5 Sustainable Home Design Features

The sustainable home is fast becoming an alternative to the traditional Australian dream. And it’s not hard to see why!

Sustainable homes are like any other home: positioned on a prime piece of land, with plenty of space to move. The salient difference is that they’re cheaper to operate, more comfortable, and better for the environment. There’s a lot to recommend them. But if you’re beginning a homebuilding project now, how can you be sure to make it sustainable? There are plenty of options at your disposal in terms of sustainable home design ideas. Here are our top five.

Water tanks are a great design idea for sustainable homes – especially in areas prone to rainfall

Queensland houses some of the wettest parts of the country. It also houses some of the driest. As a result, water consumption is always linked pretty closely to sustainability. So what would it mean if you could cover most of your water consumption self sufficiently? Luckily, with water tanks, you can do just that! If you live somewhere that enjoys the odd deluge, why not capitalise on that with water tanks? You can work them seamlessly into almost every home design, and they’re great for the environment. Our advice: ask your homebuilder to look into water tanks for you.

Solar power is an excellent and sustainable idea to cut down on your emissions and costs!

Like water consumption, power consumption is always a topic of conversation. It can be costly, bad for the environment, and often unpredictable. So why not take back control over your power? You can do that with solar power; it’s reliable, affordable, and the way of the future. Solar power is completely sustainable, thanks to the strong Queensland sun that we enjoy. It can also cut down considerably on your power bill. That means the initial cost of working sustainable solar into your home design will soon be offset by savings.

A well-selected garden is another sustainable home design feature: it minimises water consumption

Everyone loves a good garden. In fact, gardens are so popular that they’re often worked into home designs themselves. But gardens also require a lot of attention. They require water, and if you’re using a sprinkler system, they require power too. That is, if you’ve planted exotic species. If you team up with a good landscaper or homebuilder, you can get a garden full of beautiful native trees, flowers, and bushes. The advantage: they’re perfectly adapted to the environment already! They require much less water, much less attention, and as a result, much less work. Native gardens tick all the boxes, and they’re a great sustainable home design idea.

Aspect: one of the best sustainable home design ideas is to make the most of the sun for warmth

Everyone wants the traditional north facing home. It’s so popular that it’s easy to forget why northerly aspects are important. The reason is simple: north facing homes don’t bear the brunt of the morning and afternoon sun. They’re cooler, more comfortable, and more liveable as a result. But those advantages go further still. A home with a good aspect will require less air conditioning. It will also require less in the way of blinds, awnings, and other shade devices. The ultimate outcome: less consumption in your home. And where consumption is less, sustainability is more. So team up with an experienced homebuilder and use geography to your advantage.

Open plan living is a sustainable way to capitalise on cooling breezes, rather than air cons and fans!

Finally, let’s talk the last trick to sustainable home designs: open plan. Open plan living is great for so many reasons. It’s convenient, social, and aesthetically appealing. But it’s also much cooler. Open plan home designs are more sustainable, and that’s because breezes travel through them easily. That means your home gets beautiful natural cooling, and the air cons and fans get a rest. What could be more sustainable than that?

For the perfect small kitchen design ideas, contact us today on (07) 4132 7777!