Heritage Renovation – Victoria (Fitzroy)

Napier Street, Fitzroy, Victoria.

Renovation, Heritage Terrace House, Eco-Friendly

This architect designed, renovation and addition of a heritage terrace house in North Fitzroy incorporates aspects of sustainable design that suited the owners budget whilst maintaining the heritage character.

The original small footprint of the house was maintained with only a very small addition to allow for increased natural light into the kitchen and living areas. Materials were re-used and original doors and windows retained where possible. Salvageable items not reused for this job were kept for use in a future build.

A Sanden Heat Pump System, using the latest heat pump technology, was installed for both heating of hot water and heating of the home via hydronics. For heating of hot water, this system is more efficient than solar hot water in this climate. Even more so as this site receives significant shading over the roof area. For heating the home, it is twice as efficient as a gas hydronics system. The owners have chosen to power the system through renewable energies via Powershop. There is the option of installing PV panels at a later date to fully off-set energy consumption.

Timbers include sustainably sourced timbers from ‘Radial Timbers’ and FSC certified timbers elsewhere. A low-toxic, low VOC wood wash was used to stain the timber floor. Insulation was increased in the walls and roof space using eco-friendly “Earthwool” by Knauf Insulation.

Cabinetry door handles were sourced from Interia – a Tasmanian company creating hand-made door furniture out of timber salvaged from the furniture and carpentry industry, and includes species such as Huon Pine and Myrtle.

LED lighting has been used throughout and the home is powered by renewable energy through Powershop. All appliances within the home are low energy use and highly efficient.

The heating and energy systems, coupled with the increased insulation and maintained small footprint, means that this will be a very energy efficient home. The owners were committed to simple design and the result is a beautiful space that matches the funky character of Fitzroy.

Build: Creations In Parallel

This slideshow requires JavaScript.