayingunmarriedforlongeranda

greaterincidenceofdivorce.Quite

simply,morehomesarenowneeded

toaccommodatewhatwasoncea

singlehousehold.

• Government incentives.Stateand

federalschemestoassisthomebuyers

—suchastheFirstHomeowners

grant—havealsohelpeddrivedemand.

• A penchant for bigger homes.

AccordingtotheAustralianBureau

ofStatisticsYearBookAustralia,

2005,therehasbeenanincreasein

thesizeofnewresidentialbuildings.

Thesefiguresshowthattheaverage

floorareaofnewresidentialbuildings

increasedby37.4%(from149.7m2to

205.7m2)between1984to1995and

2002to2003.

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Size of new reSidential buildingS (floor area)

Source:AustralianBureau

ofStatistics,2005.

1984–1995

2002–2003

205.7m2

149.7m2

looKhoMe 5


Thistrendisevidencedintheriseof

mcmansions—atermcoinedinthe1990s

todescribehomestypicallylargerthan

averageandoftenbuilttomaximiseas

muchlotspaceaspossible.

despitethistrendtowardsbigger

homes,socialresearcherHughmackay

pointsoutinTheSydneymorningHerald

(February23,2008):“we’renowasociety

inwhichsolohouseholdsoutnumber

thosewherecoupleslivewiththeir

children.…By[2026]about35%ofall

Australianhouseholdswillcontainonly

oneperson,andtheone-andtwo-person

householdwillberecognisedforwhatit

is:thedemographicmainstream.…The

shrinkinghouseholdmeansthathouses

themselveswilleventuallyhavetochange,

althoughthere’snotmuchsignofthat

yet:asourhouseholdsbecomesmaller,

ourhousescontinuetoexpand,partly

becausesomanyofusarestillcommitted

totheideathathomeownershipisagood

investment:moreofitmustbebetter.”

Whilethereisnoshortageofdemand,

theoppositeistrueforsupply.According

totheSenatereport,thereareseveral

factorslimitingsupply.

compLexsTaTeandLocaLgovernmenTpLanningprocesses

Thereportstatestheseare“toocomplex

andofteninvolvelongdelaysandhigh

costs”.TheSenateSelectCommitteeon

HousingAffordabilityinAustraliagoes

sofarastosuggestthatswiftreforms

areneeded.“Thestategovernments

shouldreformandsimplifytheirplanning

processessothatlocalgovernmentscan

processplanningapplicationsquickly.”

infrasTrucTurechargesYoucan’tcreatealivablecommunity

withoutsubstantialinfrastructure.

demographerBernardSaltwritesin Jam

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Top: By 2026, one- and two-person households will be recognised as the demographic mainstream. Above: low interest rates in the 1990s drove up demand for houses as auctions became buying frenzies.

looKhoMe6


TheAustralian(August7,2008):“To

significantlyliftthesupplyofaffordable

dwellingsrequiresinvestmentinurban

infrastructuresuchaspublictransport.

Thereasonisthataffordableand

developabletractsoflandontheedgeof

capitalcitiesthatcouldmakeadifference

tosupplyandaffordabilityarelocated

beyondthecitylimits.

“perhapsthereasonwhyprevious

generationscoulddeliveraffordable

housingwasbecauseatthattime

therewasnotthepublicconsciousness

andconcernaboutcarusageandthe

provisionofassociatedurbanservices.”

However,it’snotjusttheexistenceor

creationofinfrastructurethatisatthe

coreoftheissue.It’salsoaboutwho

paysforit.TheSenatereportmakes

thepointthatpreviously,infrastructure

wastypicallypaidbylocalandstate

governmentsoutofratesandtaxation

revenue.Furthermore,itwasoften

installedafterresidentshadmovedin.

Itgoesontostate:“now,the

infrastructureisinstalledastheland

isdevelopedandisincreasinglybeing

fundedbyspecificchargesondevelopers.

Thesechargesaresignificantlyhigher

innewSouthWales…andmaybe

significantlyreducingthesupplyof

landforhousinginthatstate.”

incomehasn’TcaughTupAmpandthenationalCentreforSocial

andeconomicmodelling(nATSem)

releasedresearch(march2008)on

trendsinhousingaffordabilityand

housingstress,1995/96to2005/06.

Thereport‘WhereverIlaymydebt,that’s

myhome’revealedthatwhileproperty

priceshavejumped400%since1986,

incomehasonlyincreasedby120%.

Italsoindicatesthathousing

affordability(orlackofit)is,unsurprisingly,

linkedwithhousingstress.“oneofthe

As our households become smaller, our houses continue to expand, partly because so many of us are still committed to the idea that home ownership is a good investment: more of it must be better.

looKhoMe 7

strikingresultsfromthisreportisthe

numberoffirsthomebuyersinhousing

stress,”statesthereport.“nearlytwo-

thirds(61.7%)offirsthomebuyersarein

housingstress.Thisisthestinginthetail

oftherecenthousingboom…

“Themortgagenoosenowremains

aroundthehouseholdneckformuch

longerperiodsoftime,withthosein

theirlate40s,50sand60snowbeing

muchmorelikelytostillbepaying

offthemortgagethanAustraliansof

thesameageadecadeago.Ifthese

trendscontinue,futuregenerationsof

Australianswillbelesslikelytoentertheir

oldagewiththemortgagepaidoffand

theirhomeunderpinningtheirfinancial

securityinretirement.”

TospraWLornoTTospraWLAnobviousanswertothehousing

affordabilitycrisisistoallowcitiesto

growandsprawleveroutward.Thereare

thoseforandagainstthissolution.Urban

magazinecitesprofessorpeternewman,

directoroftheInstituteforSustainability

andTechnologypolicyatmurdoch

UniversityinWesternAustralia,explaining

thatsprawlingcitiesarenotthesolution.

“Themoresprawlthecityhas,the

higherthehouseholdexpenditureon

transport,”newmanisquotedinUrban.

“YouseeithereinAustraliaontheurban

fringe,wherepoorfamiliesarehitby

transportcosts.Buildingfreewaysisthe

problem,notthesolution.”

newmanprovidesHoustonanddallas

inTexasasexamplesofsprawlthathas

spreadsofarthat“peoplenowspend

moreontransportthanonshelter”.

TheSenatereportalsopointsout:

“Thewaytoimprovehousingaffordability

isnottobuildcheaphousesonthe

outskirtsofcitiesawayfromemployment,

servicesandpublictransportlinks.

Thissimplyshiftscostsfromhousing

Future generations of

Australians will be less likely to enter their old age with

the mortgage paid off and

their home underpinning their financial

security in retirement.

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looKhoMe8


State of ShockAccording to the AMP/NATsEM report on housing affordability between 1996 and 2006, all Australian states experienced significant drops in housing affordability. It states:

• New south wales is Australia’s least affordable state, with homes costing 8.3 times annual disposable household income in 2006, up almost 40% on 1996 figures, while the Northern Territory is the easiest place to buy a house, with house prices just five times median disposable income.

• western Australia wasn’t far behind New south wales, with housing unaffordability increasing 63% to 7.45 times annual disposable income, while Tasmania saw the biggest jump, up 65% to 6.1 times annual disposable income.

tothecost—indollarsandtime—of

transport.rather,theaimmustbeto

buildaffordablehousinginareaswhere

infrastructurecanprovideforandattract

newresidents.”

iTTakesaviLLageIncontrasttotheideaofincreasingly

isolatedsuburbs,therearethosewhoare

advocatesofareturntocommunityliving.

ThisconceptunderpinsthenewUrbanism

movement,whichoriginallystemmed

fromtheUSandgainedprominencein

the1980s.

Itencouragedthecreationofwalkable

communities,accessiblepublicspaces,

andfeaturedarangeofhousingtypes

—tosuitdifferentdemographicgroups—

andcreatedlocaljobs.

Associalresearcherandauthorof

AdvanceAustralia…Where?Hughmackay

wroteinTheSydneymorningHerald:“If

wearetotakehousingmoreseriously

weneedtotakethemeaningofhome

moreseriously,too.Thatmeanspaying

moreattentiontotheneedforpeopleto

connect;theneedtobuildcommunities;

theneedtodevelopcivicpride…

“We’vealwaysassumedthegreat

Australiandreamwasaboutowningyour

ownhomeonasuburbanquarter-acre.

Whilethatversionofthedreampersists

formanyofus,thedreamwasalways

aboutcreatingaparticularwayoflifeina

particularkindofcommunity,andthose

aspirationsarechanging.”

Sothechallengeistobeabletofulfil

thisdreaminaclimateundergoingan

economicdownturnandhousingcrisis

whilecateringtothediverse—yetunique

—needsofAustralianhomeowners.Itcan

bedone.overthefollowingpages,you’ll

discoveraninnovativehousingsolution

thatisafirststeptowardsaddressingthe

housingcrisisinAustralia.Andthebest

partis,thisisonlythebeginning.

New Urbanism sees a shift away from cookie-cutter housing to livable communities where people are encouraged to interact.

looKhoMe 9

wORdS VALERIE KHOO

The Smarter Small Home™ is the result of years of research, a meeting of minds and a duo who relished the challenge of finding an affordable housing solution.

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creativethinking

the Smarter Smaller home iS juSt the beginning. imagine …the juSt-me homeDesigned for a young couple just starting out, a couple just retiring, or even a single person. This compact 52 square metre design will feature one bedroom with lounge, dining and kitchen, a two-way bathroom, balcony, and, to top it off, a green roof garden.

the extendable homeDesigned for a young couple planning a family in the future, its key feature is that the existing 100 square metre living area can be easily extended when the time is right, with another 100 square metres upstairs, pre-approved by council and designed to be built in a way that doesn’t disturb the landscape.

the entertainerDesigned for party lovers, this design features a media room and loads of undercover outdoor areas in 170 square metres.

WHenKeVIndoodneYLooKedAT

housingaffordabilityprobleminAustralia,

heknewtherehadtobeasolution.But

withover30years’experienceinproperty

andrealestate,doodneyknewcomplex

planninglawsandregulationscould

hinderinnovationinsolvingtheissue.

“Asanation,ourhome-ownerhabits

developedwhenlandwasn’tanissueand

weweresoldonthisideathatbiggeris

better.Ican’tunderstandwhywekeep

buildingthesemassivehouseswithroom

fortwoandthreecars,”saysdoodney,

whoheadsupLJHookerLandmarketing

andisformerchiefexecutiveofficer

oftheAustralianInstituteofproperty

management.“Anyonewhotriestobuild

somethingsmallertypicallymakesitbox-

likeandugly.peopletodaydonotwantto

buysomethingugly.”

Soheembarkedonaninternational

studytofindananswerthatwouldwork

inAustralia.doodneysaysacatalystin

thisjourneywaswhenhevisitedtheUS

asamemberoftheJamesHardie‘Living

Benchmarks’Streetscapestour.The

tourwascreatedprimarilyforAustralian

developersandplannerstoexperience

firsthandsomeofthebenchmarklivable

neighbourhoodsandhigh-density,mixed

useurbanresidentialdistrictsintheUS.

BuiLdforyourTriBe“ThenIspentthenextfewyearslooking

ataffordablehousingacrosstheworld,

visitingandstudyingplaceslikeItaly,

Londonandparis,”hesays.“Irealised

that,inAustralia,weneededtotribaliseit.

Wehadtofindasolutionthatwouldsuit

ourlifestyleandexpectations.Wecouldn’t

justtransplantasolutionfromanother

country.Itwouldn’twork.”

doodneyidentifiedahostoffactors

thatwouldbeneededforthesolutionto

work.Thegoalwastobuildanaffordable

home,whichtheydefinedasonecosting

lessthan$300,000forhouseandland

package.Withlandoftenrepresenting

atleasthalfthetotalcostofahome

andlandpackage,doodneyknewthata

smalllotsizewascrucial.Hedecidedon

alotsizeof10metresby30metres;the

challengewastodesignalivable,stylish

andsustainablehomeonit.“

HebelievesTheSmarterSmallHome

projectissettobeaturningpointfor

housingaffordabilityinAustralia.“We

areshowingpeoplethatyoudon’tneed

tosacrificelivabilityandsustainabilityto

achieveaffordability,”hesays.

Theprojectisn’tjustasmartinnovation

onasetofarchitecturalblueprints,

however.It’sbecomereality.Inanaircraft

hangarinmeeandah,asuburbcloseto

Brisbaneairport,thehousehasbeenbuilt.

Whendoodneywaslookingfora

factoryinwhichtobuildthehome,

heimmediatelythoughtofJamesHardie.

Afterall,itsstudytourwasthecatalystfor

theidea.JamesHardieagreedtonotonly

supplyahangarfreefor12months—two

monthsforthebuildandtheremainder

fordemonstration—italsooffered

marketingsupportandanyproductsthe

designerswantedtousefromtheJames

HardieandScyon™range.

Whybuilditinanaircrafthangar?

newhomebuildingideascansometimes

bestalledwhenitcomestoactually

constructingthehome.Thisisbecause,

whenyoubuildahome,yourplans—

particularlyanyinnovativeconcepts

—havetogothroughacouncil’sstrict

buildingregulations.doodneypoints

outitcantakefiveyearsorlongerto

getapproval.

Buildingitinahangar—whereyou

don’thavetowaitforcouncilapproval

—meanttheresultcouldbeshowcased

immediately.“We’reinvitingcouncil

As a nation, our home-owner habits developed when land wasn’t an issue and we were sold on this idea that bigger is better.

looKhoMe 11

The smarter small home is ideal for

Aussie traditions of backyard cricket and

outdoor barbecues.

planners,developersandbuildersto

seetheresult,”hesays.“Keepanopen

mindtowhatwe’vecreatedandseeif

thissuitsyourvillage.Ifnot,askyourself

whatdoes?Usethisasadiscussion

pointtocreatewell-informedoutcomes.

It’snotaone-size-fits-allsolution,it’sa

demonstration.Itmaynotbetheonly

answer—butit’sdefinitelyastart.”

WorkingTogeTherdoodneybelievesit’simportantto

worktogetherwithcouncilplanners

andelectedcouncilstoexplorewhat’s

possible.Hepointsoutthatmanycouncil

regulationsandbuildingguidelines

havedevelopedoverahistoricalperiod

forminga“bookofrules”whichcanalso

varygreatlybetweencouncils.“often,

ifanewbuildingideaisputforward,

theyhavetorefertotherulebook.And

ifit’sdifferenttotherulebook,then

it’sstopped.Butthat’slikestudyingthe

teachingsoftheoldtestamentwhenwe

needtobelookingatthenewone.”

doodneyseesthisasanimportant

stepinhousinginnovationinAustralia.

“It’sfrustratingtoknowthat,inone

industry,youcanmovefromtherecord

playertotheCdplayerandthenthe

ipod,”hesays.“Butinthehousing

industrytherehavebeennosignificant

changesincethe1970s.”

Torealisehisvision,doodneycalled

ontheskillsofdesignerBrettBlacklow

tocreateTheSmarterSmallHome.

Theduomet15yearsagoandhavesince

collaboratedonnumerousprojects.

Blacklowstudiedarchitectureat

QueenslandUniversityofTechnology

andsupportedhimselfwhileatuniversity

workingforabuilder.Theexperiencegave

himauniqueinsightintothewayvolume

buildersruntheirbusinessesaswellas

thecostandproductconstraintsinvolved.

“mostarchitectshavenoreally

solidunderstandingofhowabuilding

goestogether;soitwasprobablythe

mostimportantthingIdid,”Blacklow

says.“Itgavemeareallygood

understandingofwherethemoneywent.

Italsostrengthenedthelinkbetween

architectureandconstruction—ithelped

mefocusonwhatabuilderneedsandto

thinkacrossthechasm.Inthisindustry,

peopletypicallypickonesideandstay

there,throwingstonesattheotherside!”

uniqueLyausTraLianTogether,doodneyandBlacklowhave

createdanaffordablehomethat,

althoughsmall,stillincorporatesall

theelementsofahomedemanded

bymanyAustralians.

the backyard:Backyardcricket

wouldn’tbethesamewithout…a

backyard.Withalotofonly300square

metres,TheSmarterSmallHomeisbuilt

overtwostoreysonabout65square

metres.Afterallowingforfrontandside

setbacksthatmeansthebackyardis

about120squaremetres.“Whenyou

havetwostoreys,youuseuplessland,”

saysdoodney.“Ibelievethattoomany

peopletrytotackleaffordabilitywitha

lowset(single-storey)solution—butthat

usesupthebackyard.”

professorTonyHallfromgriffith

Universityhasbeenresearchingthe leFt

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I believe that too many people try to tackle

affordability with a low set

(single-storey) solution – but

that uses up the backyard.

looKhoMe12

disappearanceofbackyardsfromnew

Australianhomesoverthepast10

yearsand,withit,theincreaseinpoorly

designedhousesthatlacknaturallight

andmaximisefloorspace.

Hallsaysweneedacampaigntosave

“therealAustralianlifestyle”.Theanswer

isn’tnecessarilybiggerlots.“Youcould

doubletheAustralianhousingdensity

[perhectare]andsaveyourbackyard

bymakingthefrontyardsmallerand

buildingtwostoreys,”hesays.

the indoor-outdoor home:“We’ve

stuckJamiedurieinthere!”says

doodney,referringtotheAustralian

celebritylandscaper,anadvocateof

“Theoutdoorroom”.

“otherculturesshuttheirhousesdown

butweknowAustralianslikeloadsof

naturallight.Thereisalsoroomforthe

plasmaTV,butit’ssituatedsothatyou

canseeitfromoutsidethehome.That

meansyoucanhaveadrinkoutsideand

stillwatchthefooty.”

energy-efficient: doodneysayshis

goalwastocreateahomewithalow

carbonfootprint.Thehomeincorporates

smartpassiveheating/coolingstrategies,

suchascrossventilationandslidingdoors

thatopenontheoutsideofthehouse

(thusdoublingtheopeningcomparedto

ifitslidopenontheinside).“Italsohas

asingleswitchthatturnsoffallstand-by

appliancessothatyouonlyhavetoflick

oneswitchwhenyouleavethehome,”

saysdoodney.“We’vealsoincorporated

indicatorsonswitchesthatcantellyou

whenyouareinoff-peakelectricity.

Humansneedremindersandthishelps

youfigureoutit’sagoodtimetouseyour

washingmachine.Italsosavesonyour

energybill.”

australian-made: “Importantly,

Australianswanttheirproductstobe

madehere.Theywantrealpeopleto

createit—acarpenter,aroofer,abuilder.

Itgivestheirhomeasenseofinheritance.

Theydon’twantahousethatcomesina

boxfromafactory.”

low wastage: Accordinglytodoodney,

whenyoubuildahome,5%ofthecost

ofthehomeistypicallywastedin

materials.“Wedecidedtobuildthe

hometoagridsowe’vereducedwaste

significantly,”hesays.“manyhome

buildersdesignthehomeandthencut

theproductstofit.We’veworkedthe

otherwayaround,we’vefactoredinthe

sizeoftheproductsfirst—thatmeans

lessofitgoesinthebin.”

Theabovearejustsomeexamples

oftheinnovativeideasfoundinThe

SmarterSmallHome.“gooddesignis

justbrainpower,”saysBlacklow.“We’ve

gotthebestbrainsinthebusiness

collaboratingonthisandfutureprojects.

Wemadeacommitmentthatwewanted

tomakeadifferencetotheindustry,

todosomethingsignificant,andthisis

justthebeginning.”

doodneysaysthatheknowsthishouse

willsell.“everyvendorIhaveshownthis

hometowantsone.Thisiswhatpeople

wanttobuyandthat’stheclincher.

Itisademonstrationinaffordability,

andIdareyoutoimproveonthis,”he

challenges.“don’ttelluswhatwehave

donewrongwiththishome.Tellmehow

wecanmakethenextoneevenbetter.”

dYnamic duoBrett Blacklow is the Director of Earth spirit home, an architecture and construction company he founded in 2002. having studied architecture at QUT in the late 1980s, his early career was spent in the trenches, working for a medium-sized project builder.

kevin Doodney is the Director of lJ hooker land Marketing Queensland. with a real estate career spanning 30 years, he has blitzed the sales for lJ hooker nationally achieving Top salesperson for eight years running. he has also successfully re-designed and regenerated ailing residential estates throughout south-east Queensland on behalf of financiers.

creativethinking

Brett Blacklow

kevin Doodney

looKhoMe 13

A small lot, small house, smart choice of materials and an efficient construction method are the key ingredients in delivering a home that stylish, sustainable — and very affordable.

InTrodUCIng…ThesmarTersmaLLhome

wORdS AMANDA FALCONER

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thesmartersmallhome

WHendeSIgnerBreTTBLACKLoW

satdownwithprojectinstigatorKevin

doodneytotrytocreatethearchetypal

affordablehome,hedidn’tbeginwiththe

homeitself.Instead,itwasthesizeofthe

lotthatwashisfirstconsideration.As

thecostoflandisoftenatleasthalfthe

costofatotalhouseandlandpackage,

bothBlacklowanddoodneyknewthat

todeliveranaffordablehousingproduct,

theyneededtomakethelandsizesmall.

Thedecisiontocreatealot10metres

wideby30metreslongsetupaseriesof

designconstraints;theybecameadesign

problemthatBlacklowandhisteam

neededtosolve.Forexample,havingthe

smallestblockoflandmeantthatthe

homereallyhadtobeatwo-storeyhouse.

“generallydoingathree-bedroom,

two-storeyhouseisn’tawisedecision,”

looKhoMe 15

Blacklowsays.“There’smoresurfacearea

ontheoutsideofthehouse,sothere’s

morescaffoldinganditwilltakelonger

andcostmoremoney[thanasingle-

storeyhome].”Howeverthelandsaving

issosignificant,Blacklowanddoodney

feltthatwithsomethoughtfuldesign,

theadditionalcostswouldbeoffset.

smarTerproducTseLecTion—Theroof

Blacklowsaysthatcarefulproductselection

helpedclawbackcosts—particularlywhen

runningandmaintenancecostswere

thrownintothemix.Whiletheactualsale

priceofthehomewasthefirstkeythingto

getright,itwasalsoimportanttoensure

lowerlifecyclecostsaswell.

often,timeismoney,sothespeedof

constructionalsodroveproductdecisions.

Theteamwasalwaysthinkingofproducts

thatcouldbeinstalledandsimplyfinished;

onesthatinvolvedtheleastnumberof

constructionlayers.Forexample,Blacklow

choseanall-in-oneBondorsandwich

panelfortheroof,whichmeantthe

roofwasfullyinstalledinhalfaday.

“oneproductturnsuptosite,”hesays.

“Whenit’sfinishedwehaveourroof

structure,insulation,sheeting,ceiling

structureandfinishedceiling.Instead

ofhavingascaffoldupfortwoorthree

weeks,it’salldoneinhalfaday.”

UsingtheBondorpaneldidn’tinhibit

designoptionseither.Whilethereare

somespanconstraintstoconsider,the

panelcanbeusedonanythingfroman

almostflatrooftoonewithasteeppitch.

smarTerproducTseLecTion—ThesuB-fLoor

Attheoppositeendofthebuilding—the

ground—anothersmartproductchoice

wasmade.Twenty-twosteelscrew-in

pierswereusedinsteadofbrickpiersand

joistsorthetraditionalslabonground.

Thesescrew-inpiersaretypicallyinstalled

injusthalfadayand,atthispoint,

thefoundationsarefinished.nobulk

earthworksareneeded.

Blacklowsaysthetypeofland

availableindevelopers’landbankswas

aconsiderationwhenchoosingtheway

thesub-floorwouldbeconstructed.

muchofthelandinmanyareasof

south-eastQueenslandandsomeparts

ofSydneyandnSWissloping.Inother

places,likeperth,forexample,thesoil

onlandavailablefordevelopmentis

consideredreactive.

AseniorprojectdesignerwithLand

andHousingdevelopmentintheWestern

AustraliandepartmentofHousingand

Workssaysthatmoredifficultsitesare

nowover-representedrelativetotheflat

sandysitesthataretraditionallypreferred

fordevelopment.

Asaresult,sitecostsforfilland

retainingareanywherefrom$15,000

to$20,000perlotand“willplayan

increasingpartinthefuture,”hesays.

elsewhereinthecountry,builders

frequentlytelldevelopersandconsumers

thattobuildonslopingsiteswillcost

‘thirtygrandextra’.Theyarriveatthis

costveryroughlywithanapproachbased

onusingaconcreteslab.

Blacklowbelievesthattheindustryhas

beenbuildingthesamewayfortwoor

threehundredyearsandthatit’sreally

hardtochangepeople’sthinking.“While

screw-inpiershavebeenaroundforages,

hardlyanyoneusesthem,”hesays.“The

beautyofthemisthatwedon’thaveto

comeoutandmakeaflatareaandwe

don’thavetodigorpourfootingsandbox

uptheslab.Wejustscrewthesethings

intotheground,weputthepostson

thatafternoon,andondaytwowestart

installingthefloorframing.”

Show me the moneYBlacklow is well qualified to assess the real costs of construction. when he added up the bill to construct The smarter small home™, the total was about $127,583 excluding the gsT. with gsT, the cost was just over $140,000.

Blacklow then calculated the cost to build the home substituting the James hardie products with timber weatherboards and flat sheet ply cladding. he then did another calculation, substituting the piers with an ‘M’class concrete slab on flat ground, brick veneer walls instead of lightweight cladding, and a pitched concrete tiled roof using standard roof trusses. The total costs were $150,808 and $166,261 respectively, including gsT.

of course, as with any costing analysis of this kind, the primary intent is to illustrate in broad terms relative costs between different construction methods. Actual costs would depend on many factors, including individual building firms’ designs, locations and supply agreements.

Blacklow outlined these drivers of cost variances:

• Quick and efficient installation with screw-in footings. The slab on ground requires a level pad, whereas the raised house can be built over a small fall without

coNTINUED oPPosITE

While the actual sale price of the home was the first key thing to get right, it was also important to ensure lower life cycle costs.

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16 looKhoMe

incurring any real extra cost. That’s because the screw-in footings don’t require excavation and don’t produce a big pile of excess soil that needs to be dumped or spread over the remainder of the site. In addition, installing the screw-in footings means two people are there over a half day, whereas a slab uses seven or more subcontractor teams and happens over a one to two week period.

• cheaper plumbing costs. Typically the plumber’s charge is slightly cheaper when plumbing suspended pipework under a timber framed floor than it is buried under a slab.

• no cost requirements for termite protection. The slab on ground requires termite protection to the slab penetrations (at the very minimum) whereas the raised house has no cost requirements for termite protection.

• greater cost-effectiveness in using lightweight products than brick veneer with steel support. The costs of the brick veneer skin and the requirement for steel support bars over openings makes it a more costly solution than using lightweight sheet products. It would be costly to reproduce the overhangs and window sizes that are in this house if brickwork were used. In addition, the heavyweight brickwork requires a metal scaffold, not an aluminium one, which is more expensive to hire. The labour time required for brick installation is typically longer than sheet cladding so, again, the scaffold stays up for a much longer period of time and therefore incurs more cost.

• reduced scaffolding costs. Building a traditional roof is more time consuming and costly as it also requires a scaffold in place for a longer period of time. The sandwich panel roof solution is installed in half a day using two carpenters where the traditional trussed roof and ceiling system uses up to five different subcontractor teams and typically occurs over a two-week period.

thesmartersmallhome

coNTINUED

The first smarter small home has been built in a hangar in

QlD. It has achieved a 5.5 star rating, modelled with the BERs

Pro 4.1 in climate zone 2.

looKhoMe 17

smarTerproducTseLecTion—fLoors

WhenitcomestofloorframingBlacklow

chosetimberjoists.Butnotjustany

joists.Hedesignedthehomearoundthe

mostcost-effectivejoistshecouldfind—

245mmby90mmHyneplyIBeams.The

retailcostoftheseisabout$8perlineal

metrecomparedwithtwoorthreetimes

thatamountforhardwoodorlaminated

veneerlumber(LVLs).

Themaximumspanofthejoiststhis

sizeis4.2m.“Sowetriedtodesignthe

structureofourhouseandourfloorplate

aroundthelimitationsofoureconomical

materials,”Blacklowsays.

“Typicallyno-oneapproachesitlike

that.Thebuilderordesignercomesup

withafloorplanandthenheworksout

howtomakeitstandup.”

Blacklowfeelsthisisarecipefor

addingallsortsofcoststhataren’t

immediatelyobviousintoabuilding,

becausethedesignerorbuilderhasto

makethestructurework.Hesaysthat

withhisapproach“youcanparedown

thecosts”.Forexample,thenumber

ofbearers(thechunkier,heavier

supportingtimbers)isreducedand

thecost-effectivejoistsselectedare

usedtotheirmaximumcapacity.

Withthefloorframingnailed,the

designteambegantothinkaboutthe

typeofmaterialthatwouldgoontop

oftheframe.Themostinexpensive

flooringisparticleboardandontop

ofthat,tilingcanbeagoodoption,

particularlywhenthefinishedprice

ofbetween$110and$140asquaremetre

fortimberflooringisfactoredin.

Blacklowfeltthathecouldsource“a

goodtileforaround$15asquaremetre

thatcouldbelaidforaround$45asquare

metre”.Insteadofparticleboard,the

substratecouldbeaflooringproduct

that’smadefromtheScyon™material,

alightweightcementcomposite.

Unlikeparticleboard,Scyon™won’t

swellwhenwet.Whenwaterpenetrates

materialslikeparticleboard,itcauses

ittoswell.Thentilescancrack,bulge

andpopoff.

smarTerproducTs—WaLLsForthewallframestheteamchose

prefabricatedtimberframes.Again,

thismeanstheframesturnuponthe

daythey’reneededanditspeedsup

construction.Timberisalsoeasier

thanmetalforcarpenterstoadjust

ifamistakehasbeenmade.

However,asthedesignersbeganto

considerthecladdingmaterialsthat

wouldgoontheframe,Blacklowfelt

heneededtosetsomegroundrules

aboutproductusagewithproject

partnerJamesHardie.

“Ididn’twantthistobetheJames

Hardieaffordablehouse,”hesays.

“obviouslytheprototypehouseisbuilt

inJamesHardie’semptyfactoryspace,

butIdidn’twantanypressuretouse

JamesHardie®productswithoutme

arrivingindependentlyatthatdecision.

Ithoughtwe’dusethreeproducts,butat

theendofthedaywe’veusedeightor

nine—Scyon™Stria™andAxon™cladding,

Axent™trim,Linea™weatherboard

andSecura™interiorflooring,aswell

asHardiFlex®sheets,HardiColor®,

compressedforsunhoodsandpineridge®

lininginthewalk-inrobes!”

Afterresearchingexteriorcladding

materials,Blacklowandtheteam

concludedthatthereis“nothingthatcan

touchafewoftheJamesHardieproducts

price-wise”.Hesaysthatthenwhen

hefoundthatpaintcompaniesWattyl

andTaubmansprovide15-yearpaint

warrantiesforcertainpaintsused

18

Above: speed of construction

and designing for minimal waste

keep costs down in The smarter

small home.

You are working with the “grain” of the street to create identity ... Making frontages “active” creates life, and gives vitality to the public realm.

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thesmartersmallhome

are we back to front?In its most compact form, The smarter small home has been designed for a rear-loaded lot with the house at the front. Instead of having a front yard and backyard, there is one sizeable yard. “we haven’t got a big driveway and wasted 120 square metres,” Blacklow says. “Instead we’ve just used 30 square metres for the front.”

If the home is to be used on lots that aren’t rear loaded, they’ll probably be slightly bigger blocks. For example, a large Queensland developer has already commissioned five smarter small homes after seeing a sneak preview. They will be built on 15 metre wide lots.

Urban designer sharni howe says the combination of building height, massing and scale, built form elements, and the interface between uses are fundamental to creating a sense of identity and place. she explains that at this level, you are working with the “grain” of the street to create identity.

some aspects deserve more attention than others. Making frontages “active” creates life, and gives vitality to the public realm. howe says that the rule of thumb is that the more frontages on the street, the more active it will be. In areas where frontages have tended to be dominated by garages, rear access lanes can create a more active and safer streetscape environment.

LOOKING GOOD FROM EVERY ANGLE

fronT&reareLevaTion

sideeLevaTions

fromaBove

looKhoMe 19

onproductslikeScyon™Linea

weatherboardandScyon™Striacladding,

hethought:“Thisissensational.”

Timesavedinconstructionwasanother

plus.“manyofJamesHardie’sproducts

aresheetproductsandsoacarpenter

cancoveranareaofthreesquaremetres

in10minutes.Sowe’vechosenproducts

thatcoverabigbitofareawhentheygo

on,”Blacklowsays.

Inaddition,insteadofchoosing

productsthatneeddetailedflashings

andjointings,productslikeHardiFlex®

sheetshavebeenused.“Wehavethis

detailthatwe’veusedthatputsalittlebit

ofasnakeskin(damp-proofmembrane)

flashingbehindthejointinthesheets

withabatten[Scyon™Axenttrim]

ontop.You’vegotafinishedjointand

wecanputonasmanybattensaswe

like.”Thisisacheaperwaytomakea

weather-tightjointthanusingfolded

metalflashings.

Inaddition,usingtheAxenttrimwith

its15-yearpaintwarrantyalsocreates

asavingoverthelifeofthebuilding.

“Typicallywecouldn’tputonapinetimber

battenandnothaveadramainunder

10years,”Blacklowsays.

repeTiTionisThedeveLoper’sfriend

Akeydriveroftheaffordabilityofa

developmentversusthatofasingle

homeisbuildingtheexactsamefloor

plan.“Whenwe’redoingthiswewantto

maketheoutsideofthesehomeslook

asdifferentaspossible,whilestillbeing

essentiallythesame,”saysBlacklow.It’s

thisapproachthathelpsensureavibrant

communityinsteadofthehomogeneity

thatplanners,developersandconsumers

aremovingawayfrom.

“ThethingI’dsayabouttheseproducts

isthatyoucangivemeonestandard

flatsheetlikeHardiFlexandIcangive

Instead of choosing products that need detailed flashings and jointings, products like HardiFlex®

sheets have been used.

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FLOOR PLANS AT A GLANCE

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thesmartersmallhome

Shining the light on running coStSRunning costs were a key consideration for the design team. According to the chairman of the National Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency committee, Dr Tony Marker, one watt consumed in stand-by is, as a general rule, approximately equal to $1 per year. A single appliance using eight watts of power in stand-by will add approximately $8 per year to your electricity bill.

stand-by power consumption accounts for up to 10% or more of Australia’s household electricity usage. This costs Australian households more than $5 billion and generates more than 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.

To help reduce stand-by power use, Blacklow and the team added an override switch at the front door that can turn off the circuit that has attached to it all the discretionary appliances like televisions, stereos and the like. when you come home you just flip the switch back on.

In addition, off-peak power will be connected to the house, and power points that indicate when off-peak power is available will be installed in areas, such as laundries, that have significant energy-using appliances.

The floor plan of The Smarter Small Home has been reproduced with the permission of architect Brett Blacklow, Earth Spirit Home Pty Ltd. As the plans, sketches, computer images and models of The Smarter Small Home are protected by copyright they cannot be reproduced without permission.

groundfLoor

firsTfLoor

looKhoMe 21

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youfiveorsixdifferentfinishes.Itcan

bedonewithouttexturingoranything

likethat,butthroughusingverticalor

horizontalbattens,orsmoothonesor

reallyprotrudingones.Theseproducts

justhaveabucketloadofflexibilityata

reallyaffordableprice,”hesays.

WindoWsaren’TjusTahoLeinTheWaLL

Blacklowknewthatthetypicallength

ofplasterboardandotherliningmaterials

is2,400mm,sohesetceilingheights

atastandard2.4mhigh.Windows

wouldn’tjustbea“holeinthewall”

either.Whenconsideringwhereto

locatethem,somekeyquestionswould

needtobeansweredfirst.

Isthewindowforaccess,ventilation,

viewordaylight—oracombination

ofthosefactors?Howcanenoughof

thembeusedwhileatthesametime

minimisingthenumberofthem?

glazingisabuildingcomponent

thatcontributesdisproportionately

toabuilding’senergyratings.Inan

unpublishedstudyratingsappeared

tobedirectlyrelatedtotheoverall

proportionofglazingandnoneachieved

a5starratingifitsglazingratiowas

inexcessofapproximately26%ofits

floorarea.(Thisstudyandthefactors

thatcontributetoenergyefficiencyare

coveredinmoredetailinTheSmarter

greenBook,availableathttp://www.

jameshardie.com.au/smarter/green.html.)

Ifwindowsarepoorlychosen,sized,

orientedorprotected,itcanallowtoo

muchsolarradiationintothebuilding

causingoverheatinginsummer.In

addition,overglazingcausesexcessive

heatlossesinwinter.

Withthesefactorsinmind,Blacklow

decidedthatinsteadofputtingawindow

ineverywall,theywouldbreakitdown

todeterminethefunctionofthespecific

meaSuring waSteone of the key elements of the design approach was to design rooms, heights and walls to the size of materials available. “when I buy timber, it has to be in 300mm increments,” says Blacklow. “Plasterboard is two different widths. If I’m not thinking of those things when I’m designing, then I’m potentially buying more than I need and I’m also paying someone to cut it down to the right size.”

In addition, the team has developed the design to incorporate a number of the offcuts that may be generated. For example, they use hardiFlex sheets in certain places, and then also use the 600mm offcuts in another. That’s instead of using full sheets and throwing the offcuts away.

“For example, plasterers often line the inside walls by sheeting straight over a window or door and then cutting it out,” Blacklow says. Then half an hour later they need the same size as that or smaller and so they cut off a new piece of plaster.”

Because all the waste on a building site is paid for, it makes sense to minimise it. Typically, skips have to be hired and then transported to a transfer station or recycler and then fees paid on that. on this house, the team aims to reduce the total waste produced by up to 50%.

“I’m very comfortable we’ll achieve that,” Blacklow says.

smart innovation: sliding doors stack on the outside to maximise the opening, linking the home to its outdoor room.

looKhoMe22

window.“Thiswallistheoneweget

ourlightthrough;thisopeningisfor

access;thisisforventilation—and

whenwegettooneforventilation,

wemakeitalouvre.”Louvresallow

thewalltobeopenedinpercentages.

Whenit’saviewwindow,ithasbeen

madeafixedwindow,becauseBlacklow

claimsthat’sfivetimescheaperthan

havinganopenableone.Thewestern

wallofTheSmarterSmallHomehasno

windowsatall,butitdoesusemakrolon®

multiwallsheets.

Atlessthanhalfthepriceofnormal

glazing,thispolycarbonateproduct

floodsthehousewithnaturallight

whilereflecting91%ofthewestern

heatload.Itsstylishanduniquelook

alsoaddstotheaestheticappeal

oftheproject.

Blacklowsaysthisapproachmeans

thatthetotalwindowbillis65%to70%

thatofanormalvolumebuilder,because

theydon’tusuallyapproachthedesignof

windowsinthisway.“Theyputdouble-

hungshere,slidersthere,andtheyhaven’t

savedmoneywheretheycould,”hesays.

hardWorkingspacesInahouseassmallasthisone,intotal

about120squaremetres,nospacecan

bewasted.Asaconsequence,there

arenohallways.Blacklowsaysthey’ve

alsotriedtousealotofcombinedrooms

and,insomeways,they’vereverted

backtofeaturespopularinthe1950s,

likeeat-inkitchens.

Insteadofseparatekitchen,dining

andlivingroomsthataren’tallnecessarily

wellused,thedesignershavecreated

alargeroomwithakitchenatoneend

withspaceforalargetablethatcan

beusedforfoodpreparationand

dining.Alternatively,amobilekitchen

preparationbenchandasmallerdining

tablecanbeused.

Blacklowsaysflexibilityisthekey.

“Whilewe’vebeendesigningahouse

that’saffordable,weknowthatincreating

thiswe’retakingpeopleafewsteps

beyondeverythingelsethey’reseeing

nowonthemarket,”hesays.“Asaresult,

everydecisionwe’vemadehasbeen

withthegoalofcreatingaspacethat

feelslargeeventhoughit’ssmall.And

we’renotdecoratingitwiththingsthat

aren’tneeded.

“We’vebeenintentongettingthe

architecturetodothework.We’vebeen

tryingtomakeagreatcake,notsquirta

wholelotofprettyicingonit.”

Youbethejudge.TheSmarterSmall

HomeisavailablefortoursfromApril2,

2009.Checkatwww.smartersmallhome.

com.aufordetails.

thesmartersmallhome

smart shading and window placements are important.

looKhoMe 23

thesmartersmallhome

Analyse, reduce and offset: that should be the recipe for designers and builders who are serious about their carbon footprint.

you can’t manage what you can’t measure, and there is energy used in lots of ways that you may not have even thought of. when it comes to houses, climate Friendly Managing Director Joel Fleming says that the carbon emissions from buildings are actually one of the greatest contributors to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

climate Friendly’s approach is to help organisations understand and measure their carbon footprint by working out how many tonnes of carbon they produce. They then look at ways to reduce it, like using green energy from a wind farm, for example. To offset other unavoidable emissions they might suggest purchasing renewable energy carbon credits from independently kyoto-compliant projects.

James hardie asked climate Friendly to measure the carbon footprint of The smarter small home™. It found that about 139 tonnes of co

2 were used

to manufacture the materials used in the home as well as to actually construct it. That works out at about 1.16 tonnes of co

2

per square metre. This compares to almost 195 tonnes, or 1.62 tonnes per square metre, of co

2

for a traditionally built home

(we modelled the smarter small home design but with a concrete slab, brick veneer and concrete roof tiles). see graph below.

where the carbon comeS fromclimate Friendly reports that, based on its analysis ,most of the emissions from The smarter small home come from steel, aluminium and plastics; together these account for 60% of its total emissions. In the case of the traditionally built home, most of its emissions come from concrete, clay bricks, steel and plasterboard, which together account for 58.6% of its total emissions.

They also quote csIRo data indicating that the average energy intensity for a high energy intensive house is approximately 5,500 megajoules per square metre (MJ/m2) while the average energy intensity for a low energy intensive house is approximately 4,500MJ/m2.

climate Friendly’s analysis demonstrates that the energy intensity for both The smarter small home (3,721MJ/m2) and the traditionally built home (5,274MJ/m2) are less energy intensive than the average low and high energy intensive houses. The smarter small home is significantly less than any of them.

James hardie has offset the carbon produced in the construction of The smarter small home by supporting the

gFl wind farm in gudhepanchgani in the state of Maharashtra, India. operational since April 2007, the 23.1Mw wind farm is made up of 14 wind turbines each capable of generating 1.65Mw of energy and displacing 51,618 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

climate Friendly often supports projects in developing countries like china and India. “In part, this is because Australian projects don’t currently reduce emissions over and above the cuts already required by regulation,” Joel Fleming says.

1The120squaremetrehomeisbuiltona300squaremetre‘lot’insideanemptyfactoryhangarbelongingto

JamesHardie.Thisapproachwastakentospeedconstructionandremovetheneedforplanningpermits.Italso

meantthattheprototypehomecouldbeusedasadisplayfornineto12months.However,TheSmarterSmall

Homeisdesignedandintendedtobebuiltonactualsites.2IntherelevantJamesHardietechnicalmanual,JamesHardierecommendstheuseoffoldedcorrosion-resistant

flashingsasbestpractice.designersandbuildersareresponsibleforensuringtheappropriatenessandadequacy

oftheweather-tightdetailsusedoneachparticularproject.

counting the carbon

James Hardie has offset the carbon

produced in the construction

of The Smarter Small Home

by supporting wind farms

in India.

looKhoMe24

which iS greener?

The smarter small home

A traditionally built home

co2 used to

manufacture materials and construct the

home (tonnes/m2)

1.16

1.62

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

Energy intensity (MJ/m2)

5,27

4

3,72

1

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

wORdS VALERIE KHOO

Small is beautiful. In fact, after years of expanding home sizes, it seems that small may actually be the new big.

smallisthenewbig

STYLE ANDsusTainaBiLiTy

The trend towards smaller, more sustainable homes is showcased in this home in Kurri Kurri, NSW, by Living Green Designer Homes.

25looKhoMe

smallisthenewbig

WHILeTHeIdeAoFASmALLHome

mayconjureimagesofbox-likelivingand

crampedconditions,manydesigners,

architectsandbuildersaresettingout

toprovethatasmallhomecanprovide

everythingpeopleneed.

Theyarecreatinghomesthatare

notjustsmall,theyarealsostylishand

sustainable.InAustralia,builderCraig

riddlecreatesaffordablehomesthattick

alltheseboxes.

riddle—anaccreditedHIAgreenSmart

builderandHIAawardwinner—saysthat

thehardestthingtoachieveisefficiency

inasmallerarea.“Andthat’swhatwe’ve

beentryingtobecomethebestat,”says

riddle,whochangedthenameofhis

companyfromCraigriddleConstruction

toLivinggreendesignerHomesin2008.

“It’seasytomakeahousebigger—that’s

ano-brainer.Butinasmallspace,you

needtomakeareasmultipurpose.”

riddlebelieveshisapproachiskey

tothefutureofthehomeconstruction

industry.“Iamextremelypassionate

aboutitandI’mconvincedthat,

whetherwelikeitornot,it’sthewayof

thefuture,”saysriddle.

ThenoTsoBighouseThisapproachreflectsthegrowing

movementspearheadedbyUS

architectSarahSusanka,authorof

ThenotSoBigHouse,firstreleased

in1998.Inaninterviewabout

thebook’sre-releaseforits10th

anniversary,Susankasaid:“Itusedtobe

thatreportersandotherpeopleI’dmeet

wouldaskme,‘Whywouldsomeone

choosetodownsize?’nowtheyare

askingme,‘Whendidpeoplebeginto

downsize?’It’snolongersomethingweird

oroutrageous.

“It’sseenastheonlysensiblething

todo,andthere’saperceptionof

increasedvaluewithasmaller,better

designed,moresustainably-madehouse

—somethingthatwasnotthecasewhen

thebookwasfirstreleased.”

Susankaalsoobservedchangesin

homedesignoverthepastdecade.

“peoplearebuildingforthewaythey

reallylive.They’reeliminatingtherooms

theyrarely,ifever,use,”shesaid.“But

perhapsmostimportantlyofall,they

arebuildingplacesthatareinherently

beautiful.

“Thisisoneofthemostsustainable

thingsonecando,becausewhenaplace

isbeautiful,itisnotonlywelllooked

afterbyitspresentowners,butbyallthe

ownerstocome.Thishelpstocreatetruly

livablehousesandcommunitieswitha

senseofsoultothem.”

fuTureTrendsThisissupportedbystatisticsfrom

theAmericanInstituteofArchitects

(AIA)HomedesignTrendsSurveythat

revealtheaveragesizeofhomesinthe

USisstartingtodecrease.TheAIA’s

chiefeconomistKermitBakerwrotein

‘AsHousingmarketWeakens,Homes

aregettingSmaller’(June2008):

“oneobvioussignofthechanging

characteristicsofhomesistheirsize.

Accordingtogovernmentfigures,the

averagesizeofanewhomehasincreased

almost50%overthepastthreedecades.

Asrecentlyas2006,almosttwiceas

manyresidentialarchitectsparticipating

intheAIAHomedesignTrendsSurvey

reportedhomesizestobeincreasingas

reportedthemtobedecreasing.

“By2007,thattrendhadreversed,

asmoreresidentialarchitectsreported

homesizestobedecreasingthan

increasing.Withthe2008survey,more

thantwiceasmanyrespondentsreported

homesizedeclinesasreportedincreases

(33.5%vs.15.5%).”

Asconsumersbegintoappreciatethe

valueofsmallhomes,Susankabelieves

thetrendisunlikelytostop.“‘notSoBig’

housesarelikelytobecomethesought

afteralternativetothemcmansion,”says

Susanka.“Wecanseethismovement

beginning,butinyearstocomethe

movementwillbemoreobvious—away

frombiggerandtowardbetter.Better

designed,betterbuilt,andbettertobe

ourselvesin.”

It’s easy to make a house

bigger – that’s a no-brainer.

But in a small space, you need

to make areas multipurpose.

looKhoMe26

There is a host of products that help turn the small home into The Smarter Small Home™. Here are the key products that make this home a success.

ThekeyingredienTsTh

epr

oduc

tswORdS SuzY YATES

HardiFlex®

sheets

Scyon™ Linea™

weatherboard

looKhoMe 27

THE ROOF

Bondor’sSolarSpan®roofpanelisan

insulatedpanelwitharibbedupperskin,

insulationandasmoothundersideceiling

finishallinonepanel.Itspre-paintedsteel

undersidehasatongueandgrooveroll-

formededgeandisbondedtoaninsulating

polystyrenecorewithaprofiledroofsheet

onthetopside.Itcanbeusedforhouse

roofs,patios,pergolasandcarports,aswell

asportableandindustrialbuildings.

Itwaschosenprimarilybecauseitnot

onlycreatedafinishedbuildingcomponent

immediatelyafteritwasinstalled,butalso

becausethepolystyrenecoreprovides

efficientinsulationandhelpsreducenoise

fromrainandhail,andthepre-painted

Colorbondgivesadurablefinish.

For more information:

www.solarspan.com.au

THE SuB-FLOOR

ThescrewpileproductsusedinThe

SmarterSmallHomeweredevelopedby

SFLFoundationsTechnology,asubsidiary

oftheAustralianunlistedpubliccompany

SteelFoundations.Thecompanyprovides

geotechnicalservices,engineering

design,piling,boredpiersandtop-of-slab

foundationsolutions,forallbuildingsectors.

SFL’sdesign-protectedandpatented

screwpilefoundingsystemsarebased

onthewell-knownscrewpiletechnology

usedfor150yearsthroughouttheworld.


www.steelfoundations.com.au/

ScrewPilingResidential

THE FLOOR FRAME

TheHyneIBeamwasusedinthefloor

frameofTheSmarterSmallHome.

Itcombinestimbercomponents

withadvancedtechnologytoforma

structurallyefficientIsectionthatis

particularlysuitableforuseasfloorjoists,

butcanalsobeusedforrafters,lintels,

purlinsandgirts.

Theyarelightweightyetstrong,

producingfloorsthatareuniform,rigidand

don’tbounce.AllHyneIBeamsarefully

termiteprotected,withatermiteprotection

thatcarriesa25-yearguarantee.

TheHyneT3greenwasusedfor

verandaframing.Unlikevisuallygraded

alternatives,everypieceofHyneT3green

ismechanicallystressgradedtocomply

withthestructuralrequirementsofmgp10

asspecifiedinAS1720AppendixH.The

mgp10selectedforHyneT3greencomes

fromAustralianplantationsanddoes

notcontaintheheavymetalschrome

andarsenic.Theactiveingredientsare

organic,knowntodegradeinsoilandare

notbioaccumulative.


www.hyne.com.au

THE WALLS

scyon™sTria™cLaddingThiswidecladdingboardhasa15mm

horizontaljointthathastheclassicappeal

ofdecorativerender.

It’spre-primedandeasytoinstall,

whichwasoneofthereasonsthisproduct

waschosentolinethelaundryofThe

SmarterSmallHome.Insteadofinstalling

anotherlining,whichmayhaveneededto

besetbyaplastererandthenpainted,

theStriacladdingwaseasilyinstalled

thenpainted.Thelaundryliningwas

The stepped shiplap on the long edges of

Axon cladding means sheets

are easily installed. sheets

are sized to fit common wall

frame sizes, which means

less waste and cutting.

Scyon™ Axon™

cladding

Scyon™

Stria™

cladding

looKhoMe28

the ScYon™ materialThe brainchild of James hardie’s research and development team, scyon™ is an advanced lightweight cement composite with heavy-duty performance. It is resistant to damage from termites, rot and fire (when installed and maintain correctly), but it can also be gun nailed and is easy to cut — like timber.

For more information: www.scyon.com.au

theproducts

complete—anddurableforthe

moistenvironment.


www.scyon.com.au/stria.html

scyon™axon™cLaddingThisverticallygroovedcladdingpanel

continuestolooksharpandsmooth.The

steppedshiplaponthelongedgesof

Axoncladdingmeanssheetsareeasily

installed.paintapplicationisfastbecause

thepre-primedsheetsmeanlesspaint

andtimeareneededtoachieveahigh-

qualityfinish.Finally,sheetsaresizedto

fitcommonwallframesizes,whichmeans

lesswasteandcutting.


www.scyon.com.au/axon.html

scyon™Linea™WeaTherBoardThis16mmthickhorizontalweatherboard

hasthedeepshadowlinesoftraditional

weatherboard—itjustdoesn’tweather

likeit!Lineaweatherboardsareback

bevelledtositflushwiththestudso

they’reeasytoinstall.paintapplicationis

fastbecausethepre-primedsheetsmean

lesspaintandtimeareneededtoachieve

ahigh-qualityfinish.

Inaddition,Lineaweatherboard

willmaintainitsintegrityandgeneral

appearancesignificantlylongerthan

timber.Sometimberissusceptibleto

crackinginexteriorapplications,which

inturncanleadtoshrinkingorwarping.

Lineaweatherboardwillresistshrinking,

swellingandcracking(wheninstalledand

maintainedcorrectly)toholdpaintlonger

thanwood,andcanalsobepainteddark

aswellaslightcolours.

For more information: http://www.

scyon.com.au/linea.html

scyon™axenT™TrimAthickandversatiletrim,Axenttrimis

theeasywaytoaddfinishingtouchesthat

keeptheirfinish.Therangeofthicknesses

andsizesmeansAxenttrimcanbeused

withanyJamesHardiecladdingandany

domesticwindow,whichremovesthe

needforspecialwindoworderstomatch

differentcladding.

It’salsopre-primedforfastpaint

applicationand,likeLineaweatherboard,

Axenttrimwillmaintainitsintegrityand

generalappearancesignificantlylonger

thantimber.


www.scyon.com.au/axent.html

hardifLex®sheeTsThesetough,hard-wearing,lowmaintenance

flatsheetsmakeiteasytoachieveasmooth,

paintedfinish.Theycanbeusedasaneaves

lining,externalwallcladdingandveranda

andcarportsoffitlining.


www.jameshardie.com.au

pineridge®LiningThisisanimpact-resistantinternalwall

liningthathasatimberpanelledfinish.

It’stypicallyusedingarages,workshops

andrumpusrooms.Itcanalsobeused

tocreateanelegantpracticaldadoin

traditionalhallways.InTheSmarterSmall

Homeitwasusedinsidewalk-inrobes,as

arobustliningthatcouldtaketheknocks

andscrapesofsuitcasesandshoes!


www.jameshardie.com.au

makroLon®muLTiWaLLsheeTsThispolycarbonateglazingsystem

providesoutstandingflexibilityindesign

andadvancedheatreflectingandlight

transmittingperformance.Anadvanced

constructionofinternalwallsand

chambersgivesexcellentinsulation

Scyon™ Linea™

weatherboard

HardiFlex®

sheets

Scyon™ Axent™ trim

looKhoMe 29

propertiesandimpactstrength250times

thatofglass.Bothsidesofthesheethave

aco-extrudedUVbarrierwhichprovides

protectionfrom99.9%ofharmfulUV

radiation,givingsuperiorresistance

tooutdoorweathering.madefrom

makrolon®polycarbonateresin,makrolon®

multiwallensureshigh-impactstrength,

clarityandexcellentweatherresistance.

Thecolourusedwasopal.

For more information: www.laserlite.com.

au/residential/laserlite_multiwall.asp

THE PAINT

WattylSolargard®wasusedbothinside

andoutofTheSmarterSmallHome.

WhenusedonStriacladding,andLineaor

primeLineweatherboard,Wattylprovides

anextended15-yearwarranty.externally,

thecoloursusedwere:Builder’sWhite,

WattylColorbonddune,WattylChino

andWattylColorbondWoodlandgrey.

Internally,colourswereagainBuilder’s

WhiteandColorbonddunelowsheen.

THE WINDOWS

Trendaluminiumwindows,inAnodic

naturalmatt,wereused.Whilemostof

thewindowswerestandardproducts,the

companywasabletoworkwithBlacklow’s

designteamtoturnastandardglass

sliderwitha1,500mmopeningintoone

witha3,600mmopening.Thesolution

wasdevelopedafterBlacklow’steamtook

thestandardframeandre-builtitintheir

office!Alltheglasspanelsintheslider

nowstackontheoutsideofthebuilding.

Thenewwindowalsocostabouthalfthe

priceofthestandardslider.


www.trendwindows.com.au

THE LIGHTS

Fanaway®retractableBladeCeilingFan

lightswereusedinTheSmarterSmall

Home.Conventionalfanbladescanbe

intrusive,butinthisfantheyautomatically

retractsothattheunittransformsintoa

slim,modernlightpendant.Turningthe

fanmeansbladesswingoutoftheunit

horizontallytofullfansweep,creating

acentrifugalforcewhichcirculates

airwithinaroom.Usingalowenergy

fluorescent40wattT5lightsourcewith

electronicballast,theFanawaycreates

openspaceintheroomenvironment,

accumulateslessdust,andisunobtrusive

andversatileenoughtovisuallyintegrate

intomostbuildinginteriors.

Installationiseasyandquickasblades

arealreadyinstalledandbalancedin

thefactory.

For more information: www.

beaconlighting.com.au/fanaway.php

THE DECKING

TheSmarterSmallHomeusesmodWood

decking.modWoodisawoodcomposite,

madefromrecycledwoodandplastic.

Itlooksandfeelslikenaturaltimber,but

requiresnoneofthemaintenanceof

traditionalwood.paintsandstainsaren’t

needed.Inaddition,ithasahighdegree

ofUVstability,andishighlyresistantto

extremeweather,moistureandtermites.

modWoodwilloutperformconventional

timbersinmanyareasastheproducts

won’trot,crack,warporsplinter.

modWoodTechnologiesisan

Australianownedcompanythatwas

Australia’sfirstmanufacturerof

wood/plasticcompositeproducts.


www.modwood.com.au

the information provided above was

obtained from the relevant websites

in february 2009. readers should

conduct their own independent inquiries

as to the suitability of these products

for their projects. these inclusions

should not be taken, of themselves,

as a product endorsement by or for

James hardie.

theproducts

PineRidge lining was used inside

walk-in robes, as a robust lining that could take

the knocks and scrapes of suitcases and shoes!

PineRidge® lining

looKhoMe30

wORdS SuzY YATES

ThenexT

STepSIf you’ve arrived at this page, you would now know at least a little about The Smarter Small Home™. You may have even been to see it. So what can you do next?

thenextsteps©

isto

Ckph

oto.

Com

: Die

go C

ervo

looKhoMe 31

areyouaLanddeveLoperWanTingTodeLiveraffordaBLehousingToThemarkeT?

You’regoingtoneedtogetyour

subdivisionplansthroughcouncil,of

course.And,asyouknow,allcouncils

aredifferentsowe’vetriedtoimagine

someoftheissues,ifany,thatyoumight

encounteratthisstage.

• notallcouncilsembracerear-loaded

lots.(Therearelotsofreasons—some

ofwhichwe’veoutlinedinthisbook

—whyrear-loadedlotsareagreat

solution,foraffordableandvibrant

communities.)

• Somecouncilsaremorecomfortable

withdevelopmentswithculdesacs

versusconnectedstreetpatterns,

butculdesacsdon’treallysuitrear-

loadedlots!

• Somecouncilsequateaffordable

housingwithcheapandnastyghettoes.

designedtherightway,nothingcould

befurtherfromthetruth.

• Somecouncilsaren’tasinnovativeas

others—andashouseswithgaragesat

thefronthavebecomethenorm,it’s

hardforsomecouncilstomoveaway

fromthewaythingsare.

Thebestoutcomewouldbethat

councilsembracetheapproachof

TheSmarterSmallHomeandfacilitate

swiftapprovals.TheteamatLJHooker

Landmarketing,earthSpiritHomeand

JamesHardiearehappytohelpyou

worktowardsthis.

areyouahomeoWnerorBuiLderWhoWanTsToBuiLdyoursmarTersmaLLhome?

Ifyouarekeentobuildoneormore

SmarterSmallHomesthenthesimplest

optionistopurchaseearthSpiritHome’s

SmarterSmallHomedesignKit,which

containsnotonlytheplansbutother

documentationneededtobuildthis

affordablehome.

Forexample,thekitincludesafull

specification,billofquantitiesandeven

pre-completedpurchaseorderswith

indicative,pre-negotiatedpricing.

Thekitisavailabletopurchase

onlinefromearthSpiritHomefor

$550includinggST.Justgoto

www.smartersmallhome.com.auand

we’llgiveyouallthedetails.

Ifyou’reabuilder,thisshouldbeall

youneed.Ifyou’reahomeownerwho

alsoneedsarecommendationabout

anappropriatebuilder,checkoutour

directoryofbuildersatwww.lookhome.

com.au.Ifyou’restillstuck,AskJames

Hardie™at131103.

areyouadesignerorarchiTecTWanTingTocreaTeyouroWnversionofThesmarTersmaLLhome?

Ifyoulikewhatyouseebutwantto

adapttheplanstosuityourneeds,

that’sfine.Theplanscanbeusedon

anyblocksizeandcanbeappliedto

front-loadedsitesaswellastherear-

loadedoption.

Ifyouwanttocreateyourdesignfrom

scratch,butwanttohaveapreliminary

discussionaboutthekeythingsto

consider,thenoneoftheJamesHardie

salespeople—experiencedinworking

withbuildersanddesignersacrossthe

country—canhelp.

areyouacounciLpLannerorurBandesigner?

WeinviteyoutotourTheSmarterSmall

Hometoseewhat’spossible.You’llbe

abletoseefirsthandhowanaffordable

housingsolutioncanbeachieved,andit

maygiveyounewideasonhowtoapply

ittoyourregion.

Youarealsowelcometoreviewthe

SmarterSmallHomedesignKitfrom

earthSpiritHome.Justgotothewebsite,

www.smartersmallhome.com.au,for

moredetails.

conTacTdeTaiLsThedetailsofallourpartnersareavailable

atwww.smartersmallhome.com.au

orAskJamesHardie™at131103.

would You like to ViSit the Smarter Small home?Did you know there are tours of The smarter small home? check out our itinerary at the website to find out more: www.smartersmallhome.com.au

thenextsteps

Jupi

ter

imag

es /

phot

olib

rary

looKhoMe32

When you began reading this magazine, you

may never have seen or heard of LookHome™

before. If that’s the case, we’d like to take

a moment to introduce you to all the other

things that make LookHome the ultimate

guide to renovating and building.

Lookhomemagazine

TherearesixearlierissuesofLookHomemagazine,andwe’re

happytosendthemtoyou,free,ifyou’dliketosubscribeat

www.lookhome.com.au.

TheLookgreenhomedesignaWards

Whenwesurveyedourthousandsofmagazinesubscriberslast

year,onetopictheywantedmoreinformationonwasgreendesign.

We’verespondedbycreatingnationaldesignawardsthatwillreveal

thewho,whatandwhyofthebestinaffordable—butsustainable

—design.Youcanenteranewhome,demonstrationhomeor

renovationANDyoucanalsovote.Findoutmoreaboutentering,

votingANDprizesatwww.lookgreenhomeawards.com.au.

myLookhome™Tv

It’sreassuringtoknowthataround77%ofLookHomereaders

“love”ourmagazine.Lastyear,whenweplannedtheLookHome

programfor2009,wethought:“Whystopatamagazine?”We

knowthatyouwantmoreinformationaboutgreendesign(and

renovating,redecoratingand,yes,mulching!)sowhynotdeliver

thisonaweb-TVshowthat’strulyinteractive?Thinkofitas

talkbackradio—butyoucanwatchandlistenonthenet.Find

outmoreatwww.mylookhometv.com.au.

WWW.Lookhome.com.au

ofcourse,there’salwaysmore.(Butnosteakknives—promise.)

Toseetherestgotowww.lookhome.com.au.

win a design consultation

valued at over $1000!

eco-friendly eaveshow shading can save

money and the environment

ideas and innovations for your dream home

introducing – revolutionising home design

THERE’S MORE TOLookHome

looKhoMe 33

ADVANCED BUILDING TECHNOLOGY IS NOW AVAILABLE IN HOUSES.

BUILDING MATERIALS FOR THE FUTURE are available today with the introduction of a heavy-duty, lightweight newcomer called SCYON™. The brainchild of James Hardie’s research and development team, this advanced cement composite challenges conventional building methods with a range of products that includes inventive cladding, weatherboard, water-resistant flooring and trim. Created with ease of installation in mind, SCYON™ brings advanced building technology to the houses of today, with an eye on tomorrow. Keep your eye on SCYON™ and challenge convention.

www.scyon.com.au

SCYON22686_hanger_DPS_13.3.09_170x235.indd 1 18/03/09 10:36 AM

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