Mellor House in Barfold, Central Victoria, is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on an exposed ridge amongst flora and fauna reserves. The project brief included requirements that it was environmentally sensitive in its energy and water use, made use of eastern views and provided shelter from prevailing southern winds. As a result, Mellor House has a 6 star energy rating.

Robyn Gibson, senior partner at Lifehosue Design, designed the home to wrap around the north-east facing contour which overlooks Turpin Falls and the adjacent Flora Reserves. Emphasis was placed on the house settling into the ridgeline.

The house itself provided several challenges for Gibson. For example, there was significant reef-rock across the site, and the imperative to design around passive solar principles determined the long, narrow-plan form of the house.

Passive solar design principles were primary to the design and included a north facing orientation, cross-flow ventilation, thermal mass in the form of a concrete floor with stone tiles, effective summer shading and maximum insulation.

One of the most visible materials used in the home is timber, from the vanity in the bathroom to benchtops in the kitchen and cladding on the exterior. All timber in the house is spotted gum, including the cladding, which Gibson purchased new, sourced from sustainably-managed plantations or was recycled timber. “It was all bought from Shiver Me Timbers in Williamstown, Victoria. We chose spotted gum for its fire-retardant capacity, its colour and its sustainably-grown nature,” Gibson says.

Although not a standard material to use in a residential bathroom or kitchen, the client wanted a warm, interior environment that maintained the textures and colours of the outside rural environment. Gibson says, “The solid spotted gum used in the bathrooms and kitchen brings a robust and welcoming feel to the interiors, especially in conjunction with the stone floors. The timber is finished with a natural oil finish.”

The stone floor is marble imported from Asia and was chosen over the local Castlemaine stone based on cost. Natural fire-resistant materials such as galvanised iron, local stone and rendered cavity walls also feature.

Rendered concrete block walls were finished with a mineral silicate paint. The paint is made up of natural ingredients such as potassium silicate, mineral fillers and inorganic pigments, which allow the paint to penetrate and chemically react with the blockwork substrate onto which it is applied. Gibson says “it therefore becomes a part of the surface, whereas organic paint merely forms a skin on the surface. It is a high quality, extremely durable, colour-fast and protective system.”

The property had previously been owned by other residents and the site had been ’cut and filled’ twice prior to the current client’s ownership. Landscaping design had made it necessary to push the house site further onto the fill area. “This resulted in one side of the footings being founded on solid rock and on the other side the footings were 2m deep,” says Chris Watts, manager of C J Watts Builder.

For Watts, challenges on the project included concealing the steel framework in masonry walls to support steel beams of canter lever gable overhangs and the gabled verandah. Also, concealing the steel framework to support the roof load above the ‘pop-out window’ and seat at the external corner of the main living room, angled at a corner of 65 degrees.

Gibson selected Watts as the builder because of the client’s requirements for high quality construction and Watts’ understanding of energy-efficient, sustainable building practices. Also, Gibson says Watts has a great attention to detail and is an expert in detailed carpentry work. “Chris is also very easy to work with and highly appreciates the value of the design while constructing a project,” Gibson says.

She says the key to a successful project is “communication, communication and communication”.

With hindsight, Gibson says she would have designed the verandah on the southern side much deeper because the restricted site ended up allowing more space than originally designed for.

Gibson says: “A beautiful design cannot stand alone. You need a great team to bring it to fruition — client, builder and sub-contractors. A new house always has a life of its own that you didn’t recognise during the design process — and it’s always a surprise.”

Stephanie McDonald

Stephanie McDonald

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