CASE STUDIES

History:

Don and Cheryl sadly lost their lovely home in the November 2019 bushfires in northern NSW.  ShelterSpace reacted quickly to their request for assistance, flew up to meet them, see their site and get things going as fast as possible. We met with the council planners, local structural engineers and certifiers who all went out of their way to help the project.

After receiving a very detailed brief from our clients, ShelterSpace developed a modern house design that fitted their budget, the site and their needs. 

Terry the selected builder made himself available during the visit which made later discussions far easier - putting a face top a name always helps.

On returning to Adelaide with the basic concept in place and a lot of additional information prioritised, the Planning Application drawings were produced in our studio and submitted to council for approval. This was received in only a few day (yes days!) we were quickly into producing the working drawings for submission to the certifier and council for Construction Certificate . . . this only took a few weeks after submission.

It was gratifying to see how well the local authorities responded , how quickly they reacted to the difficulties people had found themselves in after the devastating bushfires.

Here's a link to the council's bushfire recovery videos - featuring Don and Cheryl's project.

https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Council/Emergencies-on-the-MidCoast/Recovery-from-bushfire-events

Project Outline:

North facing 1:4 slope

Minimal vegetation within 50 metres of house site

Vehicle access from below via ridge

Two bedrooms

Walk-in robe to main bedroom

Open-planned lounge/dining/kitchen

Kitchen at rear with view-line through dining/lounge to view

Outdoor living area directly off lounge - with overhead protection

main bathroom serving as en-suite to main bedroom

Three car garage

Entry ember/air lock from garage and porch

Two rear light and ventilation courts

Solar HWS and PV power supply

Septic waste-management system

Two 22K litre rain water tanks - connected to existing storage tank

Area of house -    127 sqM

Area of courts -       7 sqM

Area of garages -  92 sqM

Total floor area -  226 sqM

History:

Jane and Jason were looking for a modern house to accomodate their growing family with the parent's bedroom separated from the children's area to allow for their first-responders shift-work lifestyle. 

They had built a large implement shed on site to provide for drinking water collection and a suitable location for the solar panels. 

The site gradient is gentle and this allowed for an almost square floor plan.

The basic concept design was roughed-out via and phone and internet, and then Paul flew up to see the site and finalise the floor plan with Jane and Jason in person. 

The council planners fully appreciated the bushfire resistant qualities of the earth sheltered design and approved the Development Application without delay. 

Local structural engineers were engaged and drawings prepared by them and ShelterSpace for the Construction Certificate, which again was quickly approved.

Jane and Jason are owner-builders with the assistance of a qualified builder as project-manager. 

Project Outline:

North facing 1:25 slope

Master bedroom and flexible space for children's bedrooms/play room/study areas

Walk-through robe from master bedroom to en-suite bathroom

Open-planned dining/kitchen with separate formal lounge/tv area

Entry ember/air lock 

Four light and ventilation courts

Solar HWS and PV power supply on adjacent garage/shed

Septic waste-management system

Two 22K litre rain water tanks - connected to existing storage tank

Area of house -    234 sqM

Area of courts -       16 sqM

Total floor area -  250 sqM

History:

Dale collaborated with the clients to produce a modern house plan that reflects the vision they brought to the design process.

Nicholas and Penny are experienced owner-builders with several previous builds to their credit. They have done most of the physical work on the build themselves, with the assistance of registered plumbers and electricians where required. They left the concrete floor and roof to the experts, but Nicholas did the block walls himself . . . and all that face brickwork too. 

The build incorporates a lot of  'pre-loved' materials . . . . used in imaginative ways.

This is not going to be one of those 'cookie cutter' houses . . . it'll be very individual and unique.

They live on site in the sheds above the house site, so they can devote as much time to the construction as they can.

Project Outline:

East facing 1:4 slope

Two light and ventilation courts

Septic waste-management system

Area of house -    200 sqM