The Eco-Friendly Home

This well-planned, environmentally friendly home is situated in the picturesque town of Inverell. Inverell is a town in northern New South Wales, positioned on the Macintyre River, and is nestled behind the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of Northern Tablelands. In the past few years this country town has grown into a fertile agricultural region which produces a wide range of crops. A modern feel has been the basis for the design of the home.

Dan and Kylie Wilks owners of David Reid Homes New England have designed and built this property as their family home and their place of business. Prior to this build, they had many builds and renovations and knew what they required to fulfil the needs of business and family. The pair have always loved eco-friendly style homes and after they found a block of land in a size that allowed them to create their dream home and in a location that would service their business needs, they were excited.

With this home Dan and Kylie were free to place, design and construct to include many sustainable features because of the size and location of the block. As builders they were starting to get many enquiries from confused clients about all the information that is circulating about “greener” ways to build. Dan had done a HIA Greensmart course and was eager to prove the theories in his own home. The couple used many eco-friendly options in their home including crossflow ventilation, shading, solar, polished concrete, underfloor hydronic heating, insulation and the AWS range of high performance windows and doors. As a result of the desire for large expanses of windows and doors to make the most of natural lighting, an experienced window and door fabricator was needed.

The builders required an experienced team to custom make their windows and doors to suit the home perfectly. Local specialists Inverell Aluminium and Glass were used as they are competitive in pricing and have experience in custom made aluminium windows and doors. Inverell Aluminium & Glass suggested using a commercial range of systems to achieve the large aluminium windows and doors the project required. The Series 704 Sliding Door in the Elevate™ Aluminium Systems range was used as it allows compliant door panels to be manufactured in sizes up to three metres high and two meters wide. Low-E glass was also used as it reduces the transfer of heat and cold. Many other AWS systems were used from both the Vantage and Elevate™ ranges, such as the Series 525 LouvreMASTER™ windows to ensure maximum air flow as well as the Series 549 Entry Door as it is extremely durable. Series 406 FrontGLAZE™ Single Glazed framing was also used.

The ability of Inverell Aluminium & Glass to provide both residential and commercial products was a bonus to the builders in creating the style of home. They were able to use commercial products such as the Series 463 Double-Hung window which ensured durability whilst maintaining the style and eco-friendly nature of the rest of the project. At the completion of the job the builders praised Inverell Aluminium & Glass for their fantastic workmanship throughout the duration of the project. They were extremely happy with the AWS range, in particular the bold styling and wide variety of colours of the profiles.