Sustainable design tips: room by room

The following tips provide a quick guide on what to consider when designing each of the rooms in your house. It is by no means definitive and its relevance will vary depending on the size of your renovation and the constraints of your site.

Selecting materials

Re-use. Re-use as many of your old materials and building products as practical; if the kitchen cupboards are fine, consider just refinishing with new doors, drawers and fronts.
Recycle. Find out if others can use your unwanted materials: contact a salvage yard, or sell items online or in the Trading Post.
Choose sustainable and reclaimed materials. Use sustainably-sourced, reclaimed, recycled and reconditioned materials, products and surfaces for a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Check out our quick guide to eco-products and materials.
Use low-toxin finishes, surfaces, materials and furnishings. We all spend significant periods indoors at home, so it pays to make your indoor environment as healthy as possible. Consider what goes on all your surfaces (walls, floors and bench tops), cabinet fronts and furniture. Use low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints, varnishes and natural finishes.

Space-savers: making space in every room

Plan space efficiently. Do you need extra space or reorganised space? Don't waste resources and money building more than you need.
Organise more open spaces with functional nooks and crannies. Often, we do not require single-purpose rooms such as separate dining rooms or reading rooms. Instead it can help to use innovative design to maximise the sense of space and light and include purpose-built nooks and crannies, like a window seat for reading and storage, a guest fold-down bunk bed or dining and study nooks.
Buy items that double as storage while looking good, such as ottomans that have storage inside, or beds with drawers and pull-out side tables underneath.
Consider stackable items such as stools, storage boxes, chairs and side tables.
Organise a wall of storage in small spaces to free up the remaining space. Use shallow wall storage and shelves for more convenient access in narrow spaces.
Arrange your storage according to the function and hierarchy of your things. Ensure convenient access for often-used things. Group objects of the same kind or colour to maximise visual space yet make an impact.
Store greywater and rainwater under the veranda, in a wall (such as a water wall) or in the roof cavity. Well-designed spaces make use of the insulating and temperature-stabilising properties of water storage in adjoining spaces.

Outside the home

Address local character and amenity. Other than environmental considerations, the home also needs to address local character so it fits in. This means finding a design that harmonises rather than clashes with neighbouring character and does not reduce amenity for others.
Bike storage. Include somewhere convenient to store your bicycles and for visitors to park theirs.
Sensor lighting. Use sensors on all outdoor and pathway lights so they only come on when used. Also consider outdoor solar lights.
Viewability and security. Make the house number easy to see from the front street. Design your home to have easy surveillance of play areas and the street from the main living area and kitchen for better security.

In the kitchen

Floor plan and layout:

How do you use your kitchen? If you cook infrequently or intend to use an outdoor grill or barbecue a lot, consider a downsized stovetop and a combined microwave/oven. If your kitchen doubles as a study or potting bench for plants, consider how you incorporate these activities into a multi-function kitchen layout that provides for their convenient access and storage.
Easy movement. Allow easy movement between the three main function points-sink, fridge/pantry and stove-and create a free flow of traffic where relevant. Contrary to popular design wisdom, these points do not have to be in a triangle to work well. If space is restricted, place items that may often be accessed by those outside the kitchen such as the fridge or broom cabinet, close to the kitchen entry.
Access and space efficiency. Consider shallow wall pantries and storage, drawers and pullout shelves, rather than fixed shelves with doors, and reachable shelves and cabinets above the bench to allow for more efficient use of space and convenient access.
Function. Keep it functional: waste separation bins near the sink, pots and pans near the stove. Place partial pantries where they are most likely to be used: oil near the stove, breakfast pantry and toaster near a convenient bench top.
Keep the fridge cool. Always ensure a layout that keeps the fridge and relevant pantry items away from heat sources such as ovens, dishwashers and direct sunlight; your fridge will use less energy and there will be less chance of spoilt food. Where possible, design for the use of natural ventilation rather than exhaust fans.
Manage household waste. Ensure convenient garbage, recycling and compost separation bins and set up a system to compost all kitchen waste.

Ventilation and moisture resistance. Design for good ventilation with a window or skylight rather than relying on the exhaust fan. Also ensure the exhaust fan contains a self-closing shutter and timer. In wet areas, well-made and water-resistant joinery will ensure the least likelihood of rot and mould.
Efficient fittings, lighting, plumbing. Choose WELS-rated taps (the higher the star rating the better) and flow-aerators and ensure insulation on hot water pipes. Avoid recessed down lights for an inefficiently lit kitchen; go instead for functional task lighting such as LED lights under wall units for lighting work surfaces, or compact fluorescent lights over the table or island bench.
Efficient appliances. Choose the right sized appliances: a two-person household needs a 400-450 litre fridge and a half-sized dishwasher at most. Ensure appliances have good seals. Go for 4 to 6 star energy-rated appliances with economy cycle options. Choose gas over coal-fired electricity for your cook top and fan-forced ovens to save energy use. Note that Australian ovens do not come with energy ratings but European ones do; look for well-insulated ovens with at least double- or triple-glazed fronts.
Low-toxin finishes, surfaces, materials and furnishings. This is where you prepare and eat food, so consider what goes on your bench-tops, cabinet fronts, walls and floor. Where possible, use low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints and varnishes, and natural wall and bench top finishes.

In the bathroom and laundry

The modern bathroom is a multi-functional and indulgent space for cleaning, pampering and relaxing. The eco-bathroom brings not only greater energy- and water-efficiency to these activities, but the use of environmentally responsible materials, surfaces and products. Most two or three bedroom homes should be able to run smoothly with one bathroom or, at most, one and a half bathrooms (the second with just a toilet and basin, and perhaps a laundry).

Floor plan and layout:

Storage. Design a layout that provides ample storage and easy access to fresh towels, body care products, the laundry basket, hanging hooks and rails.
Space restrictions. When working with limited spaces, consider built-in, shallow, overhead and under-bath storage, wall-hung cisterns and basins, and combined bath/showers. There is a large range of new and reclaimed baths suited to very small spaces.
Smart plumbing and electrics, including future-proofing. Think about access to pipes and wires and their layout if you intend to hook up to greywater, solar hot water and other sustainable design features. Smart plumbing and electrical work includes hot water pipe insulation, switches with automatic timers or sensors for lights, exhaust fans and heaters, and a layout that makes future maintenance easy and accessible. Also consider future-proofing, i.e., putting in the piping and water outlets necessary for more convenient and cheaper connection to solar or water harvesting down the track.

Ventilation, moisture resistance, efficient fittings & appliances. A water-efficient showerhead, dual-flush cistern and flow-restrictor alone can reduce bathroom water use by over 25%.
Use a washing line and dump the dryer! Tumble dryers use about fifteen times more energy than washers, so use a washing line and put the space to better use instead.
Re-use greywater and rainwater; connect to solar hot water. Consider re-using bath, shower and laundry water to flush the toilet and water the garden; a solar or instantaneous gas hot water system for hot water; and collecting rainwater to wash the laundry. This means considering storage tank and pump needs, as well as access to pipes and water outlets.

In living and dining areas

Eco-living areas require a design that maximises year-round comfort with natural light, passive heating and cooling and, where relevant, a connection to outdoor living spaces and gardens.

Floor plan and layout:

Maximise natural light from the north and north-east through the use of high windows and skylights and use light-coloured walls and furniture to reflect light. Minimise glazing on east and west sides if possible and ensure they can be externally shaded. Use low-emission glazing where possible.
Use openings for ventilation and to capture breezes especially from flanking gardens and leafy verandas or balconies.
Partition from other areas with doors to minimise heating and cooling.

External shade. Use verandas, leafy courtyards and pergolas to extend living areas on east and west sides of your living areas. Also ensure eaves and external shading on all glazing.
Insulation and internal shade. Insulate all roof cavities, and use blinds and double-glazing to preserve winter heat and maintain summer cool.
Smart lighting. Ditch power-hungry and fire-risk halogens and down lights and go for functional spot lighting instead using fluorescents, sensors, dimmers and timers.
Energy-efficient heating and cooling. Invest in an energy-efficient heater (at least 4-stars), ceiling fans to cool and circulate air, and deciduous plants to flank east/west openings and verandahs.
Low-VOC finishes and furnishings. Use low-toxin and natural finishes on floors, walls, ceilings and furniture to ensure good indoor air quality.

In bedrooms

Floor plan and layout:

Keep bedrooms to the south, east and west sides of the home if possible so they maintain a more even temperature for comfortable sleeping.
Bedrooms don't need to be big. Functional storage and a comfortable and calm space are the main criteria.

Storage should be purpose-built but changeable. Bedrooms are probably the areas that go through the most change in the short-medium term; as children grow or nurseries become home offices, for instance. Keep storage suited to the room's current purpose but modifiable as your needs change.
Insulate well, so bedrooms warm quickly in winter and stay warm long after the heat is turned off.
Install blinds or shutters to maintain both privacy and minimise heating and cooling.
Use ceiling fans and cross-breezes for night cooling in summer.