Jacqi & Adam
Eco-friendly in the suburbs
Location: Victoria, Australia
Project: A double-story, eco-friendly suburban build
Size: 4 bedroom, 2 living
Booken Resource: Sustainable Build Checklist, Booken Workshop
Photography: Jacqi Russo Art
Building green on a Victorian suburban block
Adam and Jacqi's journey to build an eco-friendly, double-storey home in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula is a tale of sustainable living in suburbia.
This beautiful home is a testament to Jacqi and Adam’s commitment to a low-toxicity, low-maintenance life. They used natural materials and passive solar principles to transform a 1013m2 suburban block into a warm, welcoming sanctuary.
Key features include a north-facing backyard, double glazing, and hydronic heating, perfectly blending functionality with eco-consciousness.
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Is it possible to build an efficient, gorgeous, sustainable home on a suburban block?
The answer is a big “Hell yes!” and I have proof!
But first, I need to give credit where credit is due.
About ten years ago, Boots and I took a road trip down the coast to visit friends who had just built their first home. At the time, I was learning about energy efficiency and passive design in my work, but I had never seen it in action in real life.
We arrived at Jacqi and Adam’s new home on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, and as per usual, Jacqi greeted us at the front door with one of her signature warm hugs and then ushered us inside.
And THIS is the exact moment that changed the course of my life forever.
Now Jacqi’s hugs are exceptional, but they’re not life-changing ;)
This course-shifting moment was actually about how I ‘felt’ the moment I stepped through the front door of their simple, light-filled, passively designed home, and it’s the same ‘feeling’ I now get every time I come home to Booken House.
It’s a weird, indescribable, warm-fuzzy ‘feeling’ that has something to do with a magical mix of soft north sunlight, natural warmth, and calm zen. It’s safe to say I was instantly madly in love with that feeling, and I’m not sure Booken House or Booken Blend would exist today if it hadn’t been for this moment.
But I digress.
Back to my original question - is it possible to build an efficient, gorgeous, sustainable home on a suburban block?
Well, Adam and Jacqi proved this not only once but twice! They are my walking talking proof that with a little research and a strong commitment to working with nature, the great Australian dream can also be green.
Highlights
Highlights
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About your teacher: Lisa Booth
Jacqi and Adam completed their second and most recent build in 2017 on a 1013m2 suburban block.
They wanted this second build to go one step further and accommodate their growing family for many years to come. They wanted spaces that would encourage friends and family to gather, and in particular, a warm and open kitchen that would allow multiple generations to come together to prepare a meal and share a story.
Jacqi and Adam had built trusting relationships with the architect and builder from their first build, so they chose the same (dream) team for this second house.
Jacqi is quick to credit quality relationships with their team as an integral part of their build, as it meant they felt comfortable asking questions, bringing forth good (and bad) ideas, and truly working together for the best outcome.
How did I become a raging sustainable house design nerd?
For their second build, Adam and Jacqi chose a double-story floor plan to minimise the footprint and, therefore, maximise outdoor space; this was particularly important because they wanted to retain as many of the existing mature fruit trees on the block as possible.
The backyard has a fabulous northern aspect, and Jacqi explains, “The orientation of the house is EVERYTHING when it comes to how well the house functions as a comfortable home.”
As well as passive solar design principles, Jacqi and Adam were also very aware of building a low-tox and low-maintenance home, and this informed their choices of surfaces and materials, such as natural timber floors upstairs, wool carpet in bedrooms, stainless steel kitchen bench, recycled red bricks, ironbark cladding, and commercial aluminium windows.
The lower floor is polished concrete, and Jacqi says, “Yes, it has cracks!”
The lower floor is also where you’ll find their drool-worthy bookshelf, complete with a concrete bench that runs the width of the living space. The bench concept is duplicated again in the kitchen and runs seamlessly to the outdoor area, where it turns from steel to concrete.
So it all kinda makes sense that when I hooked up with my hot husband, a man who will have a go at anything (except fish; the man will not eat fish), we would be cray-cray enough to believe we could design and build a planet-friendly, off-grid home on a modest, achievable budget.
Booken Blend's evolution from passion project to thriving business has been like catching a tiger by the tail (exhilarating and terrifying all at once), but we couldn’t be prouder of the community that has gathered here and the positive ripple effect we’re collectively having on the world.
Together, lets move purposeful homes out of their current niche — the very unhelpful and limiting ‘for hippies or rich people only’ niche — into the mainstream
Like what you see? Let’s work together
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