Sustainable Homes Melbourne

Sustainable Homes Melbourne Transforming rundown old homes into beautiful, comfortable sustainable homes we can all be truly pro

04/06/2026

A good home does what you need it to do and makes you feel good while it's doing it. I know that sounds philosophical. But I genuinely believe it.

I sat down with Sven Fischer from Cottage and Castle and we got into something that I think a lot of buyers need to hear. The data will tell you what to buy if you want maximum capital growth. And that matters. It really does. You are putting an enormous amount of money into this and growth potential has to be part of the conversation.

But what does that data-driven decision do for you if you absolutely hate living there?
A principal place of residence is not just an asset. It is where you come home every single day. It has to work for you. And what works for one person is completely wrong for someone else. That is not a weakness in the decision. That is just reality.

Strike the balance. Buy somewhere with genuine growth potential. But do not sacrifice every day of your life chasing a number on a spreadsheet.

And as Sven put it, probably do not buy a cottage next to a train track just because you like trains.

I’m excited to be part of the 2026 Sustainable House Day Workshop Series presented by Renew.On June 17, I'll be represen...
03/06/2026

I’m excited to be part of the 2026 Sustainable House Day Workshop Series presented by Renew.

On June 17, I'll be representing the Sustainable Builders Alliance, presenting The Retrofit Playbook: How to Transform Your Existing Home as part of the workshop series.

Following Sustainable House Day, this online workshop series brings together architects, designers, builders, energy experts and sustainability educators from across Australia to share practical advice for creating more comfortable, efficient and climate-ready homes.

I’ll be presenting a session on Rethinking Renovation: Why Retrofit Matters Now, alongside a fantastic line-up of speakers covering:
• Affordable retrofits
• All-electric homes
• PassivHaus design
• EVs and home energy systems
• Wildlife-friendly gardens
• Biophilic design
• Future-ready strata living

Each workshop includes a live Q&A, so attendees can ask questions specific to their own homes and projects.

You can explore the full program and book tickets here:
https://sustainablehouseday.com/workshop-series/

Would love to see you there. See link in bio.

02/06/2026

Before the concrete goes in, this is what a thermally broken slab actually looks like.

The entire slab is sitting on 100mm of XPS insulation. That insulation sits on the footings below, the slab sits on top of it, and the load from the wall frame above transfers down through the XPS into the foundations. Almost no thermal contact between the slab and the ground beneath it.

The only thermal bridging on this one comes through the dowel bars that are drilled through the insulation into the footing. A small and deliberate compromise to transfer structural load. Everything else is broken.

On the perimeter we have 50mm of side slab insulation. The 140mm wall on the exterior sits flush with the outside edge of that insulation. What that gives you is a continuous layer of insulation wrapping the entire external envelope of the home. No gaps. No cold spots. No place for energy to escape at the slab edge where most homes lose it.

Most people will never see this once the home is finished. But they will feel it every single winter.

The comfort starts here. Under the concrete. Before a single wall goes up.

This is our Fitzroy project. And that ceiling is the thing everyone notices first. Raked recycled timber boards running ...
31/05/2026

This is our Fitzroy project. And that ceiling is the thing everyone notices first. Raked recycled timber boards running the full length of the living space with black track lighting and a statement fan. It is warm, characterful, and completely at home in inner Melbourne. It did not happen by accident.

Recycled timber on a raked ceiling does several things at once. It brings warmth into a space that could easily have read as cold with that much black framing and white wall. It references the heritage character of Fitzroy without trying to replicate it. And it gives the room a scale and presence that a flat plasterboard ceiling simply cannot.

From the dining table through to the living space and out onto the terrace, the home reads as one continuous environment. Black UPVC framed sliding doors, a casement window bringing in a second source of light, the terrace extending the living area outside. The indoor and outdoor are in conversation throughout.

The material palette does all the work. Recycled timber, concrete, black steel, recycled timber floors. Nothing competing. Everything considered.

This is what a well designed inner Melbourne extension looks like when every decision refers back to every other decision.

28/05/2026

Joining us on this episode is Sven Fischer from Cottage & Castle (), a Melbourne buyer's agent with a perspective on the property market that doesn't get talked about enough.

One thing Sven raised that I couldn't agree with more. There are real knowledge gaps on both sides of a property transaction. Buyers walk into a home, it looks fresh, it looks well presented, and they assume the performance is there. Most of the time it isn't. They find out in winter.

What surprised me most in this conversation was how deep those gaps go. We have had clients who genuinely believed double brick was insulation. I have spoken to industry professionals who thought a concrete floor served the same purpose.

These are people buying and selling the highest value asset most Australians will ever own, and the performance of that asset almost never comes up.

That needs to change.

Listen to the full House of Meaning episode where you get your podcasts.

26/05/2026

Most people never think about what happens behind a retaining wall. But get this wrong and water finds its way in.

The Dincel retaining wall is core filled and standing. Now it's about protecting it properly before the soil goes back in. A waterproofing membrane on the back of the wall, two coats where it needs it most. Core flute over the top to protect the membrane during backfill. Drainage board over that to carry water down and away. Scoria as the backfill material, and an Aggie drain sitting at the base against the wall to collect and redirect any water that makes it through.

Every layer has a purpose. Skip one and you're chasing a moisture problem years down the track.

Built right from the beginning. Every time.

There are rooms you walk into and immediately feel something. This is one of them.The exposed brick wall does a lot of t...
24/05/2026

There are rooms you walk into and immediately feel something. This is one of them.

The exposed brick wall does a lot of the heavy lifting here. It brings warmth, texture, and a rawness that no painted surface can replicate. Sitting an ornamental freestanding wood heater against it on a terracotta tiled hearth was the natural choice. The platform creates a moment, a focal point the whole room orients itself around.

What makes this space work so well is the balance. The timber joinery on the left is full height but stays quiet, letting the brick take centre stage. The timber floor ties everything together without competing. And the glazing to the right pulls in natural light, softening what could have easily felt heavy.

It's a room that feels genuinely lived in. The record collection, the monstera, the low seating. Nothing is trying too hard.

Good design creates rooms people actually want to be in.

21/05/2026

Something Sven from Cottage & Castle Buyers Agents raised in this conversation that really stuck with me.

The property industry is almost entirely numbers based. Price, yield, land size. Very rarely does the conversation get to the actual quality of what's built on the block, how it performs, how comfortable it is, how much it costs to run.

There are professionals representing one of the most significant assets a person will ever own, and the performance of that asset barely gets a mention. Sven put it simply: that's a bit odd.
It's part of why we held an event to try and get real estate agents into the room and start that conversation. We didn't quite get there to the degree we hoped, but the intent stands.

The housing stock in this country is getting worse by the day. The sooner the people representing it start understanding what performance actually means, the better it is for everyone buying and living in these homes.

Listen to the full House of Meaning episode where you get your podcasts.



This one is a project we are really proud of. And these two photos tell the whole story.From the street you see the conv...
17/05/2026

This one is a project we are really proud of.

And these two photos tell the whole story.
From the street you see the conversation between old and new. Existing brick on the right, raw and honest, sitting alongside a new render facade with a steel framed timber batten screen wrapping the upper level. That screen is doing several things at once. It provides privacy to the upper level without closing it off. It filters the western sun. And it gives the home a presence on the street that is contemporary without being indifferent to what is around it. The warm timber against the black steel against the brick. That palette did not happen by accident.

Then you step inside and the interior photo shows you exactly where that warmth comes from. Spotted gum or similar hardwood timber door frames and joinery. White walls. Pendant lighting that is simple and considered. Plants. Natural light coming through that door and bouncing off the white walls into the dining space. The exposed brick visible through the opening connects the inside back to the outside. Inside and outside are in conversation with each other throughout this home.

That is the thing about good architecture. Every decision refers back to every other decision. The timber on the screen outside reappears in the door frames inside. The brick outside comes through the window inside. Nothing is arbitrary.

Details done right. Every time.

14/05/2026

I sat down with Sven Fischer from Cottage and Castle to talk about the side of property buying that nobody really prepares you for.

Sven is an independent buyer's agent working across inner Melbourne. No jargon, no theatrics. Just honest advice that serves the buyer, not the deal. Exactly the kind of person I wanted to have this conversation with.

And what came out of it was something I think a lot of buyers need to hear. A home never gets sold purely on its asset value. There is always an emotional component. Always. That changes everything about how you need to show up in that process.

Auctioneers have playbooks. Agents have preferences. And at the end of the day, people like to deal with people they like. I have been on the sell side. I know how true that is. When it comes down to it and the numbers are close, the buyer who has been straightforward and genuinely interested will have the edge every time.

Let the agent know you want it. Be honest about it. Do not play games. And do not make an enemy of the person from whom you want something.

It really is that simple.

Listen to the full House of Meaning episode where you get your podcasts.

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Fitzroy, VIC
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