The couple had it fitted with a bigger firebox (to take chunky pieces of wood) and a bigger wetback. They also added a woodburner in the living room for use in winter. The concrete surrounding both fires acts as a heat sink in the middle of the house, absorbing and storing heat.
The kitchen does not have an electric oven or microwave. In summer (when the converted range is not going), they use their barbecue or a small portable electric oven and double hotplate. If they have only a few dishes to wash, they fill a big plastic bowl rather than the sink.
Greywater from the kitchen and bathroom goes through three stages of filtration (including a bucket fitted with plastic mesh to capture greasy fats), before being directed to the garden. Roof water is also collected for the garden.
The shower and washing machine are connected to a small, fast-recovery hot water cylinder that is economical to run because large quantities of hot water are not being heated.
The couple wash clothes once a week.
Their old Simpson washing machine has a ‘‘suds saver’’ setting that allows them to use the same hot water twice, first for ‘‘whites’’, then for coloured or more dirty clothing.
Rinse water goes to the garden. Soapy water is pumped into a plastic bin and used to clean down bricks and other exterior surfaces.
There is no septic tank because water courses run through the steep property and the couple say controlling where wastewater went would be difficult.
In the ‘‘dry’’ outside toilet, waste is covered with sawdust rather than being flushed away.
The organic matter is combined with food scraps, garden waste and seaweed and put through a three-stage composting system before being spread in the regenerating native bush at the back of the 1700sq m property.
