Every now and then there is a breakthrough in design in the mainstream housing market the Evermore Skillion is just that. A house in the style that is normally the province of those that have first sought the services of an architect, and then procured a builder with the necessary skills to build such a home. Add to that the expense normally associated with building such a home and it's easy to see why most would shy away from constructing a home as radical and arresting as the Evermore Skillion.

With the correct east west orientation, the Evermore Skillion's design produces the best possible passive solar and energy efficient home.

And while the home sits comfortably on a suburban block it will look absolutely striking on a larger rural lot. The garage can be repositioned to increase the lineal proportions.

The externals could be seen to be retro but the materials and finishes are anything but that. Render has been mixed with glass, Zincalume and Eco Ply to give the home a striking architectural look which, as a walk around the home will show, goes beyond just a front façade. The Evermore Skillion has been designed to look excellent from all angles. The narrow awning windows at the front minimize the amount of eastern sun coming into the home while allowing good cross ventilation through the front rooms. Awnings are very good for outward airflows while supplying the best form of window security.

The front is reverse brick veneer construction which stops the transfer of heat that would normally be stored and transmitted if it were double brick. The rear or western wall has two ventilation louvers embedded in an insulated double brick wall about a projected insulated Zincalume-clad brick wall. This projection increases the airflow through the louvered apertures.

The main northern façade features an overhang that provides shelter from the south-west as well as providing shade in summer. The length of the overhang across the blind wall of the theatre room is due to the extreme angle of summer sun which would penetrate the glass wall otherwise. The angled rods off the rafters to the ground hold down the roof, providing protection from the effects of extreme winds.

The layout of the house allows the main integrated living space to take maximum advantage of the glass wall. The rake of the Evermore skillion roof increases the height of the glass wall to allow maximum winter sun penetration. The sun starts to penetrate in mid March and is excluded in mid October. The floor is heated by the sun which in turn circulates the warmth, lifting the room temperature for up to 8 hours after the sun has set. The sun penetrates three quarters of the way across the floor in the winter solstice.

Ventilation can be controlled in an absolute sense. A large number of windows can be opened to move big quantities of air if the house has been locked up. You can even shift air from the top of the ceiling and bring cool outside air in from the ground using the louvres.

A theatre room that can seat 12 has been purposely situated at the rear of the home as there is little requirement for windows, except for ventilation. Aluminium louvres are used in the back wall and high awnings on the northern side. This allows cross ventilation to move the upper, staler air out of the room when the doors are closed. The room has been appraised by Douglas Hi-Fi, the company that provided the home theatre equipment, and they were very favourably impressed as most house provide so called theatre rooms without any thought to the acoustic placement of equipment or seating.

The bedrooms are located on the cooler southern side of the home. Here, windows have been positioned to force diagonal cross ventilation through the rooms to allow the best body cooling on warm nights.

The house has been zoned for privacy and sound control. The three rooms on the south-east side can be configured as bedrooms or, as we have displayed, on could be used as an escape room.

The kitchen is designed as a complete workstation. It uses the best Australian made Westinghouse oven and hot plates, Clark epicure sinks with mixer tap and a Corian benchtop. It is also fitted with appliance cupboards and large draws to facilitate access to appliance and cooking equipment.

With the concept also came the philosophy of total design. This extends from the clean ceilings without cornices to the louvres and the external materials, right down to the style of door handle. Of course the home also incorporates our GreenSmart features: gas boosted solar HWS, insulation and AAA-rated plumbing fittings and fixtures.

On the display we have used a water wise garden, a storm water sump to put the roof water back to the aquifer and a bore for reticulation taking the rainwater back out of the aquifer. In clay soil areas the rainwater needs to be fed into a rainwater tank. On the south side we have used blue metal to create a path which restricts weed growth and allows winter water penetration. We have also minimised the contact of paving with the house as hot paving transmits heat back into the slab, heating the home.

The Evermore Skillion is another example of The Rural Building Company's approach to combining energy efficient design with aesthetics. If you're are interested in this form of architecture but find that budget restriction or the design of the Evermore Skillion doesn't quite achieve your desired outcome, please ask any of our consultants how we can make these energy and architectural considerations work for you.