It is very exciting to announce that we have been shortlisted to a group of 5 in the ‘House’ Category for the AfrisSam-SAIA Sustainable Architecture Award. Of course the award goes to our Architects Sengelli and Associates if ‘we’ win but we will be happy to take some credit for the project coming to life! Its really exciting to see how consciousness of the importance of building in a more sustainable way is growing and awards like this can contribute to incentivising all who participate in this sector.
Barn-house has also been shortlisted
Judging Criteria
Judges look at three main criteria that entries must demonstrate. These are:
Regeneration
Reconciliation
Restoration
Project entries are required to demonstrate how they make the world a better place by minimizing the environmental impact of building. The projects are also required to bear the hallmarks of great architectural or social design. Entries are submitted under two categories, one for built work and the other for works of social importance, including research.
Friday morning at about 7:05 South Africa time I will be interviewed on the the national morning show Expresso. Eeks, its one thing to partake in a film where you can re-shoot any mumbling or lame moments. Live TV is a terrifying prospect. Send me all your positive energy please!!
The awards are to be announced tomorrow evening October 27. Watch this space.
We are thrilled that our green message is being picked up by other publications. Thank you Green Home Magazine for sharing our story. They have shared an electronic version. Click here and go to p.12 to see what a wonderful job they have done!
It’s a cliche that the kitchen is the heart of the home. For families who love to cook and eat together, though, it is true. After many years of cooking (often alone) in a kitchen separate from the rest of the house I was excited about designing a space that was more open plan, with the main cooking and prepping area integrated with the dinning and lounge, but with a scullery area tucked out of sight.
View from dining room/lounge
I trust you will agree, that even if you have no interest in the green stuff, this is a beautiful kitchen. You know you’re getting the green info any way, so here goes:
We chose bamboo for the cabinetry as it is the most extraordinary sustainable product. It grows up to 10 cm per day (is actually a grass) and is as hard as nails by the time it is processed into a ‘plank’. A far greener option than any wood you could choose. Better still, it has been heat processed to give it this gorgeous caramel colour, which will never scratch off like a stain/coloured varnish. So for those of you who have been put off all the ‘blonde’ bamboo that’s mostly available this other option may be of interest. Darryn Kemper from Woodkraft Kitchens did the installation. Wonderful precision craftmanship, thank you Darryn, it was a joy watching you work!
Bamboo cabinetry edges close up
I love the way the lamination is visible on the edges of the panels and doors – proudly announcing that this is a special material!
Composte work surface with 60% recycled content
We found this fabulous work top product from Samsung. It has aproximately 60% recycled content in it. Natural granite is hard pressed to compete for beauty and no hillsides have been demolished in the process. This particular composite has unusual copper coloured flecks in it – a beautiful tie-in to the colour of the bamboo. Tracey and her team from Flintstone Granite and Marble did a wonderful job on the installation. Lots of tricky elements and cut outs all executed beautifully.
Recycling bins
We thought long and hard about the re-cycling storage. At one point we were thinking about ‘post boxes’ to outside bins. This could have led to a lot of broken glass so we went more conventional with large pull out drawers with off-the-shelf plastic bins lined with the bags that they go to the re-cycling depot in. I’ve made the bags out of large feed sacks simply by sewing on handles. Works like a charm.
Worm food drawer
After years of having containers with the worm food (vegetable, fruit cuttings) sitting on bowls on the counter top a special drawer was planned to scoop the peelings into as we go. Far less unsightly.
Scullery area, small induction geyser under sink
We were also concerned about heating water and really wanted to stick to installing one solar geyser in the house. The kitchen is at the furthermost point from the geyser which would not really have been practical as heat would have been lost over the distance. Our solution was this tiny induction geyser that sits under the sink. It heats only 10L at a time, more than enough for a sink of dishes. Perfect!
All the appliances are energy efficient. Shop around and ask all the specific questions. It is not just the expensive brands that do green appliances. I am particularly thrilled with the induction hob. After being a confirmed gas lover for many year (instant heat) I wasn’t easily convinced that it would work as well. I am delighted to report that the heat is quicker, hotter and ‘off’ quickly to. It is so easy to clean and ‘disappears’ into the work surface. Best of all uses very little electricity, so it made sense as we are generating our own, not to bring another non-renewable product into the home.
Induction hob
The taps are also cleverly designed to minimize water use.. Grohe have a wonderful range of water wise sanware to choose from.
The splash back has no green credentials, but for those that are interested it is not mirror but brown glass painted black on the back which makes it somewhat reflective. A beautiful final touch!
Bonus pic: Dendrobium aggregatum growing on Bridelia next to verhanda
This kitchen is a joy to cook in and we look forward to many many years of feeding family and friends from the beautiful space.
Thank you Lindsay Ord and Marilyn Bernard for getting this information to a wider audience. Fingers crossed it will inspire and motivate others to look at some greening options in their own home.
Pond at front door in. This is a vitally important element as it will be stocked with Tilapia fish whose waste will feed the plants on the vertical garden behind.
Master bathroom mosaic/tiling done in double shower. Very happy!
The original outbuilding (now demolished) had huge concrete sink outside, presumable for doing laundry in. It is now re-invented as the mint planter under the tap – perfect!
Solar geyser in! Fantastic. This is such an easy energy/money saver (minimum 40% on your electricity bills) so a win all round. Please visit this post to see why we didn’t go the heat pump route
Induction geyser in! Visit this post if you are curious as to why and induction geyser when we have also installed a solar geyser.
My first Knipfophia of Autumn. Will it turn into a red hot poker? Time will tell as I have no idea which one it is.
And finally, another yellow beauty, not commonly found: Agrolubioum tomentosum.
And finally, our enormous pit that will house the water harvesting system. This HUGE project is so exciting and the technology so amazing it will get a post all of its own. Suffice to say its 9m X 3m X 2.5m deep and has taken weeks to build. Happy to report that not a grain off soil went off site, its it the roof garden and being spread around the property. Watch this space!
With 5 working days to go until move in day, nerves are a little stretched. One can’t help noticing that there is still no sign of any part of the kitchen, a toilet, tap, shower rose and one or two other rather important things that one gets used to. We must live in faith though that it will all come together and in the meantime this post will celebrate what has been happening at the Gorgeous Green House.
Owl House
We are very excited to have installed the owl house. You may think the design looks a little ‘open’ and are wondering why it is not in a tree. We wish to attract Spotted Eagle Owls as we know they fly in our area and according to the experts they want to nest where they will have 360 degree clear views. We’ve installed ours in the roof garden so we can lie in bed and watch all the action. Just waiting for a broody pair to move in. Click here for designs for this and Barn Owl houses. Very easy to make. I’ll allow the photos to tell the story of the updates.
First grenadilla flower. Fruit next – yum!
Re-cycling old doors. They are solid Oregon so will be gorgeous when sanded down
Ditto recycling of doors for new braai (bargeque) cupboard
Rockery constructed out of rocks and boulders on site. White stuff to kill grass and weeds will be cut open for planting.
Another pathway. It is so exciting to cut back the overgrown garden and discover these beautiful old stone walls. By placing the path next to it , it can be really appreciated.
New butternut on its way
Turraea floribunda being devoured by hungry caterpillars. I’m guessing (hoping) its the Pseudaphelia apollonaris (Apollo Moth) as it is its larval food.
Tiling done in outbuilding bathroom. Very happy!
Clementine tree planted for my daughter. Its her favourite fruit!
Masses of brick paving was on site and we are re purposing it as flower bed edging.
Pool and reed beds in. Just awaiting fibre-glass and we can fill and plant. Can’t wait.
Dombeya tillacea
Deck infrastsructure going in. More to come on this as we are using a wonderful product made with re-cycled plastic.
Garden dotted with these beautiful old walls, many in dire state.
Acquiring new skills, very pleased with my restoration work here!
The build seems to have accelerated, or maybe its just because we are starting to get to the best bits. The most exciting installation, so far, is the vertical garden. I’m going to be really mean though, and not show you a single picture yet because it is so magnificent, and the landscape artist James Halle is so talented, it has to have its very own post with lots of elaboration. Watch this space!
Floating staircase
The shuttering has come off the ‘floating’ staircase, and although this is not a green aspect of the build it is so beautiful I just need to show it off!
The interior painting has commenced. There are loads of eco-friendly paints on the market these days. They are much lower in volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) which basically means toxic stuff our bodies don’t like. Confirm this with your paint supplier though because you won’t automatically get a low
Low VOC paint primer
VOC paint as there are still mixed perceptions about its efficacy. Rest assured, they are equally effective and no more expensive than traditional.
Mesh lining veggie box
The veggie garden now has 3/5 veggie boxes installed. We are using a plastic timber product. These recycled planks are now widely available. They are 100% recycled plastic so get great green points. We lined the base with chicken mesh too keep out the moles. Galvanized rods secure the sides from bowing out. This stuff will last forever, looks attractive, is easy to install and cheaper than recycled brick options which we had considered
3/5 Veggies Boxes Installed
Trichocladus crinatus
I was really excited to see my Trichocladus crinitus (Black Witch-hazel) in flower. This small indigenous tree is quite rare and the petal form delicate and unusual.
Insualation Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles
There are lots of eco-friendly options for insulation these days. We’ve gone with a product made from recycled plastic bottles. The recycled newspaper product was a close contender. The team on site report that the green stuff is really great to work with as it doesn’t shed prickly bits like the more traditional pink products.
Off Shutter Concrete
The off-shutter concrete wall has had its first of two buffs and polishes. It looks fabulous. I love the industrial /contemporary aesthetic and the honesty of the material. Its a great ‘hard’ contrast to the green abundance of the garden. Very happy with how its turned out.
Erythrina humeana
The Erythrina humeana (Dwarf Coral Tree) are exquisite at the moment. A really showy splash of red at the bottom of the garden.
The pool has a new rectangular shape and fits snugly into the space of the old. The reed beds are almost complete. It’s going to be great fun planting them up. I’ll be sharing much more information on how to install an eco pool. Suffice to say at this stage that the plants will do all the filtering of the water and no harsh chemicals will be required. The plants and water provide the foundation for the wetland eco-system and we look forward to the
New Rectangular shape to pool
Reed beds constructed
bird, amphibian and insect life we will be attracting.
Next to the veggie garden we have two of the Baunia’s in flower at the same time. Gorgeous!
Bauhinia natalensis
Bauhinia tomentosa
The whirly gigs are on site. Prith and Eamonn are finding them quite amusing. Definitely a first for them as they are usually found in industrial builds. We are putting them in to draw and pull up the cool air that will pass over the pond outside and into the hallway. The best way to reduce the need for air conditioning in this space.
Whirly gig
So overall fantastic progress! And still so many of the best bits to come:
Not much of noteworthy greenness has been happening on the build in the last few weeks but I’ve been getting lots of requests for a photo update so here it is. The final overall shape of the house is now really clear. I’m most excited to be feeling the space of the roof garden. It’s really easy to imagine it planted up and merging with the garden in the view beyond. The skylight will reduce the need for lighting in the lounge below (just visible behind the kids) and, looking up from the lounge, the plants that overhang will be lovely to look at.
Kids standing in roof garden which is off the master bedroom.
There is another smaller roof garden around the outside shower off the master bathroom. The slab is also in place here so its been fun to stand ‘in’ the shower. Good thing the louvers are in the design or the neighbours RHS would be in for some interesting entertainment!
View from roof garden to master suite and outside shower area for smaller roof garden
Garage transforming into granny flat. This wall will be the vertical garden
The old garage roof is off. The wall between it and the storeroom is down and the two are rapidly transforming into the granny flat. The wall in this view is to be the vertical garden. This is going to be quite extraordinarily beautiful. Watch this space as there are going to be lots of processes shared. I’m really excited about this element of the build as it is going to ‘disappear’ this whole building from this view of the property. It is also going to extend the wildlife habitat of my space as I will be using only indigenous plants (species list to be shared).
Front of the house now at full height. The large window is perfect in scale and will be a beautiful reflection point for the pond in front.
The Shuttering is off the veranda so we get a good feel for how cool and protected we will be here.
Squinting Bush Brown butterfly unperturbed by the building activity
Looking forward to lots of long lazy lunches with family and friends.
There is no doubt that concrete is a filthy substance to produce. Worldwide, it is the most widely-used construction material with over ten billion tons produced annually and it carries a massive CO2 burden – in total about 7% of global CO2 emissions come from concrete production.
On ‘round one’ of the Gorgeous Green House design we were rather shocked to learn how many truckloads of concrete would need to go into the building. We began looking at alternatives:
Fly-ash concrete is readily available in many countries. Fly-ash is a waste material – the inorganic residue – that remains after pulverized coal is burned in coal-burning power plants. Disposing of it can be a problem. Fortunately, the construction industry has discovered that fly-ash can produce a superior concrete with excellent finishing characteristics.
Recycled aggregates and lightweight aggregates can replace the usual sand and gravel in some concrete applications. This can consist of crushed concrete, brick, or crushed glass. Lightweight concrete is made by using expanded volcanic materials – pumice and perlite, for example – to replace some of the usual stone aggregate. Volcanic materials also add some thermal insulation value to the concrete. Unfortunately this is not yet available to us in South Africa.
There are also interesting products in R & D using for example waste products from oil refinement with huge CO2 emission reductions in the production process. Not yet available.
Traditional alternatives such as timber construction could also be considered.
So what did we do?
Polystyrene ready to go
Firstly, we lost as many flat could roofs as we could to be replaced with timber trusses and metal sheeting.
A much larger percentage of concrete to be used though, is in the slab between the floors, the off-shutter wall and supporting the roof garden so we turned our attention here. The roof garden was non-negotiable as the structural support required doesn’t provide any options. We could have put timber flooring in elsewhere but it would be heavily treated for termites, noisy and aesthetically not in keeping with the contemporary design of the house.
The awesome British show Grand Designs provided inspiration. Polystyrene is being used in conjunction with cement to reduce the volumes required. Timber formwork is fiddly to make and a lot of it cannot be reused. Using polystyrene in place of timber effectively kills two birds with one stone: it acts as formwork to mould the concrete and is then left in place to provide insulation.
First phase off-shutter wall
Polystyrene beads can also be added to a concrete mix but our engineer was not happy with the structural support this process would provide.
So our green guilt is somewhat reduced and we are also reminding ourselves that concrete lasts. This is the stuff the Romans and Egyptians built their empires with! It’s impermeable to air and wind-driven rain. And concrete is inedible, so bugs and vermin can’t gnaw at it. A building with exterior concrete walls can also be energy-efficient, especially in climates that have daily temperature fluctuations. Even though concrete provides little insulation, it creates thermal mass that can store warmth or cold, reducing indoor temperature fluctuation.
Polystyrene in situ waiting for pour
Check out our polystyrene process and stage one of the off-shutter wall. Concrete is being poured on Monday 05-08 Another significant milestone achieved. Very exciting!
A reminder of the end goal : living within biodiversity
Safety used to be the primary criteria for glazing. It’s got a lot more complicated!
Until very recently our building standards mainly focused on strength, stability, safety and the like. Your windows could be as large (or small) as you liked, as long as you could show they wouldn’t kill people (too easily). You could put in as much lighting, heating and air conditioning as your heart desired and you could heat your water in any way you cared to (just about). Rainwater that accumulated on your roof and other hard services as well as your waste water just needed to be routed into the municipal storm water systems.
This has all changed significantly under the recently released SANS (South African National Standards) 10400 regulations. And lots of professionals in the building industry have been caught on the hop! The domino effect has been delays in plans being approved, construction pushed out and in some instances halted, while everyone gets ‘up to speed’, certificated and educated. It seems that our government’s invitations to consultative processes were largely ignored so the new standards were implemented with little fanfare. It is only now that non-compliance is being identified by the authorities that architects, designers, builders and suppliers of goods and services to the industry are fast tracking their knowledge and skills. These standards are not a South African invention. In fact much of the science has been lifted from all the good work done in the rest of the world. We are actually lagging far behind and currently only have 30 Green Star Rated buildings to brag about. Our Green Building Council http://www.gbcsa.org.za has only been in existence since 2007.
So What is SANS 10400 all about?
Before I go any further with this post I must get my disclaimer in! I am not an expert on SANS 10400 and can only share the lessons I have learned with my own build. The standards themselves are complicated and require lengthy calculations. I have no plan to get into the nitty gritties of such, nor will I address the standards in a comprehensive way. My intention is to rather provide a general overview of what the key challenges are and offer some suggestions on navigating some of the worst bits.
As we are all aware we have an energy crisis in this country, because we’ve felt the pain of power cuts for protracted periods. We also have a water crisis and infrastructure problems but we haven’t had rolling water outages (yet) or major life taking floods due to overburdened storm water systems so we are still somewhat complacent. By the way, these problems are not unique to SA, they are of concern all over the planet. So essentially, the new regulations have been implemented to mitigate these problems.
Basically, these regulations are forcing all new builds and alterations to be a lot greener than before. Whether you are interested in building green or not, you won’t get your plans approved/passed until they achieve the minimum requirements. SANS 10400 needs to be read in conjunction with SANS 204 and they cover everything about buildings from safety, glazing, lighting, ventilation structural design etc. etc. I will be focusing on some of the issues contained in the Environmental Sustainability and Energy Usage sections (parts X and XA).
These standards may look very onerous but when one considers that 17% of our national energy is used in residential buildings and 10% in commercial ones it is clear that we need to be building a bit smarter. It’s also quite sobering to learn that the buildings globally are responsible for a third of CO2 emissions either in their construction or lifespan. The standards are also very complicated. South Africa is divided into different climatic zones (not always with sound logic is seems) as Durban (annual temperature range 16° – 28° C) and Mooi River ( 0.6°C – 24.2°C) are in the same zone. There are different standards for different building use and even different calculations to be applied for rooms relating to the different directions they face.
MY TOP TIPS
Qualified Professional
First and foremost you are going to need your intended architect and/or engineer to have been accredited by the Building Control Authority. Do not assume this is already so. Many professionals have attended various presentations etc. but unless you find their name on this website: http://www.buildingcontrol.co.za/page34.html they are not ‘deemed competent’ and your plans will not be approved. If they are this far behind the starting blocks you are in for a protracted process of referrals (declined plans). Best find someone who is qualified to do all the tricky calculations that are going to need to be done and generally up to speed on building green.
Windows
If your windows are large you may have to install fixed awnings
Glazing/fenestration/windows are always significant in building for reasons of comfort and aesthetics. If yours represent more than 15% of your wall area things are going to get complicated because you will potentially take more energy off the grid to cool and heat your building. Bottom line, you won’t be able to install standard single glazed windows. To put in larger windows, calculations will have to be done to justify the fenestration plans. These are based not only on the surface area but the type of glazing and framing proposed, your climactic zone etc. The overall aim is for your windows to let in as little heat as possible in summer (because you will then want to use air-conditioners) and let out as little heat in winter (because you will want to use heaters). The directional of the window is also part of the calculation. So basically, if you want big windows you may need to plan for some or all of the following to reduce your electricity draw : Low E-glazing (film applied to the glass), double or even triple glazing to improve thermal performance, awnings, shuttering and wooden frames rather than aluminium.
Don’t be naive (like me) and believe that the ancient huge trees shading your property will get factored into the calculations. I was feeling most upset that on one set of ‘referrals’ from council we were advised to install awnings on our very shaded outbuildings. I must confess to feeling rather foolish on taking pictures to council of the trees, cool and moist paving (close ups of moss included!) to have it pointed out that the next owner may just come and cut down the trees and therefore vegetation cannot feature in the calculations around fenestration. Makes sense from that perspective.
Providing your own energy will not automatically allow you bigger windows.
Fascinatingly, many of the new standards have come into being because of our energy crises, but if your building plans show that you are making provision to make your own via wind turbines or photo voltaic systems (our plan) you will not automatically get Brownie Points that enable you to have for example bigger windows. The evaluators at council do not have a formula that calculates a relaxation for you because you are generating your own energy. You might get quite a shock to learn that you need to put in double glazing (double the price) and even lose some of the windows planned. In other words you have not met the category Deemed-to-satisfy: This path to compliance is met by showing that various building features meet minimum requirements. These include glazing dimensions, insulation thickness and wall types.
To get special dispensation you will have to make a special case. Known as Rational assessment: This path to compliance allows the use of additional calculations to show that a building, irrespective of glazing size and insulation thickness, uses less energy than either a value provided by the XA standard, or a reference building that complies with the deemed-to-satisfy requirements. Phew!
Ok, so that jargon just means that if you live in Durban you need to get hold of an electrical engineer who will draw up a whole lot data showing your energy consumption, how much you will supply from your renewable sources and how much you may still need to draw from ESKOM. Please note, that it must be an electrical engineer, not your architect or your PVC supplier or your favourite blogger’s calculations. All of this will need to be notarised. Apparently, however, in the rest of the country this may not be the case as the code only requires only that this “competent person” be qualified on the basis of their experience and training. It is clear the implementation is not being applied consistently across the country!
Water Heating
Old fashioned electrical geysers are no longer an option. You will be required to install a greener alternative. You will find some useful information on my posts of December and January on solar and induction geysers and heat pumps.
Water Use, Re-use and Disposal
Our storm water systems are under pressure. All new builds will be scrutinized for their water management plan
Because our storm water systems are under increasing pressure, water disposal on your property will be carefully scrutinized Your roof area and all your hard surfaces will be measured and depending on the type soil in your area (soil type permitting) you will in all likelihood be required to install an engineer designed soak pit. These can be very costly in addition to being detrimental to any plants you may have in the garden!
You might be skimming quickly over the paragraph above because you are patting yourself on the back for already making provision for massive volumes of rain water harvesting and storage. This you are going to use in the loos and showers and washing machine. In addition, you’ve planned to re-cycle your grey water to irrigate your organic veggies. You’ve consulted a water expert fundi like Alex Holmes http://www.pulawater.co.za who has drawn up charts and graphs to show rainfall and your water consumption and you know your excess is tiny. Your green halo is shining. So you’re exempt right? WRONG!! The evaluators do not have rainwater harvesting in their formula so you will need to make a special case for yourself if you want reduce the size of your soak pit. But do persevere. Talk to the Storm Water custodians at your local council (not the plan evaluators), make a case and back it up with hard figures and fingers crossed. There are many sustainable options that could be implemented.
Water management is such an important topic that is going to need its own post to do it justice so watch this space.
Building materials
Bricks/block, roofing, insulation, pipe lagging (yes apparently we need insulation for pipes in a city that never gets cold) etc. etc. must be carefully considered. Many of the materials you use will have associated energy related numbers that may or may not be acceptable. There is a plethora of new products on the market. Please be very wary of ‘Green Washing’. Look for SA Bureau of Standards approval and other relevant ratings and or registrations.
I know that if you put together a competent team on your build and do your homework, you should be able to navigate these regulations with relative ease.
One of the least green aspects of building or renovating is the waste that is created. Figures from North America estimate that 3 600 kg of waste are typically thrown into the landfill during the construction of a 700 square metre home. Landfill operations are generally under pressure and are expensive. Transportation to sites, normally at a distance from residential areas, increases the carbon footprint of a project. Waste from sources such as solvents or chemically treated wood can result in soil and water pollution.
Doors, sink etc to be re-used
What I’ve learned is that it is really easy and fun to minimize waste. Many materials can be re-used. I’m saving items such as doors, stainless steel sinks, balustrading, metal gates curtain rails etc to put into the new house.
Oregon floor gone to new home and cavity to be filled with rubble
The Oregon floor has already been lifted and installed in a new home. The slate tiling is being carefully stacked for the same.
The cavity left in the floor will be filled with the rubble from the walls to be demolished.
Brick paving will be reinvented to veggie planters
Re-purposing other materials just needs a little planning. For example, all the brickwork in the garden is being lifted and stacked to be reincarnated into veggie planters. All decent solid wood from cabinetry and shelving will be re-used for storage units.In South Africa we have programmes whereby flourescent light bulbs and old shower heads can swopped for LED’s and energy-efficient products, green and economical. Great combo!
Conserving/protecting Pavetta lanceolata with fence. Thanks team!
Perhaps the greenest aspect of Day 1 of this project was measures to conserve. A fence has been built around our precious Pavetta lanceolata (Bride’s Bush) which is located where it could easily get destroyed. Thanks Pretty, Wise and 3rd person (still to learn name). I appreciate that traditional building practices are not very sensitive to the vegetation on site and it means a great deal to us that these measures have been taken.
Lastly, the easiest and most fun part of green demo is donating the multitudes of materials that don’t have much resale value but are desirable to many. Friday was the first day of our build and it is clear that everything from the old melamine kitchen, windows, doors, in fact all manner of materials will find new homes. People were literally walking in off the street asking what they might have. So no excuses, South Africans. We can massively reduce our contribution to landfill and help out a few people at the same time.
We are sending mountains of rubbish to our landfill, much of it unnecessarily. With our massive housing shortages in South Africa (sorry Zuma, not buying the ‘election speak’) building materials of all kind are especially valued.If on your DIY or restoration project you are just chucking your old ‘stuff’ into the rubbish ……there is an alternative! If you are feeling unmotivated to sell it or recycle/upcycle, find someone to give it away to. You will be amazed at how valued those bits of wood, iron work, carpets, cabinets, sanware etc. are to many. Just get the word out in your neighbourhood and you won’t even have to do the dismantling!
OK, long winded start to the Crazy Paving bit. The word is out on my project so I’m farming out and fending off. The Crazy Paving which has long fallen out of fashion I thought would make great pathways through the garden. This is what I’ve just done:
1. Measured out pathway with sophisticated measuring instrument, logs either side
2. Set out the paving so the shapes are easy to see
3. Put about 5cm of soil down and had lots of fun playing puzzles.
Bonus pic of gorgeous Burchellia bubalina (small tree). Fantastic nectar plant for birds and butterflies and fruit for barbets, bulbuls, mousebirds and starlings. Larval food plant for 4 species of moths.
4. Filled in the gaps with more soil and in no time at all, garden path!
It is very exciting to announce that we have been shortlisted to a group of 5 in the ‘House’ Category for the AfrisSam-SAIA Sustainable Architecture Award. Of course the award goes to our Architects Sengelli and Associates if ‘we’ win but we will be happy to take some credit for the project coming to life! Its really exciting to see how consciousness of the importance of building in a more sustainable way is growing and awards like this can contribute to incentivising all who participate in this sector.
Gorgeous Green House 