For the sixth year in a row, The Cape is home to the recipient of the Victorian Master Builders Awards Best Sustainable home, South East Region. This year won by “Viminalis” a beautiful sustainable home that is the result of the combined efforts of local Bass Coast builder Harris Build with design by Jess Cuman from Adapt Design Group.
Viminalis was completed in December 2021 at the Cape, named by the owners after the Eucalyptus viminalis, or Manna Gum. Located in Bandicoot Crt at the Cape, Viminalis is a 9-star NatHERS rated energy efficient home with a 6.6kw solar system. The home is efficient all electric, with heat pump heating and cooling, induction cooktop, no gas bill and tiny electricity bills and provision for future electric vehicle charging. The healthy home uses natural Brick Co hand crafted bricks made from recycled materials, with Mangrove Colorbond Cladding and radial timber.
Harris Build are specialist builders who are passionate about contemporary custom homes, finished to a high-quality with functionality and sustainability in mind. Harris Build curate finely-crafted and environmentally friendly homes on the Bass Coast and in the South Gippsland area. From the outset, Harris Build work closely with clients to allow them to realise their vision, providing the best building experience possible, through creativity, commitment and innovation.
Viminalis is a “sun-catcher” – a home that captures solar gain with careful passive solar design. Excellent orientation, shading, thermally broken double glazing, air tightness and insultation, and clever use of thermal mass combine to passively heat and cool the home. These features combine to deliver great occupant comfot, with the home designed to maintain year-round temperatures between 18 – 25 degrees with minimal heating and cooling required. The colour palette and material textures tie in with the surrounding coastal landscape of Cape Paterson.
Designed to be as energy efficient as possible, with a 9 star energy rating and incorporation of healthy home building biology principals. Viminalis is designed to house a large family in a small footprint with 4 bedrooms, office, 2 bathrooms and a light filled open plan living.
Viminalis is yet another bill busting, operationally carbon neutral home with super low running costs, meaning the young family living in the home will be comfortable in all conditions, with no gas bill, tiny electricity bills and the option to upgrade to an electric vehicle in future to eliminate petrol bills. This approach means that the homeowners will be thousands of dollars per annum better off with large savings accruing over time.