The Fab-ode
Same house. New home.
BEFORE: 3.6 star 14.0 ACH @50Pa typical suburban 3 bed and 1 bath home
AFTER: 7.1 star 2.6 ACH @50Pa 3 beds, multi-purpose room, 2 baths and study nook
We nicknamed this house the ‘Fab-ode’ because the owners have Fab in their name and we think the outcome of this retrofit project is fabulous. This original-condition 115 square metre 1970s home had good bones but very poor internal layout and was in need of some serious maintenance. Our clients’ family and friends all thought they should knock it down and rebuild a much bigger and ‘better’ modern family home. The owners didn’t think they needed a bigger house and hoped the existing building had untapped potential. They were right!
We gave it a complete makeover and a complete change of floor plan – but we did not extend. The house felt poky and disconnected: a bunch of isolated rooms with the living areas at the front, disconnected from the garden. This layout reduced the house’s functionality and blocked the opportunity for cross ventilation and the potential for visual and physical extension of the living areas into the outdoor areas. Connection to the outdoors is one of the keys to making smaller homes work well. The renovated home has an extra bathroom, study nook and living area and feels much larger, despite not growing the footprint at all.
Instead of virtually no insulation, the house now has excellent insulation. Instead of being super-draughty (14.0 ACH @50Pa), it is now very airtight (about five times more so than a typical Australian home, without the use of any internal air barrier membranes, just plasterboard lining and good detailing).
Windows were upgraded from single-glazed aluminium frames to double-glazed uPVC and the location and size of some windows in the living areas were modified to improve thermal comfort. The family’s energy bills have plummeted and they are comfortable all year around.
The Fab-ulousness of this project was also nationally recognised when it won the 2020 HIA AUSTRALIAN - GreenSmart Renovation Award.
The project in a nutshell
Areas: block 873m2, house 114.8m2, existing studio 69.4m2, plot ratio 21.1%
EER: 3.6 stars initially; now 7.1 stars EER (65% reduction in heating/cooling load)
Construction: 6 months - July to December 2019
Passive solar features:
optimised window to floor area ratios
improved northern access
uPVC double-glazing windows with high solar transmission low-e
high levels of insulation
Active solar features: Future external blinds and provision for future PV
Services: (all electric)
ceiling fans
OSLO Electric panel heater
far infrared ceiling panels
all LED lighting
induction cooking
Building envelope materials & construction:
Floor: suspended timber – R2 bulk insulation added
External walls: original face brick with Weathertex cladding infill where window openings changed. R2.5 bulk insulation
Internal walls: plasterboard - R1.5 bulk insulation
Ceiling: R5 insulation
Roof: Colorbond Custom Orb
Glazing: Ultimate Windows ‘US system’ sliding double glazing, uPVC frames, U 2.3, SHGC 0.43
Internal envelope thoroughly sealed including removing all ceiling penetrations, vents, ducts and downlights
Below are some great before and after photos. See more photos of Fab-ode here.
Internal plasterboard linings were removed to thoroughly install insulation.
Thermal Imaging Results
