Grand designs Australia: hidden earth home blended into the landscape ‘like a doona’
A new hidden earth home blended into the landscape ‘like a doona’ has serious claims to being to most aesthetically pleasing bathroom in the country.
If you were to arrive at Goobragandra at the foot of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, you’d be greeted by rolling hills as far as the eye can see and a perennial stream that is untouched by time.
In the lush natural surrounds a couple of hours out of Canberra, there is little to suggest the town is inhabited, so when Trevor and Jeanette Robinson bought a plot of land fronting the river, they intended to keep it that way.
Instead of building a comfortably large home on the highest point, they opted for an earth house that blended into the landscape on the lowest point.
“Why be ostentatious and have this big block?” asks Trevor, referring to a modern monolith that would look atypical in the country town.
Aside from blending into the landscape, the other requisite for the home was floor-to-ceiling glass doors that take in the view from all aspects of the main living areas and bedrooms and “most importantly”, the bathroom which has an expansive vista of the mountainside.
Trevor, who was paralysed when hit by a car on his motorbike some years ago, has not let the accident be his undoing. Instead, fuelled by his innate need to live a fully-charged life (he loves nothing more than flying his ultralight aircraft over the Snowy Mountains), he also project managed the build.
Foxtel’s Grand Designs followed the construction of Trevor and Jeanette’s underground home on the 15-acre block, which overlooked their 1.5 kilometre river frontage.
BUMPS IN THE ROADS
With a tight budget of $600,000 and an optimistic time frame of 10 months, the build was far from smooth sailing.
“If we were building a standard home here, it wouldn’t be as awesome,” says Jeanette. Instead, building an earth house required 500 tonnes of soil to be removed, before hydronics could be laid under a concrete slab. It is estimated a massive $300,000 of the budget was used to cover the invoices for steel, concrete and hydronics alone. And unlike regular new home builds above ground, waterproofing is one of the most important, and expensive jobs on the build site.
Building an earth home, which is essentially an underground shelter with earth against the walls, is a complicated engineering feat says renowned architect and Grand Designs host, Peter Maddison, but the benefits are innumerable.
“Trevor and Jeanette’s house is up on the snow belt and a long way from anything. Trevor is an absolute go-er and he wanted another adventure in his lifetime – he didn’t just want to sit in his house in Canberra with the heat turned up,” says Peter. “This house is suited to extreme temperatures because it’s underground and mother nature’s earth is constant. It’s actually like a doona. It will never get to zero degrees or 40 degrees.”
The low-impact building sits on the side of a hill and an inordinate amount of concrete has gone into the building so it doesn’t slip down the knoll. The home is then topped off with 100 tonnes of soil and grassed over so it’s impossible to catch sight of driving into the address.
It’s definitely not the easiest way to build, and adding to the matter, Trevor had been hospitalised mid-build with an urgent medical issue that required back surgery.
In hindsight, Peter says “it would have been a difficult project to undertake for an able bodied person”.
Off-grid, wheelchair accessible and sympathetic to its environment are all winning tickets, but ultimately the new home was designed to give Trevor back his independence.
“When Trevor needs to lie down, as he has to spend several hours a day in that position, he now has a room with a view.
“His objective was to have a loo with a view and he can watch the river flowing from the toilet.”
There are extra wide doorways throughout and the kitchen benches have a height clearance that allows Trevor to get in there with his wheelchair and cook.
“This whole home design is about supporting Trevor and making sure he is OK. Jeanette is his rock and not demanding at all and I can’t think of a design aesthetic that is hers – she’s defined herself in how she can support him,” says Peter.
“This is not an architectural manifesto, it’s a beautiful and pragmatically crafted home and it’s all about humanity.
It’s subtle in design and the facade moves with the contours of the land, it’s not about flexing muscle and saying ‘here I am’. It’s demure and will stand the test of time. And that’s commendable.”
EARTH SHELTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
The earth shelter in Antiparos in Greece is perfectly positioned in a natural groove where two slopes meet. Two long stone walls bridge the hills with the house nestled in the space.
This hobbit home in Slovenia is just as magical as a Middle Earth abode. Located in an ancient settlement that dates back more than 5000 years.
More Coverage
In Keldur in Iceland you will find the oldest still-standing turf buildings. In the 12th century Keldur was home to the Oddi clan. The most powerful clan of the region.
Estate Lättenstrasse is a residential area composed of nine earth homes in Switzerland. The houses are grouped centred around a small artificial lake with a hidden entrance.
Grand Designs Australia is now streaming on Foxtel.
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