Treetop vantage
This is an excerpt from an article in Sanctuary magazine issue 8.
The steep banks of a winter creek and billabong, dotted with massive river red gums and kangaroo wattle, provided the inspiration for a South Australian couple’s new home. But they got more than they bargained for.
“We never thought we would be out over the creek!”
“We chose a site with a view of the magnificent gum tree near the billabong and thought Max would perch us on top of the bank. But that site is south-facing, so our architect swung us right around and across a gully!”
Having settled on the best site, Pritchard designed an economic and efficient house to comply with the couple’s tight budget. At only 110m2, the house comprises one bedroom, an open plan living area and kitchen and a home office that doubles as a guest bedroom. A second shed acts as the “spare room” for storage of golf clubs, fishing gear and other useful equipment.
The long narrow plan boasts large double-glazed windows on the northern and southern facades that make the most of the stunning views and enhance thermal performance. In summer, the glass on the northern side is protected by angled and perforated screens that keep the sun out, while cross ventilation and ceiling fans assist with cooling. During winter, the perforated screens allow the lower-angled sun to enter the house to warm the insulated concrete slab, which re-radiates warmth at night. It is supplemented by a small combustion heater that burns wood collected from the property.
The house is not connected to mains water so three tanks collect rainwater from the roof and the roofs of the two sheds, while a sewerage system treats waste water before it is dispersed into the landscape, away from the creek.
By far the most innovative aspect of the design is the lightweight structure that touches the ground at just four anchor points, minimising disruption to the creek bed while hovering above the watercourse. While Pritchard had every confidence his remarkable design could be built, he wasn’t sure the local council would approve the unusual dwelling.
“Council approval is a concern with any project you do, but we knew from the start that this would be a long process,” he says. “We thought it was worth a go, and in fact, the council said that it likes to encourage innovative design.” It took the couple about one year to satisfy all of the local and state government approval requirements – including demonstrating that the house was above the 100-year flood zone and wouldn’t impede water flow in the creek bed – but the final result was more than worth the effort.
“We’ve been here 18 months now and we are living in a magical spot,” the owner says. “When we were building it, I sometimes thought: ‘I could be living there already if I’d just plopped a McMansion in the paddock!” she laughs. “But then I’d remind myself that it’s a special spot and it deserves a special house.
“We love the birds and we feel like we’re in our own little nest watching them in their nests,” she adds. “We watch them tending to their young in boxes we made for them and it’s like living in our own bit of nature. While this is a very narrow house – and I was worried about that before it was finished – it feels so open because of the bush all around us.”
“As well, we love that people still say ‘wow’ when they come here for the first time. We hope that we don’t ever lose that sense of wonder ourselves.”
