Non-invasive bamboo has been planted as a natural living privacy screen & filters the westerly summer sun & wind. Bamboo is a critical element in the balance of oxygen & carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  It helps reduce carbon dioxide gases
& generates up to 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees.  It is a natural control barrier that greatly reduces rain runoff, prevents massive soil erosian & keeps twice as much water in the watershed.  Bamboo also lowers light intensity
& protects against ultra violet rays.

The front fence is jade stone to help stop the reflection from the road & keep the front yard & house cooler.

LED lighting & electrical fixtures throughout provide effective lighting & economic benefit.

Double glazed skylights minimise heat transference & achieves natural light flow through the day.

The house can be closed off into three sections for minimising heating & cooling.

A 7 Star Rinnai Infinity 32 Enviro hot water system is installed - one of the most energy efficient systems on the Australian market.  An 'inbuilt energy recovery system' uses considerably less gas to produce the same quantity of hot water and generates only 1/6th of the greenhouse gas emissions of a standard electric hot water system.

Bathrooms: 20mm bluestone on the floors & walls acts as a heatbank in winter & are shaded by eastern eaves in summer.  Translucent glass achieves good lighting, soundproofing & privacy from the neighbouring property.

Being single storey has allowed a higher ceiling height letting in more natural light & reducing the need for artificial lighting.

The SIP panels are surfmist in colour which under the Building Code of Australia is stated to be the less solar absorbant of all roof colours. 
This means the roof stays cooler during the hotter months reducing the need for excessive air conditioning inside.

The sub floor is insulated to BASIX standards.

Recycled materials have been used where possible.  The large windows down the hallway were recycled from the front of the original house as were the cedar double sliding doors.  Timber from the original eaves were used to make the dining table & foam from the SIP panels was recycled for insulation.

The flooring throughout old & new is solid bamboo, recommended as the only truly sustainable timber.  The vanities, window seats, king size bed & some of the shelving are also constructed of bamboo.  Bamboo can be harvested & replenished with virtually no impact on the environment. 
The variety of bamboo used in flooring is not a known food source for any species so harvesting has no impact on any animal life.

Foam left over from the roof panels provides insulation & sound proofing in the double cavity walls.  Double cavity walls eliminate heat loss/gain through wicking.  The wall on the western wall has an extra cavity & insulation.

Structurally insulated roof panels on all new roof achieves a R value of
nearly 6. (A conventional roof R value is approx 2.5).  Use of these panels delivers substantial savings in construction, time & heating & cooling costs.

7 Donlan Road has north facing aspect, the optimal orientation for taking advantage of the prevailing breeze & sun angles to minimise artificial heating
& cooling.

A 7m x 8m shade cloth is put up over the back deck during summer to protect from sun & also cuts down on artificial cooling.

Deck spacings at 10mm & open sub floor allow for cool breeze to circulate.

1.8m eaves facing north at 10 degree angle stops the summer sun but lets in the winter sun.

The water tank collects roof runoff to water gardens & gray water is diverted from the bathroom & laundry onto the gardens.

Solar reflect paint on external walls reduces heat gain with low VOC paints on interior walls.

Non-invasive bamboo has been planted as a natural living privacy screen & filters the westerly summer sun & wind. Bamboo is a critical element in the balance of oxygen & carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  It helps reduce carbon dioxide gases
& generates up to 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees.  It is a natural control barrier that greatly reduces rain runoff, prevents massive soil erosian & keeps twice as much water in the watershed.  Bamboo also lowers light intensity
& protects against ultra violet rays.

Non-invasive bamboo has been planted as a natural living privacy screen & filters the westerly summer sun & wind. Bamboo is a critical element in the balance of oxygen & carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  It helps reduce carbon dioxide gases
& generates up to 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees.  It is a natural control barrier that greatly reduces rain runoff, prevents massive soil erosian & keeps twice as much water in the watershed.  Bamboo also lowers light intensity
& protects against ultra violet rays.