Bob Acton Drafting

Bob Acton drafting had the idea to design a home that was energy efficient, solar passive, comfortable all year round resort style living. A place to just enjoy living on the beautiful northern rivers of New South Wales.

The client was a builder so it also had to be practical, easy to build and very cost-efficient. Pretty was a straight forward brief for Barefoot Building Design as they focus on delivering in all these areas. The end result was everything the client wanted.

The first thing you notice when you walk in the front door is the warm winter sun shining straight into the living room in the winter. This heats up the natural stone floors that retain heat, making a very temperate living space all day and night. The design resulted in a u-shaped home with a fabulous north facing, covered verandah overlooking a twelve and a half metre lap pool . It was the perfect home for blended families. The verandah becomes the main living space all year round as it is fully protected from the winter winds yet lets the sea breezes cool it all down in the summer.
The owners needed to have a private bedroom retreat, separate from the rest of the house and overlooking the pool on one side and a window to the national park on the other. It also has direct access to the second lounge room that is sound proofed from the rest of the house. The kids bedrooms were positioned on the opposite side with their own bathroom and access to the kitchen without disturbing the adults.

This north coast home has a spacious open plan for living, dining and kitchen. The high ceiling leant itself perfectly for highlight windows to let in the warm winter sun, while the wide eave line keeps the hot summer sun out. This creates a home that is so solar efficient there is no need for air conditioning in Summer or heating in Winter except for coldest winters day.

The owners both run businesses from home so a large functional office was necessary at the front of the house with plenty of room for client meetings. This is another sustainable Bob Acton drafting design with plenty of rainwater storage, a three kilowatt photovoltaic power system, LED and compact flourescent lights. The home is ready to go off grid and is capable of fulfilling all its energy needs in the future with the addition of a battery bank.