Owner Builders and Sustainability

June 20th, 2019

20/6/2019

Owner Builders and Sustainability

Following on from my recent post about Owner Builders and the importance of considering solar power, I thought I would throw a few more ideas to consider in respect to sustainability.
Owner Builders need to consider two specific areas of sustainability and conservation, one when they are building their project, and in the design phase.

Design considerations will including how you position your dwelling on the block to capture breezes or to make the most of other site characteristics to minimise your energy footprint.

Double glazed windows are great for reducing energy loss in the house and owner builders will also benefit from the acoustic benefits they bring. I am living in an apartment Monday to Friday on a busy Melbourne suburb with traffic and trams at the front door.

There is a rooftop bar across the road, and without the double glazing, the unit would be impossible to live in.
Consider the size of your eaves, in Queensland of course the wider the better to shade the house and minimise the impact of the harsh Northern sun, certainly not as necessary in Victoria.

The installation of water tanks is of course a huge benefit to the owner builder in terms of the money they can save on water rates with them rising year on year. Also, it is extremely important to the environment, and water will likely become a, more and more scarce commodity in the coming years.

It is interesting that councils have done a 360 degree loop on water tanks in residential suburbs and go from banning to mandating through the inevitable cycle.

During the construction phase you can look at water saving initiatives and encourage all your contractors to minimise waste. Use recyclable products, refuse single use plastics on site, do simple things like encourage keep cups and discourage bottled waters.

Owner builders need to be considerate of their local environment and other residents that may be affected by the works that are being undertaken.

They are all little things but they all add up and they all make sense.

I am not a greenie by any stretch of the imagination, but everything I have mentioned in this post can be done quite easily and I do believe that every little bit will help.

Happy Owner Building,

Rick

28 Comments

Mark Campbell

20/7/2019 19:01:34

Interesting read, thank you

Adrian Moodley

13/1/2020 12:49:23

Some really good suggestions in here and very fitting for the period we are all experiencing in Australia.

Kathy Denniss

1/2/2020 12:41:35

Hi Adrian
I agree given our recent experiences with bushfires and drought water is a precious resource we take for granted

Vivan

21/9/2019 16:14:40

Interesting read. Thanks. Could you please also elaborate more on Solar systems and battery storage.

Gilbert

25/9/2019 12:42:47

Hi Rick, interesting topic. Our site will require us to be off grid as no services reach us. I like to get your view on hot water. Typically in the area LGP gas is used for both cooking as well as hot water. Would you recommend to go solar - maybe with gas boost?
In winter we have upto -8degrees and I wonder if these rooftop systems are reliable under such conditions?

LorraineReynolds link

4/3/2020 15:07:23

Hi Gilbert
I am currently living in this situation and found our solar hot water system a good investment financially and environmentally even though we do have to supplement supply during winter months due to limited sunshine hours.

Neil Smart

29/9/2019 13:56:36

our solar system gave us good returns, paid for itself and some, within a few years, but after about 5 years before we noticed a reduction in the returns due to cracks in the solar panels, they are now useless, the joys of getting panels from the lowest bidder.

Kristen Garratt

4/12/2019 11:37:02

Hi Neil,

Interesting comment there. I've also wanted to put solar on my current house, but hearing stories on panel longevity is making me unable to commit. Many panels are made in low quality Chinese factories, and are sold by both low and high price companies.

How would you be able to tell the panel quality difference between a cheap and mid/high priced installer? Another issue is that many installers offer a long warranty / lifetime warranty, but this waranty is useless if the business is no longer operating after a few years.

I guess we need to weigh up both price for panels, but also the company size, reputation and previous installs to make the best judgement on who to go with.... i'm still not there yet in my decision making, but know i'll need to one day!

16/10/2019 12:02:41

We plan to have double glazing in our windows and doors. Does anyone know about the pros and cons to get glass which has a reflective shading applied to the outside. Will this increase the performance of the windows?
cheers

Greg

30/10/2019 16:37:22

Thanks for the info

Navaratnam Raguram

30/10/2019 22:13:42

Very good read

mark hyde

14/11/2019 10:46:00

Rick. I do not believe that sufficient thought has been put into the installation of water tanks into private homes. The running and maintaining cost of the pump and diverter equipment out weighs the saving in water cost, especially with the cost of todays power. Water quality is also a problem as many councils require W.C.s and laundries to be connected to this tank water, which is usually heavily contaminated , staining both the toilet bowl and white clothing, requiring the use of harsh chemicals. I believe the better option is a simple free standing tank only supplied from the roof, with one hose tap to fill a simple watering can by gravity, for use in the garden or washing cars. There by making 100% cost saving on water from the tank.

4/12/2019 11:30:35

Hi Mark,

I live in a newer house, that has this type of rain water tank connected. All roof rainwater is collected through charged downpipes to the rainwater tank, and is connected to one tap in the back of the house. This tap is pressurised, and is encouraged for use for the garden, washing cars etc. The tank itself is fairly closed, and never had an issue with water quality from this system.
I think you'll find this style of rainwater collection is becoming the norm, especially in newer development areas.

4/12/2019 11:33:26

nice read Rick.

One other consideration to the environmental issues raised in your post, is the economic factors associated with these improvements. Like you, i'm not a hard and fast greenie, but as the society moves towards sustainability and environmental considerations, some of the projects actually do provide some form of return of investment. For example, double glazed windows reduce noise, but they also minimise heat loss which in turn saves aircon running time and ultimately electricity use and $$$$ saved.

Shanyang Zhao

2/1/2020 22:08:48

Good read.

Jamie Honan

22/1/2020 10:49:41

The use of concrete is a major contributor to greenhouse emissions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_concrete

In addition, on surfaces, it contributes to faster water runoff which is a major contributor to water problems (flooding, hydro carbon pollution, micro plastics)

Brenton Pugh

30/1/2020 03:22:29

Thanks for that article it is a good read

1/2/2020 12:45:55

Thanks Rick this has some interesting points to consider especially the use of double glazing

Carlo Itskos

7/2/2020 20:24:27

Hi Rick,
Thanks for the interesting read. Very true what you say as waste is becoming a huge problem today with landfill overpowering our space. Hopefully we can all work together to minimise this.

Thomas Lavers

8/3/2020 10:16:23

Great read Rick, you have provided some useful information to consider for my new build. As per our basix requirements we are already including water tanks, however will look further into solar options so I can make my build more sustainable.
Thanks again, Tom

Nenad Kalebic

19/3/2020 14:56:35

Hi Rick,
Thanks for that article & advice, it is a good read.

daniel mcivor

30/3/2020 10:16:43

As a definite greenie, this is something that has been of consideration at all stages of my project design.
One thing we are doing is using the surrounding landscape to our advantage. Sandstone that is being excavated from our site is being repurposed into a wall around our combustion stove to hold warmth in the house better. Also using trees with good cover in areas where we need shade etc.

I like the consideration of single use plastics on site. Providing subcontractors with a little kitchenette to encourage less wastage is a good idea.

Paul

7/4/2020 09:59:16

Hi there everyone
I have just started my Owner Builders Course and found the chat very valuable.
Thank you
Paul

8/4/2020 19:16:14

Thank you for a good read

Andrew Nez link

10/4/2020 10:09:16

Hi Rick,

I have been reading up a bit about the use of "green -Geopolymer Concrete" lately. It seems it could be an actual viable alternative to the wholesale use of concrete in the construction industry, both Commercial & Residential. However, Cost variances, Availability & Longevity are just some issues to consider . Like anything new, teething problems will exist, but just need to be worked through as they arrive. (Water tanks, solar panels etc are perfect examples)
Do you have any experience with the product & if so any thoughts..?

Andrew.

joe

28/4/2020 20:20:17

I believe the future should be houses that are as self sufficent as possible, this for me would be collect and filter your own drinking water. Solar power for your electricity and battery pack. you can even treat your own sewer and use the treated sewer to fertiliser your garden.

Colin Hill

19/5/2020 08:43:17

I agree with the idea that one size does not fit all. The key is for your design to maximise what your house and property has to offer and to design out any negative influences such as the noise issue mentioned above. Personally, my new home will have an extremely high ratio of outdoor living area compared to inside as I am on private acreage and this is where we intend to spend a lot of our time.

Justin Larymore

20/5/2020 16:20:47

I like the idea of no single use plastic and will happily provide a jug of water for any trades on site.
We would love a water tank on site, but will have to wait and see re affordability.

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June 20th, 2019

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