Designed with sustainability in mind

Finding a home that would be energy efficient, and spacious enough for a family with three children was easy once this homeowner chose to build with Gallery Living.

Rising living costs are encouraging many of us to investigate energy efficient measures to save on household bills. While simple things, such as swapping light globes, are a good start, Johanna Milbank wanted to achieve much bigger savings when she built a home for the first time.

"I wanted to build a home that was energy efficient - one that maximised the amount of sun in the living areas to reduce heating costs but still have the house stay cool in summer to reduce cooling costs," she says. "That was my main driver (when choosing a home design). And it's also why I went with (builder) Gallery Living - they were pretty much the only bulk builder around that designs energy efficient homes."

After visiting several display homes, Johanna fell in love with Gallery Living's Monet 195, a four - bedroom (or three plus study), two -bathroom design with a central courtyard. Slightly modified to fit her Mt Barker block, and better suit Johanna 's ability to occasionally work from home, the Monet 195 also features an open kitchen-dining-living zone.

"The main thing I liked about the Monet was the courtyard and how the rest (of the home) was designed around that courtyard aspect," says Johanna. "But I also wanted to make sure we put the office up near the front door, so if I had clients coming they didn't have to come through the rest of the home."

Johanna says it took about eight months to build the home with only a few minor glitches along the way, including the wrong laminate being installed on the kitchen counters. But any problems were quickly remedied and Johanna describes the build process as "pretty smooth".

The mother-of-three, who has two adult children as well as a 12-year -old daughter, moved into their new home almost two years ago. While the home initially had a fairly neutral colour scheme, Johanna has recently introduced a brighter colour palette, including an apple green feature wall in the kitchen.

"I've also used red on a feature wall in my daughter's room, which looks really good," she says. "I've never done strong colours before. It used to be all white because I like that light, airy, bright feeling. Now I'm introducing a bit of colour - but not too much. I still want to keep that nice, white, bright look but this just brings a touch of interest to it."

While mother and daughter are thrilled with the home as it is, Johanna hopes to do more work to her garden, which includes an area for roses and wicking beds for vegetables. She also hopes to install solar panels to further improve the energy efficiency of the home.

The design has already reduced her heating and cooling costs and has also had other unexpected benefits. "The window placement and the (natural) light coming in give a really lovely feel," Johanna says. "I've even noticed the plants in the house grow really well - they love it too."

15-Mar-20 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

The Monet 195 is no longer in our range please see Monet 200 for a similar house

A welcome change

After finding a block in the right location, this homeowner needed to find a design to fit its wide dimensions. Enter Gallery Living's Monet 195

Building to meet the requirements of an unusual shaped block can be a challenge, but for a southern suburbs homeowner it was a process made a lot easier with the help of a flexible home builder. When a block came up for sale in her favourite location, she knew she wanted it. The next step was to find a home design that would fit its wide dimensions.

"My land was very wide and not very deep. I chose the land I liked rather than finding a design and then looking for land that would accommodate my design," she says. Deciding to build with Gallery Living, the homeowner says the sales consultant proved to be most helpful, customising one of their standard designs to suit the requirements of her block and accommodating her wishlist and requests.

"Most designs suit a narrow frontage and longer block, I looked for a design I could turn around but that would still have street appeal," she says. "I looked through all of Gallery Living's display homes and this design had a warm, homely feeling to it.

"I chose to build with Gallery as I had previously built with Sarah Homes, I knew how they worked and I was happy with the build process last time." Based on Gallery Living's Monet 195 design, the homeowner was drawn to the zoned living of the four bedroom two bathroom home, which was ideal for her busy family.

"I liked that I could have my end of the house with a bedroom, ensuite and office, and the kids have the other end with their bedrooms and bathroom," she says. With a build process of about 10 months, the homeowner says there was a slight hiccup at the beginning which Gallery Living were quick to smooth out.

"Building can be stressful, it's not for everyone, I visited the site everyday to have a quick look and make sure everything was as I expected," she says. "There was an initial hold up with the site levels being incorrect and an amendment being submitted to council, and this held up the build for about four weeks. "Zenon, the site supervisor, caught up this time and my move-in date was a couple of weeks earlier than expected."

Inspired to create a relaxed feel within her home, the homeowner chose earthy tones to create a warm, welcoming interior. "I chose to have the rust colour on the Hebel, together with the greys on the weatherboard and Colorbond," she says. "For the interior I wanted a relaxed boho feel, with colours that were easy care having kids and pets."

The entrance of the home leads to an open family lounge, which flows on to the monochrome L-shaped kitchen and the dining area, with beautiful statement pendant lighting above the island bench and dining room table.

The spacious master suite has an ensuite, with a bath and a double shower, and feels like a private oasis from the rest of the home - a favourite feature of the homeowner. "The master bedroom is my sanctuary, the design I chose didn't have a bath in the house, so I chose to add a bath and put it in my master suite," she says. "I have recently repainted the room and it has a beautiful relaxed feel to it now."

The family has now lived in their home for just over a year and a half, and the homeowner says it has been ideal for entertaining and enjoying time with her two children. 'We are very happy with the house and I expect it will meet our needs until my children are grown up," she says. "In summer we spend a lot of time at the beach and in winter we walk or cycle around the town. I commute a fair way to work, but it is worth it to live in such a beautiful house and area."

10-Mar-19  - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

The Monet 195 is no longer in our range please see Monet 200 for a similar house.

Family life

Room to spread out and enjoy an indoor/outdoor lifestyle

Families come in all shapes and sizes. So its lucky family home designs aren't all the same. Big families may want lots of bedrooms and separate living zones and a good-size garden, others may prefer open-plan living to share with children, and some may like the flexibility of two-storey designs which add valuable living space on smaller blocks.

Three bedrooms, plus study/fourth bedroom, two bathrooms, two living zones, courtyard, double garage design.

Why we like it:
When you have a design with a choice of outdoor areas directly off two main living zones, it's an immediate plus for parents who need to keep an eye on children, but want them to have the freedom to roam outside in a safe, secure environment. Well, the 263sqm size Monet 265 does just that.

It looks out to the internal courtyard from both the front lounge and the open -plan living, which also has the bonus of a rear-facing alfresco. This flexible three-bedroom home (ensuite to the master) also has the option of a fourth bedroom, which in the Mt Barker display is shown as a study, so there 's the choice to have more bedrooms if required or three living spaces if not.

Good storage is a family essential and is well integrated throughout, and the galley-style kitchen offers a huge island bench for casual meals, prep and entertaining will be a pleasure.

A kids' wing, large living zones, an energy efficient design and polished contemporary bathrooms are among the Monet 265's other bonus points.

The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

This exact house model is no longer available, to see a similar house please view the  Monet 230.

Monet 265: It's a work of art

Natural light and a bold palette create a home with vibrancy and personality in Gallery Living's Monet 265

Colour, light and vibrancy are three qualities that make for a pleasant living environment, and when they all cometogether it's easy to see how a home will be a welcoming place to live. Such is the case with Gallery Living's new Monet 265 display home at Aston Hills, Mt Barker. It's the unique design of this three/four bedroom home that captures light through it right to the centre of the home, but when paired with dashes of monochrome, it becomes a creative pace with something interesting at each turn.

I admit the Monet 265 is one of my favourite floorplans, as I love the idea of an internal courtyard that centres the living zones and filters light to each at different times of the day. The design comes in various size options but the layout is similar to its compact Monet 195 version, which you'll find at Evanston South.

In the 265 there's a double garage and a study (or fourth bedroom) at the front, then a dramatic living room with a black feature wall that opens to a central courtyard, before a window-lined hallway guides you to the kitchen, dining and second living zone. What's delightfully different about this design is the multiple outdoor zones linked to these living areas.

The rear lounge/dining area is bordered by a choice of two outdoor leisure areas, so the aspect from any point in the living area is going to feel connected to the back garden or alfresco. The dual aspect of sunlight, plus windows on a third side, will also give you ample spots to bask in the sun as the weather cools, while in summer it will offer great cross-ventilation when everything is open and the breeze blows through.

Gallery Living's Sales Manager Russell Slater says the Monet 265 is a luxury courtyard home with large living and entertaining spaces, both internally and externally. "The use of a large central courtyard makes light the consistent theme of the Monet 265, along with a very luxurious feeling of space," he says. "It also allows for seamless integration of designed outdoor spaces as part of the internal house aesthetic.

Families benefit from the courtyard as they enjoy the open/light benefits associated with large, open-plan living areas, but also the important functional benefits of spatially separated (but visually connected) living spaces, allowing families to feel connected while pursing individual activities. "It's a home that is a breath of fresh air to return to everyday with open light and generous sized functional spaces and lots of storage."

Pitched towards professional families who want light-filled open spaces and separate living and working areas, Russell says the study at the front provides the option to operate a home office or studio. The home's structured sophistication starts at the entry, where a raised ceiling with box edge is a stunning feature.

The open-plan kitchen is another standout and, as Russell says, it's the heart of the home. "Every home and family revolve around the kitchen in today's busy life and a large island bench is so much more than a food-preparation space, becoming the secondary dining table, homework area and perfect entertaining hub of the home," he says.

"It's important for us that the kitchen is spacious and situated where it can directly link to all other living areas." A dedicated breakfast bar at one end of the long island has room for bar stools on two sides, while the white and timber-look cabinetry and a discreet walk-in pantry make it a sleek space that is accented with white subway tiles and dark grout lines.

Within the living/dining zone, storage is integrated along the middle wall with a built-in cupboard and a set of floor-to-ceiling shelves, which become a feature of the space. Mirroring the bold black wall in the first lounge, the second living space has a recessed wall for the entertainment unit to sit within, and by being painted black it adds another focal point.

"It has been important in this design to streamline the interior spaces with clean, unbroken finishes that allow for the central courtyard to be the focus," Russell says. "Window placement has been carefully considered, and the large amounts of storage carefully integrated into walls so as not to detract from the openness and light."

This ties in with the home's aesthetic, which mixes openness with a structured feel, polished off by the arbours that feature in both outdoor courtyards. "The interior is an open and sophisticated blend with modern architectural details such as feature windows, varied ceiling heights, semi commercial window frames and square set cornice details," Russell says.

The Monet 265 will best suit a block with a minimum 15m width and 30m depth, but also corner blocks as displayed at Mt Barker. "We chose to display this plan as it is readily adaptable to take full advantage of a corner allotment (which many traditional plans struggle with)," Russell says. "The specification on display is representative of a medium level of upgrades and reflective of the level of finish most people choose for this house in their building contracts."

What I really like about this design is that it utilises a block so well and doesn't leave any part of it unused. The living zones all face one side and, with a clear view to the rear yard and courtyard, there's a clear connection to the outdoors. On the other side where the bedrooms run in a row, there is room enough for a path that leads to a private courtyard outside the master bedroom.

Gallery Living's designers have indented the floorplan, allowing for a courtyard nook to be an extension of the master bedroom, so I'd add a set of sliding doors here and use it to its full potential. In between the bedrooms (all with built-in wardrobes) are the laundry and bathrooms, with a long ensuite off the master, which includes a wide shower, double-basin vanity, designer mixer taps and 2.lm-high tiling as standard. The main bathroom follows suit but is separated into a powder room, bath/shower room with a curvaceous Caroma Classic bath.