The Watershed Landcare Spring Sustainable Homes Tour explored some of the many different ways to design and build a Sustainable Home.

The final Tour in November featured 2 homes which used natural building materials. At the first location visitors enjoyed a peek 'behind the scenes' at a straw bale house under construction.

The insulation value of this wall material was obvious on the warm afternoon. The bales are now completely enclosed in 3 coats of render, both outside and inside.

The external render was made from a lime and sand mix, which dries to a waterproof finish. Internal render was made from clay sourced from the property, mixed with sand. The thickness of the bale walls allowed the render to be shaped and beautiful curves lead into window and door openings.

This home has many solar passive design features including a ‘cool cupboard’ which brings earth-cooled air through 25 metre long pipes into a pantry. A mud-brick wall provides thermal mass, thus regulating the internal temperature.

Exposed timber is a feature of this home and it sits very well in the landscape.

The second home visited was built entirely from natural materials sourced either from the property or locally. Reclaimed and rescued timbers were used in the round-pole construction with mud brick infill. The wide earthen-floored verandah and sheltering roof line created a sense of nurturing and security.

Visitors were in awe of the owners’ many skills as he described dragging trees home behind the tractor, chainsawing scarf joints, and building a crane! Using logs as rafters required muscle-power and very clear thinking to position, shape and secure each timber. Countless hours had gone into scrubbing back the second-hand doors and windows, many of which contain attractive lead-light.

It was interesting to observe the difference in the mud bricks at the 2 locations. The first had bricks with a lot of silty clay, the second had bricks made from a granite-based clay. Thus the bricks had distinctly different colours and textures.

These 2 homes had many attributes in common as both owners are passionate about their choice of materials; however the homes were individual and unique. Landcare visitors were full of questions regarding materials, techniques, planning and design. A fascinating afternoon was enjoyed by all.