Additions & Alterations to residence in Kingscliff

We have recently completed our design and documentation for the alterations and extensions to a older weatherboard home on Kingscliff Hill. The original home was in very good repair and was to be retained as much as possible while a second floor and roof observation deck was added.

The existing dwelling

There were some challenges in the design including

• providing the additional wind bracing required on the ground floor structure bearing in mind that there was little or no bracing in the original building. 

• modifying the existing structure and footings to handle the additional loads imposed by the new upper levels

• trying to establish a method whereby the residents could live in the existing building during much of the construction process

Image of the proposed alterations and additions

The design features a large first floor and roof level deck which gains ocean views and the extensions are clad primarily in Scyon matrix panels and linea board.

Sanctuary 28 Projects successfully gained the construction contract and works are expected to commence before the end of February

Building Design Safety Certificates

From 1st January, 2012, all designers of buildings are required to provide a report on the safe design of the building and structures under Section 24 of the Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act).

Generalising it seems the designer must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the structure is designed to be without risks to the health and safety of persons who work at or on the construction of the structure. More details are available here

The BDA will be conducting workshops to explain the implications to its members.

The choice of LED lighting

Schafer Design have been carrying out some cost comparisons to establish the most cost effective nad environmentally friendly light sources.
A simple comparison of two products that offer similar light output with  an average
use of 4hrs per day      
                                                      
  LED PRODUCT                HALOGEN LAMP
product                                                  
  3W, 130lm LED                   20W halogen
useage                                                    
  4hrs / day                               4hrs/day
power consumption per day                  
  0.012kWh                             0.08kWh
running cost (@22c/kWh) per day        
  $0.0025                                 $0.0175
running cost per year                              
  $0.9125                                 $6.3875

annual saving per light                          
  $5.475

saving for average house with 50 lights
  $273.75

carbon emissions per day                        
  0.0095kg                                0.0625kg
carbon emissions per year                      
  3.4675kg                                22.8125kg
life expectancy                                        
  20,000hrs +                            3,000-6,000hrs
efficiency                                                
  approx 85%                            approx 10%
heat generation                                        
  cool to touch                          500 deg

As technology advances the cost of LED lights are decreasing rapidly and the payback period in choosing an LED over a Halogen light is now only 2-3 years. The short payback period plus the environmental advantages now makes the choice of light quite simple.

Bozier Court takes shape

Now that the high level works are completed the void scaffold and external scaffolding has been removed and the true form of 13 Bozier Court Casuarina is now revealed.

The two storey internal and external spaces add incredible volume to the living area and that area will enjoy copious amounts of winter sun but will be protected fromthe harsh summer sun by the 3.6m wide high level eaves

The choice of Scyon wall claddings

One of the major issues with cladding selection is the balance between the materials embodied energy, its longevity and need for ongoing maintenance.
When incorporated into a wall system and compared with other products, fibre cement is at the lower end of the scale for embodied energy and offers excellent longevity. Studies indicate that timber framed construction with timber weatherboards has the lowest embodied energy of 188MJ / sqm. and a typical timber framed brick veneer construction has 561MJ /sqm.
We decided to utilise Scyon Linea Board and Scyon Matrix panels for the majority of the claddings on our Bozier Court house - this form of construction has a minimal 212 MJ /sqm of embodied energy and offers a long life expectancy with minimal maintenance. The fibre cement is a better substrate for painting than most timber products the profiles of the linea board and matrix panel provide nice depth and definition which is lacking on its competitors products.