8 Ways You Can Make Your New Home Design More Sustainable

Improving the sustainability of your new home design is a good idea - and not just because it will make you feel good about reducing your impact on the environment.

Making sustainable choices while you’re designing your build can also save you money in the long term, and improve the longevity of your home.

With all that in mind, here I share 8 ways you can make your new home design more sustainable.

1. Consider sustainability from the very start

When you take sustainability into consideration from the very beginning of your project, you’ll be surprised how much of an impact you can have on the future of the environment and on your cost of living expenses.

Talk to your architect and let them know that sustainability is important to you. Make it part of the brief, and think about how your home will be able to sustain you throughout the potential changes in your life (making it less likely for you to need modifications down the track).  

2. Make the most of your environment

Making the most of your particular site’s characteristics by taking into consideration factors such as the orientation of the sun, prevailing cool summer breezes, views and topography will help you optimise the benefits of your location.

Passive Design techniques can help to heat and cool your home, all within the home’s design. It works by using what’s known as thermal mass, built into the design of your home, allowing it to collect and hold the heat of the sun in winter to warm your home and protect it from the sun’s rays during the summer. This is particularly good for making a home more sustainable in cooler climates like Victoria.

3. Don’t forget social sustainability

While considering sustainability for your home is where many of us focus, you can make an even bigger impact by thinking about how your home and lifestyle impact your streetscape, work life and the way you show up in your community.

How can you contribute positively to the streetscape in a way that lets social engagement happen for the people in your neighbourhood?

You could also explore ways of building that facilitate a sustainable lifestyle, by including a home workspace that reduces the amount of everyday travel, creating a better work/life balance while also helping the planet.

4. Classic Style vs Fashionable finishes

Keeping up with the latest home style and design trends can often mean regular updates to your home finishes. This keeps the cycle of up-to-date renovations going, creating waste and a negative impact on our environment.

Durable finishes that are classic in style means you’ll only need to make minor touches if you want to revamp your space. Choose natural materials and colour palettes for a more sustainable, trend-robust approach.

5. Choose Sustainable Materials and Finishes

When it comes to sustainable home design, there are so many things to consider as you’re making material choices.

Just some of the questions you might want to ask about your materials and finishes are:

• Where is it made, what is it made of, and how is it made?

• Does it produce any nasty byproducts as it’s made?

• What’s the carbon impact of shipping the raw material to the manufacturer and then again from the supplier to the building site?

• What’s the material life cycle - how much energy does it take to make, how long will it last, what maintenance processes will it require and what happens at the end of its life?

• Does it do a good job (for example, will the wall product you’re choosing provide good insulation)?

• Will it create material wastage on site and how toxic will it be to your builder and tradespeople?

6. Ongoing Operating Costs 

Ongoing operating costs, efficiency and the use of renewable energy are a big factor in sustainability.

You should look at the cost of operating your home in relation to your hip pocket, as well as the costs to the earth.

Make sure you look at how your home design will manage sewerage, water and electricity, and don’t forget to consider the most cost efficient use when selecting appliances.

Heating and cooling is the biggest ongoing cost and energy user throughout the life of your home, so thinking about how you get and and use electricity can make a huge difference - think insulation, draught proofing, and high performing windows.  

7. Waste Management

Another sustainability consideration is how you’ll manage waste.

Consider incorporating methods such as composting and permaculture or a veggie garden that support the cycle of everyday life, into your design scheme.

8. Using Local Trades & Industry Knowledge

Tapping into local builders and tradespeople can have a huge positive impact on the environmental impact of your build.

Not only will it reduce carbon footprint due to travel, you’ll be able to tap into local industry knowledge.

Wherever you source your builder, make sure you discuss the best way to manage waste on site, how you can implement more sustainable construction techniques and the sourcing of sustainable materials and consumables throughout your build.

A sustainable build is an investment in your future

It’s never been easier to consider and implement sustainability into your new home build. Make sure you consider sustainability right from the start, think carefully about the materials and finishes you’ll use, consider how the sustainability of your home can positively impact the community at large, and make the most of the environment around you.

If sustainability is important to you, have a conversation with your architect during the project brief and let them know that it should be a key consideration of your build. 

A sustainable build is an investment in your future - and in the future of the planet. And a great architect (hello, have we met?) will be able to give you suggestions on sustainability improvements while making sure you get the best result for your new home.