- 4 weeks ago
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00:00.
00:12Gone are the days of the couch potato.
00:15These days, it's all about exercise
00:17and how much we eat and drink and sleep.
00:21But there's one frontier that remains unexplored.
00:24Where and how we live.
00:27So, what if you wanted to build Australia's healthiest home
00:34right in the heart of the big smoke?
00:37What would that even entail?
00:57The feathers all in formation.
01:12So, what are your thoughts on these ones here?
01:16It looks like they've just got a fancy, like, headpiece on.
01:20They feel like they can't see very much.
01:23Pigeon shows are typically where you'd find builder Matt Carlin
01:29and marketing manager Nicole Pearce.
01:31Is that just their feathers or that's their body?
01:33I don't know, cos see how this one's like...
01:35Or maybe it's like a mating thing?
01:37Do we like pigeons?
01:41Do you like pigeons?
01:43Nah, I wouldn't say they're my favourite animal.
01:46Actually, I don't like them at all.
01:49Pigeons are weird.
01:51Put it this way.
01:52You don't go to the zoo to see a pigeon.
01:54No.
01:55But that didn't stop them spending $750,000 four years back
02:04buying a ramshackled old pigeon racing clubhouse
02:08in Yarraville in Melbourne's inner west.
02:10As you can see, it's definitely not up to the livable standards.
02:13Not enough windows or anything like that.
02:16The shed's cooked.
02:17It needs to go.
02:18It's a small block, but it's in a really great location.
02:21There's beautiful parks.
02:23It's close to the city and it's close to family
02:26where we've grown up in Williamstown.
02:29On a super-tight 191-square-metre block,
02:32the site was exactly what they'd been looking for,
02:35except for one giant drawback.
02:38Unfortunately, there's a lot of industry around.
02:41We've got the freeways, we've got the ports,
02:44there's also existing refineries,
02:46so it is one of the worst suburbs of air quality in Australia.
02:53It's been a lifelong problem for Matt,
02:56who suffers from chronic allergies and asthma.
02:59So whilst I had a pretty good childhood,
03:02like, I was a kid that did have asthma.
03:05I remember being young.
03:06I was on the nebuliser.
03:07There's times where I'd have a random asthma attack.
03:10Mum and Dad would take me to the children's hospital.
03:13As I've grown older,
03:15I've developed probably a lot more hay fever and allergies.
03:17I feel like I live off antihistamines.
03:24Happy day!
03:25But it's also been a huge motivator.
03:30When he's not building houses,
03:31he's a part-time podcaster,
03:33taking the building industry to task
03:35and exploring ways to build healthier homes.
03:38I'm going to say to you,
03:39I have a huge issue
03:40what some trades charge for what they're doing.
03:42We're working out what a trade should work.
03:46The issues with building in Australia
03:48is essentially we're building tents, glorified tents,
03:51that are cheap, poorly constructed.
03:54The goal is to be responsible.
03:56And I think he's building an energy efficient,
03:58a comfortable, healthy, resilient, durable building
04:02that is essentially going to be the healthiest home
04:05that we can possibly build.
04:06Arguably, maybe the healthiest home in Australia.
04:10Did he say the healthiest home in Australia?
04:13That's a big call.
04:19Hello.
04:20Hey, Matt!
04:21How you going?
04:22I was expecting to see a pigeon racing clubhouse right here.
04:25It's gone?
04:26You couldn't keep any of it?
04:28No.
04:29It's gone.
04:30It was unlivable.
04:31It was falling apart.
04:32Structurally not sound.
04:33But we managed to, when we demolished it,
04:36able to recycle most of the stuff through timber and stuff.
04:38So that will get repurposed elsewhere.
04:40In the local community,
04:41our friends and family,
04:42it's always going to be affectionately known as pigeon house.
04:45Is that a good thing for you guys?
04:47We're happy with it.
04:48We went into it a little bit with the design as well.
04:50So double storey, big large circle windows,
04:54pitched roof.
04:55OK.
04:56So we're still paying some homage to the pigeon racing club.
04:59Sounds good.
05:00So apart from being modelled somewhat on a pigeon house,
05:04what's going to make it special?
05:05It's that we're building a passive house.
05:07So we are going for the ultimate form of building,
05:10what we could, the gold sticker.
05:12But it is a very healthy house.
05:13We're not doing just the structure and things like that.
05:15We're going for inside materials.
05:17We're trying to be as healthy as we possibly can.
05:19OK.
05:20So passive house and all of those sustainability principles
05:22right down through every dimension.
05:24Yeah.
05:25We've looked at everything, I would say,
05:26from energy to water to the materials that are going to the building,
05:29everything.
05:30I do want to get the Australia's most airtight house.
05:33Yeah.
05:34I know that sits at about 0.1 hour exchange.
05:36Some are officially on the books.
05:38I'd love to break that.
05:39Oh, I just heard a challenge being thrown down.
05:41There's a challenge and it's going to be tough
05:45and the results of the improvement on that doesn't really change much
05:48the building at such a small detail.
05:50But I would love to be like, hey, I got that to that.
05:52It sounds like you're in a real crusade.
05:54There's a lot of negativity around building at the moment.
05:57Like, let's be positive.
05:58Like, every Australian wants to be in a healthy, comfortable house.
06:01But we want to prove that's possible.
06:03If we design our houses correctly and orientate our houses correctly
06:05to get that free sun and we build airtight and we remove those air leakages,
06:10our heating cooling bills go down, our comfort goes up.
06:13So it's just taking pride in what we build.
06:17Designed by Alterico Architects, this three-bedroom, two-storey home
06:21gives a nod to the old pigeon shed on the outside
06:24while packed with Scandinavian and Japanese design influences inside.
06:29Neutral tones and clean lines throughout
06:32with a bright white concrete slab on the ground floor.
06:36But the key driver of this design is not how it looks,
06:40but how it operates, invoking passive house design principles
06:44developed in Europe in the late 1980s for maximum energy efficiency.
06:49With features including solar panels, water recycling, air filtering,
06:54triple-glazed windows and sustainable timber throughout.
06:58The insulation will be amped up and the walls wrapped inside and out
07:03to create a continuous thermal envelope which will keep the house
07:07at a year-round 20 to 25 degrees Celsius
07:10without the need for heating or cooling.
07:12For a relatively simple design, it'll be an environmental powerhouse.
07:20Now, that all sounds great, but it also sounds like the main reason
07:23people don't do this is because that becomes very expensive.
07:27Building is expensive. Like, if we're in a climate where building is...
07:29That's a yes. Yeah, of course it is.
07:31It's kind of like you're taking a pretty ordinary sedan
07:33and you're supercharging it.
07:35Yeah, well, if you're going to do it, you do it properly.
07:37So, for me, like, it's protecting the structure from water.
07:40So, like, I'm all about wrapping the outside correctly
07:42and, like, I can't wrap a birthday present from Nicole
07:44but I can wrap a house.
07:45Like, it's those things that, like, I want to really get into.
07:48That's what I'm more excited about.
07:50So, what is all this going to cost you?
07:52We are looking at $950,000.
07:55If you'd said that just with an ordinary house
07:58on the scale of the site that I'm standing on,
08:00I'd say probably a good outcome for that.
08:02Yeah.
08:03But with all the high spec you're going for,
08:05I'm already going to...
08:06I'm starting to shake at the knees a little bit.
08:09And if you go over the budget?
08:11I can't go over budget, like...
08:12OK. It's a hard line.
08:13It's going to look pretty bad as a builder
08:15going over budget for your own house.
08:16Like, that's what we've allocated,
08:17that's what we can afford or are willing to spend on it.
08:20I understand that things can go wrong,
08:21so there is a contingency,
08:22and, look, we'd love to do it for under a million.
08:25How long is this going to take?
08:2712 months, we're hoping for.
08:29You actually stumbled when you said 12 months.
08:31Like, I don't actually believe that number myself.
08:33Yes, I'm going to be the one that's sitting there being like,
08:37OK, where are we up to?
08:38What's happening?
08:39What's happening next?
08:40We're a bit behind on this bit.
08:41Yeah.
08:42But it is going to be treated as if it's one of Matt's projects.
08:45OK.
08:46So we think that we're going to be able to stick to that timeline.
08:48You have an amazing project you've described here.
08:51Very ambitious, you know,
08:52very tight little parcel of land here.
08:54You've got a lot to squeeze in.
08:56Yeah.
08:57I can't wait to see how you've pulled this off.
08:59Same here.
09:00Yeah.
09:05Matt's setting the bar pretty high for himself,
09:08and with health and the environment as the key motivators,
09:11it's no wonder.
09:13But there's a reason why more of us don't build this way.
09:17It's a lot of money to put towards how the house functions,
09:20rather than how it looks.
09:22Not to mention that we're a mostly temperate climate here in Australia,
09:26and throwing the windows and doors open
09:28has become something of a national pastime.
09:31So while this may become Australia's healthiest house,
09:35will it be something that will inspire others to follow suit,
09:39or just a curious experiment?
09:42Because I'm not sure bird box living is for everyone.
09:46Before Matt and his team can start building up,
09:58they've got to go down.
10:00I don't know if that's where.
10:02I don't know if it's where.
10:04I think it's just the clay.
10:05Digging a hole for the 5,000-litre recycled rainwater tank
10:09for the loos, laundry and garden.
10:13And while the 195-square-metre site might be cleared,
10:17below ground, it's anything but.
10:20There's a rock there.
10:26That's a rock there too.
10:28There's one rock there and one there,
10:30and I'm hoping they're two separate ones.
10:35Shit.
10:37It's going to be slow going, isn't it?
10:42I knew we should have brought the bigger machine.
10:46Due to the size,
10:47we just don't have the ability to get a big machine.
10:49We had a big machine,
10:50they'd just be able to scoop them all out.
10:51So size of site does make it a lot harder
10:54to get bigger rocks out like this.
10:56Ah!
11:04Shit.
11:05No, it went in.
11:06That's not the big one either.
11:07No, I know.
11:09If the digger can't lift them out,
11:12here's a novel idea.
11:18Oh, there you go.
11:19And there's a lot more where that came from.
11:32Four slow-going weeks on,
11:34with the small digger eventually clearing the rocks,
11:37the rainwater tanks in the ground
11:39and 42 cubic metres of concrete
11:42are going down for the slab.
11:46But this isn't any old concrete.
11:49As a globe,
11:50we use enough concrete per week
11:51to build a whole of Manhattan.
11:52That's a lot of concrete.
11:54And concrete is one of the biggest
11:56greenhouse gas emissions products in the world.
11:58Like, it counts about 8% of greenhouse gas emissions.
12:01I think only gas and coal are bigger.
12:04So the whole thing is we want to improve in that area.
12:08You can see they're, like, in the corner
12:10working out, like, their base.
12:11For this, we're using an eco-packed concrete,
12:13which is reducing the amount of carbon in the concrete by 70%.
12:17It uses things like fly ash and slag
12:20and other coal byproducts.
12:22It's usually a little bit more expensive,
12:24but my thing in five to six years,
12:26this should be just standard concrete mix.
12:30We are.
12:31Happy days.
12:34Two weeks later, with their eco-slabs set,
12:39the timber walls can go up.
12:44But first, they need to be wrapped in a waterproof membrane
12:49to protect the thermal insulation,
12:51help with air-tightness
12:53and create a moisture barrier to stop wood decay.
12:55That is slippery.
12:57For a high-tech home,
12:59there's a lot of low-tech cutting and sticking.
13:04Well, there would be if it wasn't so wet.
13:07I think it actually has to be really dry.
13:12That's not...
13:13Nah, it's not gonna stick.
13:15So we were going to put down our external membrane on our ply,
13:19which is an adhered product.
13:21So it's essentially thinking of it like a little children's book
13:24where we contact paper the frame.
13:26So it needs to stick into here quite tight to it.
13:30When it's wet, it won't adhere.
13:32So that's more the frustrating part.
13:37What is the radar?
13:38So annoying.
13:39Yeah, there might be a little more rain, though.
13:48Just pull the pin.
13:50It's just not magically gonna get better.
13:56Man, it sucks.
13:59If building Australia's most passive house in the rain
14:03in 12 months isn't daunting enough...
14:05Have you read the instruction before?
14:07No.
14:09Exactly.
14:10And I did, and I made eggs on it and nothing stuck.
14:13There's another unexpected development.
14:18Yeah, we have had something pop up
14:20that's going to put some additional pressure on the timelines
14:24and getting the house finished.
14:27Maddy and I are very fortunate
14:29that we are expecting a new addition to the family come June.
14:33The baby will arrive before the house is complete,
14:37but I'm always asking what the timeline looks like,
14:40if we can bring that forward any further.
14:43We just obviously like to get ourselves and the little one
14:47into our new house as soon as possible.
14:49It's just one more spinning plate Matt has to deal with.
14:55So running a business, moving house, building our own house,
14:59trying to get this podcast up and going, have a chance.
15:03Make things harder.
15:04I think Matt's going to be in for a little bit of a surprise.
15:14Yeah, that's just the best.
15:15Yeah.
15:25It's now six months into the 12-month
15:30Passive House Pigeon Club transformation.
15:33The walls are wrapped and upright.
15:36Yeah, just like that.
15:37And today, Matt's imported triple-glaze windows will hopefully seal the deal.
15:45Today, we've got windows going up, so they come about three weeks ago from overseas,
15:48and we need to get them in as quick as we possibly can.
15:53We're just trying to push as much as we can in these drier months
15:56to essentially get to a point where once it gets to those colder, wetter days,
16:00where everything's inside.
16:03Also, Nicole is 12 weeks pregnant, which is exciting.
16:07But it does give us a little bit more motivation to push a little bit faster.
16:10So I've got a lot to do.
16:13Three, two, one.
16:16These windows set the bar for insulation.
16:19The three layers of glass slow the heat transfer through the windows
16:24but also prevent any air or water leaks
16:27and fight the risk of condensation and mould,
16:30a nightmare for asthma sufferers like Matt.
16:33So don't drop it.
16:37Alex, do you want to set up a hose?
16:39I want to flood test this window to make sure it's watertight.
16:43I want to test our windows in the sense of, like,
16:44we get one shot of putting them in, yeah?
16:46And if they leak, well,
16:49then that defeats a lot of the purpose of the building.
16:52But that is one thing I'm a bit nervous on.
16:54Go for it.
16:54I'm literally looking for, like, a drop.
17:06It's never going to rain this much on a window.
17:09So we're simulating and seeing the amount of water.
17:12Like, if it works under this, we know it's going to survive.
17:17Yeah, eight.
17:19I've got it in this corner somewhere.
17:23Where it's coming in, I don't know,
17:25but there's a fair bit in there.
17:29I've got a water drop at the top here too.
17:33That's where the line is in the water drop.
17:35Somewhere up there.
17:36It could be something as simple as, like,
17:43the team have put in a screw and this is the membrane.
17:46And we're talking a hole that's, like, maybe that big.
17:49It's so tiny, but that is enough to cause that leak.
17:53So catching that early is, like, a huge win for us.
17:58We'll fix it, flood test the rest,
18:01come back next week once it's all dried out,
18:02flood test it again.
18:03And we keep doing that until they're all right.
18:06Matt's on a mission, all right.
18:11And he's not alone in the fight for clean air
18:14in and around Yarraville.
18:18Residents in Melbourne's inner west
18:19are calling for filtration units
18:21before the opening of the Westgate tunnel later this year.
18:24Under the current design,
18:26the tunnel will have tall, unfiltered ventilation stacks.
18:30Locals are worried that won't do enough to reduce pollution.
18:33They're building all these new roads,
18:37these new roads, which is great,
18:38but the problem is all the fumes from the cars
18:41have been congregated into one little spot
18:43and they've decided not to filter
18:45any of the air that comes out of that.
18:47So it's now already a suburb
18:51with pretty poor air quality
18:52and it seems like it's just about to get worse.
18:55It's the reason why I decided to build the way we do.
18:57It's all about taking back control
18:59and being able to have a say
19:02in the air quality of our home.
19:04So when was the last time you came here on Tite?
19:19Oh, God, about a month ago, I'd say.
19:21If there's one person who's not surprised
19:23by Matt's drive and determination,
19:26it's his dad, Ross.
19:28How many glazes?
19:29Triple. Triple glazes.
19:30In the building trade for many years himself,
19:33today, the old dog's learning some new tricks.
19:36Look at the ceiling with the wood inside.
19:38Nothing like that when I was a kid.
19:40As Matt begins the difficult task
19:42of adding a thermal layer to the inside of the house.
19:45You can hear, you can't hear the noise from outside.
19:48You can't even hear the radio downstairs, upstairs at the moment.
19:51Like, once it's all shut up, you will not hear a thing outside,
19:53which is another level of comfort.
19:55Everyone thinks thermally,
19:56but sound, air quality, like, odours and smells,
20:01vibrations, like, we're covering them all.
20:04Well, they reckon that Melbourne's
20:05the highest asthma capital of the world now.
20:07Is it? Is it really?
20:09Yep.
20:10So a house like this will help that kind of thing.
20:12Been around a fair bit.
20:13It's totally different than when I was a kid.
20:14My dad was a carpenter,
20:16and then his dad was a carpenter.
20:18And so, like they say,
20:19you can see how things are changing
20:21and how things are improving.
20:22Brickway is going to start in two weeks.
20:24Matthew was getting a thing called passive houses.
20:27I wouldn't have a clue what a passive house was.
20:28So he's probably teaching me more
20:31than what I'm teaching him these days.
20:32You don't need many staples to hold this up.
20:34And if you do it correctly,
20:35we can just, you get staples in spots
20:37where the tape's going to hide it.
20:39So the whole idea is,
20:40we don't want to have staples in the middle here,
20:42because if that blows off,
20:44that can become an air leak in the future.
20:46But while Matt might be the passive house pro,
20:48it's not stopping the apprentice
20:50passing on some fatherly advice.
20:53Oh, I've got to kind of cut that.
20:55You're going to cut it?
20:57Yeah, I've got to cut it to fit it in.
20:59Wouldn't you do that over here first?
21:00No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
21:02Matthew, wouldn't you cut it over there?
21:03No, no, no, no, no.
21:04Because if I go here,
21:05then I can pull that across.
21:07You're going to have it too short then.
21:09I don't want to have to pull it down
21:10because you made a mistake.
21:11No.
21:12I'd be doing that corner first.
21:13Yeah, I'm trying to work it out.
21:14Seriously, I couldn't have picked a harder room
21:19to start this with.
21:20Fair dinkum.
21:23Don't cut your hands.
21:24I'm not going to cut my hands.
21:26Jeez.
21:28Oh, yeah, we have our arguments.
21:29Don't worry about that.
21:30But it is his house,
21:31and he's the builder which runs his projects
21:33and everything like that,
21:34so I've got to back off a little bit.
21:36How many houses have we built together?
21:39Like three?
21:41Did we fight?
21:42100% we fought.
21:45I don't mind a bit of questioning,
21:48a bit of to and fro,
21:49just to make sure that you get the result.
21:51That's the only way you can improve.
21:57There's no doubt about it,
21:59building's a stressful game at the best of times,
22:02and Matt's still a long way from home base.
22:05This is your neighbourhood, right?
22:07Yeah.
22:07And this is your neighbourhood, Kath?
22:09Yes, this is the local.
22:10Something Nicole is very aware of.
22:15Matt is throwing so much at this.
22:17You know, I mean, he's deep, deep into this.
22:20Like, how's he going?
22:22I think he does sort of hide the stress
22:27when he does come home.
22:28Yeah.
22:28Being pregnant,
22:29I don't think he wants to put that stress on me,
22:32but he's really good at recognising that.
22:35You know, he's really good at sort of just saying,
22:37this is getting to me,
22:38I'm worried about X, Y and Z.
22:40He then also says,
22:42oh, I've got to get this done for the house,
22:43but then I've also got to talk at this conference,
22:46record this podcast.
22:47That's right.
22:47All of those multitude of projects he finds really exciting,
22:52but all of that on top of each other, yeah.
22:55And with a little one on the way.
22:57Yes.
22:58I mean, that is such great news, obviously,
23:00but of course it's just another level of, like, life event
23:04that is happening simultaneously here.
23:06I mean, are you able to sort of relax?
23:07Yeah, I think my nature is sort of the calming nature
23:11to Matt's storm and chaos.
23:14Every time we chat,
23:15there's maybe another week or two
23:18that's been added to the timeline,
23:20but I think at this stage, again,
23:22I've got another project to be focused on.
23:25Yeah.
23:26Look, a house is important,
23:27but I think you've got your eyes on the right priorities here,
23:29so absolutely sounds like you've got it sorted.
23:31Yeah.
23:31As competing interests go,
23:36baby definitely trumps build,
23:39especially one that's taking longer
23:41and costing more than your average build.
23:45Take the $25,000 heat recovery system
23:49being installed on site
23:50to filter and purify the air.
23:54It's just a photo of a filter we changed out recently
23:57out of a HRV system
23:59that had been in for about six months
24:02and the filter on the left
24:04is the new filter that we put in,
24:05so you can see the colour difference.
24:06You can actually see those different bugs and stuff
24:09in the filter as well,
24:10which has been brought in from outside.
24:12Originally, I was a bit of a cynic,
24:13but then when you experience it
24:14and build it from the ground up
24:15and you can feel it and you can see it,
24:17yeah, you soon get convinced
24:19that these things are good for homes
24:20and you start to do them on your own homes like I am.
24:25What I'm looking at here is the lungs to our house
24:27and that is going to provide us
24:29with fresh, clean air that's filtered.
24:32And what this is doing
24:33is practically filtering out
24:34all the particulates and pollutants in the air
24:37and allowing us to breathe in some nice, healthy, clean air.
24:42So for me, this is the ability
24:44to reduce those sort of things
24:46and just feel that the air
24:49that I'm breathing in my own house is quality.
24:53Does every house need this to this level
24:56and this expense?
24:58Probably not,
24:59but what price do you put on your health?
25:05What price indeed?
25:07But in a temperate climate like Australia,
25:14will passive houses ever really take off?
25:18This is classic conservation heritage.
25:22Architect Karen Erdos,
25:24who designed a number of passive house projects,
25:27including this old beauty in Annandale,
25:29thinks yes,
25:30with a few provisors.
25:33So you're classic Victorian terrace, yeah?
25:35Absolutely classic.
25:36It's in the middle of a conservation area.
25:38It fits right into its streetscape.
25:41You've got the French doors down here,
25:42the Rhode Island balustrade,
25:43even a beautiful parapet with a name on it,
25:45Warrain.
25:46So it's got all those classic Victorian details around it.
25:50But it doesn't look like a passive house.
25:52You would never know it's a passive house.
25:53And we had those constraints.
25:55Being in the conservation area,
25:56we had to keep it looking exactly as is.
26:00And there's nothing about it
26:02except the plaque on the wall
26:03that tells us
26:04that it's a passive house.
26:06So what's it feel like inside?
26:07Shall we go have a look?
26:08I don't know.
26:09Let's go.
26:18So here we are.
26:20Here we are.
26:21Oh, beautiful.
26:22You know, really contemporary sort of terrace feel.
26:25Nice and bright and light.
26:27I feel those things already.
26:28It's very open.
26:29Yeah.
26:30So it's not your classic terrace
26:31in that we've come in through the side.
26:32Yeah, yeah.
26:33So the whole front room stays intact.
26:35It's just such a beautiful flow
26:37from the big front room there
26:38right through to the backyard.
26:39You can see the green pulled in
26:41in both directions,
26:42which is just gorgeous.
26:43Yeah.
26:44And the big transformation was originally
26:46it was a lot of smaller,
26:48darker,
26:49not particularly friendly
26:51or healthy feeling spaces.
26:54Yeah.
26:54So the idea was to open it right up
26:57and despite the orientation,
26:59get as much natural light
27:00Yeah, mission accomplished.
27:01There you are.
27:02And it's quiet.
27:03It's quiet.
27:04Yeah.
27:05It's very quiet.
27:06How nice is that?
27:06There is nothing happening from the street.
27:08Yeah.
27:08So this is excellent.
27:09And then the light in the backyard
27:11calling us through to,
27:12I can see the addition.
27:13Yes.
27:14Yeah?
27:14Yes.
27:14Could we have a look at the kitchen?
27:15Yeah.
27:15Let's go have a look.
27:18Oh, I like this.
27:19That's very clever.
27:25With three bedrooms upstairs,
27:27what really stands out
27:28is the house has retained
27:30all its old heritage charm
27:32because while it's one thing
27:35to build a new passive house,
27:37it's another thing altogether
27:39to retrofit an old house.
27:42So what was so hard
27:44about making this home
27:46a passive house
27:47and what was it kind of like
27:48the financial addition
27:50you had to put on all of this
27:52to make it work?
27:53So this one was a particularly
27:55tricky challenge
27:56because of the heritage overlay.
27:58Best practice is to come
27:59from the outside
28:00and get your insulation
28:02and your membranes
28:03and so forth
28:03on the outside
28:04of the building.
28:06Because of the heritage overlay,
28:07we had to do things
28:08on the inside.
28:09So that was...
28:10Yeah.
28:11That was a particular challenge
28:12in this case.
28:13A lot of people would say,
28:14and of course,
28:15it's a real thing,
28:16is the cost associated with it.
28:17Yes.
28:18And I mean,
28:18I hear numbers like 20,
28:20even 30%
28:20in addition to a standard build
28:23to get a passive house.
28:24So it's like,
28:25look, I'd love to,
28:26but I just can't.
28:28I mean,
28:28how do we get around that?
28:30Look, it's the conversation
28:31of the day.
28:32Yeah.
28:32I actually experienced
28:33this for myself.
28:35Oh, really?
28:35I just did a renovation
28:37and I wanted to walk the walk.
28:39I talk a lot about passive house.
28:41I do it for my clients
28:42and I really wanted
28:43to have a passive house.
28:44It came down to budget
28:46and there was just
28:48too many areas of the house
28:49that we would have had
28:50to completely strip back
28:52and redo
28:53that we were otherwise
28:54not going to touch.
28:55Right.
28:56So it was a devastating moment
28:57when I realised
28:58that we just couldn't do it.
28:59It wasn't attainable.
29:01But we did the best
29:03that we could
29:04within our constraints
29:05and this is like
29:06the real story.
29:07Let's do the best
29:09that we can.
29:10Yeah.
29:10So let's use
29:11the high performance windows.
29:12Let's get the mechanical
29:14ventilation in there.
29:15Let's get all the
29:16insulation in there.
29:17Yeah.
29:17Let's design out
29:18those thermal bridges.
29:19We're going through
29:19all of the passive house
29:21principles here
29:22and let's get the building
29:25working as best as we can.
29:27So what about the critique
29:29that passive house
29:30gives you a kind of
29:30a slightly dead feeling inside
29:33because it's all so controlled
29:34and it's...
29:35Do you...
29:36I mean,
29:36how do you respond to that?
29:38I've heard an argument a lot
29:40that I'd like to hear
29:40the birds outside.
29:41Yeah.
29:42I'd like to hear
29:42the noises outside
29:43and that's really great
29:44if you have birds outside
29:45to listen to
29:46but if you're under
29:47a flight path
29:48or next to a train line
29:49or a busy road
29:51and all the noise
29:53that is not necessarily
29:54desirable,
29:55it's really welcome
29:56to shut that right down
29:58and have this quiet oasis.
30:03So what I'm hearing is
30:05all the principles
30:06that passive house lays out
30:07are absolutely things
30:08we should continue
30:09to build on
30:10but we shouldn't be
30:12put off
30:13by the zealous application
30:15of every single part
30:18of the passive house
30:18kind of regime
30:19because, you know,
30:20getting close is the goal.
30:22Look, I would call
30:22passive house
30:23the gold standard.
30:24Yeah.
30:24If you can,
30:26great, let's do it.
30:27It's almost like
30:27an insurance policy.
30:29You pay insurance premiums
30:30for your house.
30:31This is like an insurance policy
30:32that you will have
30:33a robust, well-built,
30:36high-quality
30:36and healthy home
30:38that will last
30:38the test of time.
30:40So, I mean,
30:41it feels good.
30:42It feels really nice
30:43standing right here.
30:45Are you sure
30:45I can open those doors?
30:47That door's open.
30:50Absolutely.
31:02Back on site,
31:10it's now eight months
31:12into Matt and Nicole's
31:1312-month project
31:14and just two months
31:16till baby makes three.
31:18Yeah, let's calm down.
31:19Bring that down.
31:21Suffice to say,
31:22for a passive house,
31:24things are looking
31:27pretty active.
31:30No one told me
31:31bricks were coming
31:32today.
31:33I was told
31:33bricks Monday.
31:34Yeah, now we've got
31:3518 pallets
31:36of bricks coming.
31:39So they've got to
31:39have room to mix
31:40and move
31:41and probably got
31:42about 10 minutes
31:42to do a week's work.
31:44Yeah.
31:45Alex, bring your car here
31:46so I can get on the metal
31:47and put all the metal
31:48in the back as well.
31:49Yeah, just run these
31:50inside, yeah.
31:53All right,
31:54climb down.
31:57If you go straight,
31:58you'll be on it.
32:02The crew barely have time
32:04to catch their breath
32:05as the next challenge
32:09is laying a ground-breaking
32:11internal infill slab
32:12for the floor.
32:14We are using a white concrete,
32:16so that's super exciting.
32:18When you install concrete,
32:19we usually put a steel mesh in
32:22there, a reinforcement bar.
32:25We know steel is a massive
32:27contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
32:29Steel is heavy.
32:31So we've thought a bit
32:32outside the square here
32:33and we have found this
32:35glass fibre reinforcement bar.
32:37And really what they're
32:38going to do here
32:39is they're going to pretty much
32:40cut this up themselves
32:41and make their own mesh inside.
32:42It will be three times as strong
32:46as a standard steel mesh.
32:49Way easy for these guys
32:50to install.
32:52You can see how light this is,
32:53like a tenth of the weight.
32:54It is also cheaper.
32:56That's the crazy part.
32:59It's a game-changing product.
33:02Molten glass fibres
33:03are wound into spools,
33:06pulled through a resin bath
33:08and then cured
33:10to give the bars
33:13their strength and durability.
33:21You can pick up
33:2380 rods on your shoulder
33:24versus 10.
33:26It's lovely
33:26because you just walk it,
33:28walk it all in.
33:31I mean, I think it'll end up being,
33:33very much being the future
33:34just for the ease of,
33:36ease of use.
33:38No way, I could carry this many.
33:43I wouldn't even attempt
33:44to carry this many
33:45if it was steel.
33:47Hi.
33:48You're going to have to go to the gym today.
33:49No.
33:53Unfortunately,
33:54not everyone on site
33:56is impressed.
33:57Hey, Finn, Finn, Finn,
33:58no peeing inside.
34:00Every dog's...
34:01Everyone's just peeing
34:03all over your house.
34:04Finn,
34:05what are you doing,
34:06you rascal?
34:07You cheeky boy.
34:08It brings out the white
34:10in the concrete,
34:10don't worry about it.
34:11LAUGHTER
34:12Let's hope so,
34:23because while Nicole's
34:25had her mind
34:25on bigger things,
34:27the one thing
34:29she's adamant about
34:31is white concrete.
34:32You can see it.
34:33Coming up.
34:34And not just
34:35any white concrete,
34:37it has to be
34:37the right white.
34:40There's been
34:41a lot of discussions,
34:43Pinterest boarding,
34:44inspiration
34:45to show exactly
34:46what's in my mind
34:47of what I'm wanting
34:49for this.
34:50The flooring
34:50will have a huge impact
34:51on the overall look
34:53of the house,
34:53but I do understand
34:55that concrete,
34:57you can't 100% control
34:59and say this is
34:59exactly what I want.
35:05Concrete's hard
35:06because you're so
35:07dependent on the weather,
35:08the drying temperature,
35:09the humidity in the air,
35:11how much you work it,
35:12how much water's in the mix.
35:13There's so many factors.
35:15You can over-vibrate it
35:16as well.
35:17We don't want to see stone,
35:18so you can go for it too.
35:20We know that we've
35:22given it its best chance.
35:23We've got 10% white oxide
35:24through it to whiten it up.
35:25We're going to sort of
35:26roll with it
35:27and see what happens.
35:29As the concrete sets,
35:30the colour lightens
35:32over time.
35:33How much white
35:34a wolf drag?
35:35What?
35:36How much white
35:36a wolf drag?
35:3930, 40%.
35:40I don't want to get too white.
35:44Now you're already
35:44being too white.
35:46I can't win.
35:49Now she's wondering
35:50how white it's going to go.
35:51It could be too white.
35:55At the end of the day,
36:07Nicole's back
36:08for a site inspection.
36:15And that's what
36:16the finish will be like
36:17inside?
36:18Yeah, that's what
36:19we're trying to get it
36:19like, yeah.
36:25And the verdict?
36:29Happy days.
36:31Happy days.
36:35Still married.
36:36The interior cladding
36:41also needs to meet
36:42Nicole's approval.
36:44They want to use
36:46a revolutionary variety
36:47of sustainable timber
36:49but have not seen
36:50it first hand.
36:51So Matt's making
36:52an early morning dash
36:53to the factory
36:54in Adelaide
36:55before locking it in.
36:58But with Nicole
36:59almost at full term,
37:01this is the worst
37:02possible timing.
37:06Nicole,
37:06at any point now,
37:08could give me
37:09a call
37:10and be like,
37:11it's time.
37:12Baby's on its way.
37:14So that's
37:16super exciting.
37:20But I don't
37:21like uncertainty.
37:24I have no control
37:25over that,
37:25which is something
37:26that's like,
37:27gets to me a little bit
37:28because I like control.
37:31In Australia,
37:3249% of log trees
37:34are deemed
37:34unfit
37:35for building.
37:37But here,
37:39low-grade pulpwood
37:40veneers,
37:40usually used for paper,
37:42are being transformed
37:43into premium hardwood.
37:46What would normally
37:47be waste,
37:48we're going to convert
37:48this into solid timber.
37:50We do that
37:51via rotary peeling.
37:53So if you're coring
37:54an apple,
37:54essentially,
37:55peeling it,
37:56you're going to use
37:56a lot more
37:57of the product.
37:58You don't create
37:59any sawdust
37:59and you recover
38:0165% from the log,
38:03rather than the
38:03traditional sawmilling
38:04of 33%.
38:05Wow,
38:06that's a huge increase.
38:09All the timber
38:10used here
38:10is from sustainably
38:12managed forests.
38:13which is right
38:14up Matt's alley.
38:18This is the start
38:19of the process here.
38:21So we've taken
38:22the veneers,
38:24we've cut them
38:25in a guillotine
38:26into strips,
38:28so they're all
38:29threaded a little wide.
38:30from there,
38:31it's getting applied
38:32with glue
38:32via that roller.
38:34The glue we use
38:35is water-based
38:36and toxin-free.
38:38Yeah.
38:38And then it's heading
38:39into the ovens
38:39where it's making
38:40the glue really tacky
38:42so we bond it together
38:43and all it is.
38:44So this becomes
38:45like a big log,
38:46essentially.
38:47Yep,
38:47big solid timber.
38:48Wow.
38:48Once this process
38:52starts to the end,
38:53you're producing
38:54300 kilos of timber
38:55within 20 minutes.
38:5820 minutes?
38:59Yeah.
38:59So we'll go from
39:00these strips
39:00into a block
39:01in about 20 minutes?
39:02Absolutely,
39:03yep.
39:03Wow.
39:04As long as we get
39:05this timber looking
39:06like the timber
39:07outside
39:07and we can match
39:08as best as possible,
39:10I think Nicole's
39:11going to be
39:11hopefully quite happy
39:12because you know
39:13what it is,
39:13it's a happy wife,
39:14happy life.
39:15Yeah,
39:16absolutely.
39:16Is it still
39:17going to look like
39:17timber?
39:18Is it still going
39:19to have the
39:19characteristics where
39:20the grain comes
39:21through?
39:21Because we've used
39:22real timber in
39:23other places in
39:24the building,
39:25will it match?
39:26I've prepared
39:27this for you,
39:28Matt,
39:28just to have a look
39:28at what the
39:28finished product
39:29could look like.
39:30That's not stained.
39:31Yeah,
39:31okay, cool.
39:32And that's stained.
39:32Jeez.
39:34It feels like timber
39:35too,
39:35like even the weight,
39:38like you wouldn't
39:38know that this
39:39has just come
39:40straight out of a
39:41machine.
39:42I feel pressure
39:43because I want
39:43Nicole to be
39:44really,
39:44really happy
39:45with the end result.
39:46It feels,
39:46it looks,
39:47like everything
39:48that we wanted,
39:48the characteristics
39:49are there.
39:50If she's happy
39:50with what we have
39:51here,
39:51we'll be pressing
39:52prints and putting
39:53this awesome
39:53material in our
39:54house.
39:55And really,
39:55the best bit out
39:56of it,
39:56like she hasn't
39:57called me saying
39:58there's no baby
39:58issues or nothing's
39:59happened,
40:00so I guess that's
40:01the big winner
40:01of Outer today.
40:02This transformation
40:12will only be a win
40:14for Matt
40:14if he fulfills
40:15his quest
40:16to build
40:16the most
40:17airtight
40:18house in
40:18Australia.
40:21As the project
40:22enters its
40:22final phase,
40:23he's on the
40:24hunt for any
40:25little air holes
40:26that would
40:26create a draft.
40:27We're just doing
40:29a little bit of
40:29leak detection
40:30today,
40:31so we've actually
40:31got like a DJ
40:32smoke machine
40:33and we're going
40:33to just smoke
40:34out as much
40:34of the house.
40:38And the whole
40:38idea is just to
40:39see if you can
40:39see any movement
40:40in any section
40:41and make sure
40:43everything is as
40:44tight as we can
40:44be.
40:45Go for it.
40:45This is one of
40:50the areas I'm
40:51really concerned
40:51about.
40:55See, it just
40:55goes.
40:56See, over here,
40:56you see how it
40:57just disappears.
40:58There's actually
40:58a fair bit
40:59happening up here
40:59but I knew
41:00this would be
41:00a tricky spot.
41:01I can see
41:01installations are
41:02here, so there's
41:03a massive gap.
41:06Like fixing a
41:07puncture, Matt
41:08needs to tape
41:09over each and
41:10every hole.
41:12But the more
41:13tests they do,
41:14the more
41:15leaks they
41:15find.
41:18I know this
41:19is one here.
41:21See?
41:22And through
41:23here.
41:23Oh, there's
41:24heaps through
41:24here.
41:25Look at that.
41:25It's not even
41:26tape.
41:27Ah, is this
41:28another tricky
41:28junction then?
41:30We might as well
41:30try all these
41:31tricky ones
41:31through here.
41:33Oh, I can
41:34hear that.
41:36Yeah, you can
41:37hear it.
41:39When I said
41:40that, I had
41:40no idea on
41:41how complex
41:41this project
41:42was.
41:42Oh, that's
41:45smashing in
41:46here too.
41:48This is going
41:49to be the
41:49hardest one.
41:51But I did set
41:51out with an
41:52expectation of
41:53trying to build
41:53Australia's most
41:54airtight house.
41:55So, it's going
41:56to be pretty
41:57hard.
41:57what started as a
42:01crusade has
42:03turned into an
42:04obsession.
42:04To say that Matt's
42:24taken the battle
42:25for Yarraville's
42:25air quality right
42:27to his front door
42:28is an understatement.
42:29It's now over a
42:31year since he
42:32started building
42:33his and Nicole's
42:34giant air filtering
42:35machine of a
42:36house.
42:38And I'm fascinated
42:39to see how it's
42:40all worked out.
42:43Matt has thrown
42:44everything at this.
42:45He's researched it
42:46to within an inch
42:47of his life.
42:48And what I'm
42:49worried about is
42:49this whole thing
42:50is going to look
42:51like a Meccano
42:52set of technical
42:53solutions but not
42:54actually be a family
42:56home.
42:56Now it's finished.
42:58It's all done.
42:58It's all buttoned
42:59up.
43:00Let's see if they
43:01got there.
43:12Look at this.
43:13This is picture
43:14perfect and there
43:15they are.
43:15Look how comfy
43:16the dog is.
43:17I know.
43:17I know.
43:18It's her house
43:19really.
43:20Can I come in?
43:21Of course.
43:22Come in.
43:22Come in.
43:26Congratulations both
43:29of you.
43:30This was such an
43:31epic project for you
43:32both wasn't it?
43:33Yeah.
43:33You put so much
43:34into this.
43:35I know you just
43:35obsessed over every
43:36single nail that
43:37went into this place.
43:38Just a little bit.
43:39This is an act of
43:40love I think.
43:40There was passion
43:41everywhere.
43:42Yeah there's a lot
43:42of passion.
43:43A lot of passion but
43:44yeah I'd say we're
43:45pretty proud yeah.
43:46I mean from the
43:47street it looks very
43:49calm.
43:50I mean that was the
43:51goal from my
43:52perspective aesthetically
43:54from Matt.
43:55he had you know
43:56the healthy home
43:57part behind
43:58everything every
43:59decision.
44:00So is it working
44:01as good as it's
44:02looking?
44:03Yeah well I think
44:03it proves you can
44:04mix sexy with
44:05healthy.
44:06Oh sexy we went
44:07we went somewhere
44:08else.
44:08Yeah yeah yeah.
44:10Well the whole place
44:11just looks so well
44:13put together and it's
44:14it's cutting such a
44:15beautiful picture.
44:17Paying homage to
44:18the old pigeon racing
44:20clubhouse the double
44:21bird box facade is a
44:23nod to the past.
44:24while creating a
44:26contemporary and
44:26unique design.
44:29What's it like in
44:30there?
44:30You want to go have
44:31a look?
44:31Of course I do.
44:32But inside is what
44:33it's all about.
44:35Anthony this is our
44:36dining and kitchen
44:37space.
44:37Oh this looks
44:38incredible like well
44:39done.
44:40There's such a sense
44:41of tranquility in
44:43here I mean this is
44:43exactly what you
44:44wanted right?
44:45Yeah I think the
44:46thing with healthy
44:47homes is it's not
44:48just about energy
44:49efficiency and air
44:51quality it's also
44:51about sound.
44:52Yeah it's really
44:53comfortable inside.
44:54I can feel myself
44:54just kind of like
44:55relaxing in here.
44:56Maybe it's the
44:57colour palette it's
44:58quite stripped back.
44:59I know you had that
45:00very much in mind
45:01from the very
45:01beginning right?
45:02Yeah I know some
45:03people find it a
45:04little bit boring a
45:05little bit beige but
45:06that's what I want
45:06it this to me is
45:08relaxing like I I'm
45:10not too overstimulated
45:11it's not too
45:11overwhelming I feel
45:13nice and relaxed.
45:14I entirely get there
45:14I think it's a big
45:15part of a healthy
45:16home is that sense of
45:17you need to actually
45:17sort of calm down
45:18and it needs to
45:19calm you down.
45:20Yeah I need to be
45:21calmed down too.
45:22When you get home
45:23from work I can
45:23imagine.
45:25The other part of
45:26that of course is
45:26the concrete on the
45:27floor is it white
45:29enough?
45:30Yes.
45:31Are you sure?
45:32I think it ties in
45:33with the rest of the
45:34house the tone of the
45:35house the texture of
45:36the floor ties into
45:37the walls as well
45:38that's what we were
45:39aiming for the whole
45:40time.
45:41I mean another thing
45:41in here that I really
45:42really like is that
45:44you've got the dining
45:45table connected to the
45:46kitchen but the living
45:47room is over there
45:48out of the way.
45:49It's not some big
45:50open plan thing where
45:51it's all happening all
45:52the time all at once.
45:54Like it feels like
45:54there's a great sort of
45:56modest scale that sets
45:57up for little moments of
45:59interactions which is
46:00perfect yeah?
46:01Yeah.
46:02So Noah's in your
46:03life now.
46:04So we've got a little
46:05one that's going to
46:05grow up in here.
46:07Yeah.
46:07Are you worried about
46:08it marking?
46:09Like whilst it looks
46:10beautiful now it's got
46:11to be lived in.
46:11Yeah.
46:12So if we make some
46:13marks along the way
46:14who cares?
46:14Yeah.
46:15Every house takes on
46:16its own story doesn't
46:17it?
46:17Yeah exactly.
46:18In a house that was
46:20more about function than
46:21form there are a few
46:23design surprises.
46:25This is the first thing
46:26I unpacked when we
46:26moved in.
46:27Of all the stuff we
46:28had to unpack this is
46:29the whiskey collection.
46:31Now I see the colour.
46:32Yeah.
46:32Yeah so much colour.
46:35There's a place for
46:36everything and everything
46:37in its place.
46:37Yeah.
46:38Yeah.
46:38Yeah.
46:39While the sneaky
46:40whiskey cupboard might not
46:42fit with the Scandi
46:43wellness retreat vibes
46:44the main bedroom suite
46:46also on the ground floor
46:48oozes serenity and calm
46:50the perfect spot to sleep
46:52it off.
46:54And this is Noah's
46:56future playroom and we've
46:58got two bedrooms.
46:59Upstairs the only exception
47:01to Nicole's muted palette
47:03the main bathroom.
47:06Matt had free reign of that
47:08room.
47:09With pops of bubblegum
47:10pink and warm terracotta
47:12while down the hall baby
47:15Noah's domain.
47:17All soft and floaty and a
47:19little bit ethereal.
47:21It's pretty spectacular
47:21isn't it?
47:22Yeah.
47:23It's pretty damn cool.
47:24What a great effect that
47:25is.
47:25The round window, the
47:26curtains, a really soft light
47:28coming through.
47:29It's almost church like.
47:31That is really unexpected and
47:32pretty powerful actually.
47:33I love it.
47:34Yeah you see it from the
47:35front but then you come
47:35inside it's a whole different
47:36feel to it.
47:37Yeah.
47:39The eco-friendly
47:40manufactured pulpwood floors
47:42look great.
47:43Especially something that's
47:45man-made.
47:45Yeah.
47:46It's pretty cool.
47:47Yeah and this is.
47:48As does the textured
47:49non-toxic lime paint.
47:51Every surface has something
47:53a bit tactile about it.
47:55If the walls could talk
47:56they'd tell of the struggles
47:58to get here.
48:00Belying how comfortable
48:01it all looks.
48:03But just as important to
48:05Matt is how it operates.
48:07Now we've got to prove that
48:08it can perform as advertised.
48:10Yeah.
48:11And certifier Drew Croker
48:13is ready to put it through
48:15its paces with an air
48:18pressure test which
48:19measures air tightness.
48:22Matt you must be feeling a
48:23bit nervous right now because
48:24you have been going to so
48:26much trouble to get this to
48:27work.
48:27So this is a big moment.
48:29Pressure test coming up.
48:30What are we actually
48:32shooting for here?
48:32I'm aiming for Australia's
48:34most airtight house.
48:35Drew in your experience
48:36what's the best reading
48:37you're aware of in Australia?
48:40Alright 0.1.
48:41Oh wow.
48:42It was 11 years ago.
48:4311 years ago.
48:44Okay no pressure right?
48:45No pressure at all.
48:47And just remind me what's
48:48passive house certification
48:49standards?
48:500.6.
48:50So way below passive house.
48:52Alright.
48:53Are we all ready for this?
48:54Yeah we're ready yeah.
48:54I'm nervous for you.
48:55I'm nervous for me.
48:56Alright let's do this.
48:57Under 0.1 is the magic number.
49:19I think it's coming to a rest.
49:21I don't think we're going to
49:22make it.
49:27So I'm getting a lower.
49:31Not quite.
49:32And looks like we are
49:35around 0.2
49:38yeah 0.26.
49:400.26.
49:41Yeah.
49:44Alright so we didn't
49:45we didn't make it.
49:47Yeah we didn't make it yes.
49:48So you've definitely passed
49:49passive house certification.
49:51We're panels of fence past that.
49:53Way past that.
49:53So this is like gold gold gold standard.
49:56And we're just a little bit away
49:58from the best in Australia.
50:00So it's aiming for like a record.
50:01Sometimes you miss them and that's okay.
50:03Yeah.
50:03Absolutely right.
50:04While it might not be the claim
50:06Matt was hoping for.
50:08It's pretty damn close.
50:10And certainly nothing to sneeze at.
50:14Well I just want to say congratulations.
50:15And it's beautiful to see Noah
50:17sitting here with both of you.
50:18This is what the family picture.
50:21This is what it's all about isn't it.
50:22Like it's absolutely spectacularly gorgeous.
50:24Yeah it is.
50:25The passive house is one thing
50:27but you had bigger ambitions than that.
50:28It's a healthy home.
50:30And I'm just excited that that's where
50:31this little one's going to grow up.
50:32Yeah.
50:33A big part of the house too
50:34was the quality of the air.
50:35Yeah.
50:36Parts per million of all sorts of
50:38bad things that are around us
50:40in big cities.
50:41How's that working out specifically?
50:43There was times last week
50:44that it was above 15.
50:45And we look at the data over there
50:47and we're sitting at around 2.
50:49So the difference inside and outside
50:51is you can't even compare them.
50:53Oh it's like orders of magnitude.
50:54Yeah.
50:54So it actually scares the pants off me
50:56thinking about the air quality
50:57that's just outside that door.
50:59So let's just go to budget then.
51:00You had a budget of about $950,000
51:02in mind when we first met.
51:05I think I said I'd be happy
51:06if we did it for under a million.
51:07And did you?
51:08Yeah we were under budget.
51:11Slightly.
51:11About 20 grand.
51:12But that's at my cost as a builder.
51:14Right.
51:15Just shy of a million bucks for this.
51:18That's a pretty good price
51:19for such a quality build here.
51:21But what kind of premium
51:23in that amount
51:24did you pay for the passive house?
51:27Around I would say $40,000 to $55,000.
51:29So that 5% value on that.
51:33So it's a very small amount of money
51:35to get a huge amount of gain.
51:36Yeah I mean the benefits
51:37in the long term running of the home
51:39I get.
51:39Any other benefits
51:40that come from the passive house decision?
51:42Yeah we have the ability
51:44to access a green loan
51:45so we will be able to get
51:46about 40 basis points lower
51:48on our interest rate
51:48for the first five years
51:49which on this project
51:51on the million dollars
51:51equates to about $25,000.
51:53That's not a small amount of money.
51:54Yeah.
51:55And if they decide to extend that
51:56for the duration of a 30 year loan
51:57there's $100,000 in savings.
51:59Mm.
52:00That's...
52:00And no one's talking about that.
52:02So that's a pretty healthy recognition
52:04of the benefits
52:06of going for passive house
52:07but from a financial perspective as well.
52:08Yeah the financial perspective
52:09is well documented.
52:10Time wise
52:11you said you'd be in
52:13in 12 months.
52:15And you had a baby along the way.
52:1714 months.
52:18Yeah.
52:18You did have a beautiful baby
52:19along the way
52:20so alright I'm going to forgive you
52:21those two months
52:22I think that's very fair.
52:24Just when you think ahead
52:25to the years you're going to spend
52:26here in this home
52:27what's the thing
52:28that makes you feel
52:29like this was all worth it
52:30in the end?
52:31I'd say that all the hard work
52:32we've done to get here
52:33is something that makes it worthwhile.
52:36Usually I build houses
52:36for other people
52:37but this one's
52:38for us.
52:39Yeah.
52:40And that's pretty cool.
52:40That is very cool.
52:42Oh!
52:43Yeah.
52:44Yeah.
52:45Yeah.
52:49At last
52:51the work
52:51and the wait
52:52are over.
52:54Matt and Nicole
52:55can take a deep breath
52:56to stop
52:57and celebrate
52:58the moment
52:59in their own
52:59private sanctuary.
53:01I love the contrast
53:04of the colours.
53:05Nicole gave me
53:06a bit of free range
53:06on this one.
53:07Yeah.
53:08How cool is that?
53:09This beautiful
53:10family home
53:12is a gift
53:13for now
53:17and for the future.
53:21I just want to say
53:22a huge thank you
53:23to everyone
53:24for all your support.
53:25We're so excited
53:26to finally be
53:27in our house
53:28and to have you all here.
53:29So here's to the house.
53:32Cheers.
53:38I'm already imagining
53:39Christmas date
53:40at that table
53:41over there.
53:41Don't you reckon?
53:42A fantastic Christmas
53:43but even a greater time
53:44is moving forward.
53:45Cheers to that.
53:46Cheers.
53:46It's all about family.
53:47You know in the end
54:01I'm not sure
54:02it really matters
54:02whether or not
54:03this is Australia's
54:04healthiest home
54:05because it's
54:06experimental,
54:07ambitious
54:07and highly instructive.
54:09Matt and Nicole
54:11have tried and tested
54:12new materials
54:13and technologies
54:14and shown
54:15not only that they work
54:17but that they look great too.
54:19Best of all
54:20in the end
54:20they've built a safe
54:21sustainable
54:22and healthy home
54:23that is a great
54:25conversation starter.
54:26Here's hoping
54:27more and more people
54:28are up for the chat.
54:29Stream more of
54:40Grand Designs Australia
54:41on ABC iview for free
54:43or how can design
54:45lead to a better future?
54:47Tune in to Radio National
54:48or ABC Listen
54:49for The Homefront
54:50with Anthony Burke.
54:59Tune in to Radio National
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