Sustainable Empire Bay home was once an old fibro shack

64 Kendall Rd, Empire Bay.

Local building designer Michael Levers has transformed a 100-year-old Empire Bay cottage into a modern, open-plan home with sustainable materials, energy efficiency features and clean energy.

Having won an award previously for an energy efficient build in the Blue Mountains, the passionate environmentalist knows a thing or two about sustainability. He has agreed to open his doors to the public for ‘Sustainable House Day’, along with 200 other homeowners nationwide.

Mr Levers said that he thinks that sustainability can be applied to practically any home.

The original fibro shack.

“One thing I wanted to do with the house was reuse and recycle,” he said.

“The good thing about re-using is that it keeps with the character of the old world. The sliding barn door on the front room was made from original weatherboards of the house. I’ve also used the same material under the kitchen worktop bench.”

The picturesque back garden was also created with these principals in mind.

“We had some trees in the back yard that were about to fall down. So we had a guy come up from the Blue Mountains and he turned it into timber slabs that we’ve used for garden steps and handrails. The tiny cottage out the back that I’ve been using as an art studio includes original back door and old internal linings and skirting boards,” Mr Levers said.

View from the top of the back yard.

Planting some aesthetically pleasing fruit trees, such as citrus, cherries, avocados, mangoes and guavas, Mr Levers said that they were pleasing to the eye, but also served a purpose.

The extension on the back end of the house follows a ‘passive solar design’ that Mr Levers said makes best use of light.

“The main concept is it faces north,” he said.

“All these older-style houses traditionally face east and west, which is no good for making use of light. So when we extended on the house, we turned it so that it faces due north. The sun comes in to the back of the floors in winter and in summer it’s shady. We’ve made dark tiles on the floor on purpose to absorb the heat.

It’s hard to believe that this was the original house.

“It’s also well insulated in the floors and ceiling and includes double glazing on all the windows. It basically stops heat gain and loss in summer and winter. People don’t usually want to spend the money on it – it does add $20,000-$30,000 to a new house. But in ten years, it pays for itself.

“Another thing you want with passive solar is cross ventilation, so the house is effectively only one bedroom deep. The tiny windows on the south side are just there for the breeze. It’s amazing how many houses don’t do these simple things.”

$6 MILLION WAGSTAFFE HOME FOR SALE

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Sustainable House Day, run by the not for profit organisation Alternative Technology Association, allows the public to view the latest developments and innovations in sustainable living while learning from homeowners and designers on how best to build or renovate their own home. Homes will be open to the public from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, September 16th.

The property at 64 Kendall Rd, Empire Bay is currently for sale with a price guide of $1.04 million-$1.08 million.