Hard Yakka done on sustainability

Sunday Mail - Homefront, March 25 2007

Story by: Tonya Turner

Baffled by where to start when building a low impact home? The good news is, it's available in a kit.

SALA, which stands for Sustainable Affordable Living Australia, is a family company based in South Brisbane that started in 2002 – about the time that Richard and Joan Cassels were building their first sustainable house at Highgate Hill.

When the Cassels decided they wanted to downsize to a smaller sustainable home, they came across SALA and were thrilled to find a company that had dine the hard yards for them. ‘We've learned a lot about sustainable housing since we first built this one, and the next one is going to be easier and even more sustainable', Joan said.

Buying a modified version of SALA's Smart house design in kit form made building a new home feasible for the Cassels, considering construction costs have risen considerably over the past few years. It will be the first SALA home to be built in an urban area, just across the gully from Cassels current home.

‘When we decided we wanted to move we did not want to move from the area, because sustainability is also about support from your friends and your community', Joan says.

Embracing the full spectrum of a sustainable lifestyle, Richard and Joan have adjusted their everyday routines to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Richard used to walk half an hour to and from work while general manager of the Queensland museum. Now a consultant/events organizer who specialises in sustainable living, he plans most activities in the morning when the house is coolest.

‘We need to learn to adjust to the climate instead of fighting it with machinery,' he says. Scott Elsom of SALA could not agree more. ‘I'm a country boy, I grew up on a farm, and a lot of the things we put into SALA Homes are things we used to do in our own house,' he says. ‘It's not rocket science. It's just common sense. They're simple things that happen in the bush but not in the city.'

Scott established SALA working closely with Sydney 's Micheal Mobbs, author of Sustainable house, who created a sustainable home out of an inner-city terrace in 1996.

Materials used in SALA homes are renewable, recyclable and non-toxic. All timber is sourced from plantation or regrowth forests, and wherever possible they use Australian made products.

Photovoltaic solar electric systems, solar hot water heaters and ventilation systems are all standard inclusions, and rainwater tanks and waste water recycling systems are available as optional extras. The homes are also on stumps to maximize ventilation and avoid using concrete. Radially sawn timber (which uses 80% of timber from logs instead of 30-40%) can be chosen for cladding, while efficient strawboard paneling can be used for ceilings and walls. ‘We don't use plasterboard because a huge amount of energy goes into producing it and it's environmentally destructive,' Scott says.

Every consideration had been made right down to the fluorescent lighting, energy efficient appliances, water-saving showerheads, flow restrictors on taps and extra-wide corridors and doorways that allow for livability into old age. Richard and Joan's new SALA home will sit over two levels comprising two bedrooms.

The downstairs level will be self-contained, providing a private space for family to stay or to accommodate a carer one day if the need arises. ‘A lot of people don't want to move into retirement villages when they are older, and we are setting ourselves up so we won't need to do that.' Joan says.