The past decade has seen more and more new home builders designing and building sustainable homes.

Mornington Peninsula builder, Craig Hellyer of Parkway Homes Pty Ltd, has been committed to designing and building energy efficient homes since the late 1990’s.

Then, as Victorian Building manager with the Henley Properties Group, Craig was involved in transforming the Henley range into Five Star Energy Efficient homes. “The lessons I learnt at the time were invaluable”, he said. “They gave me a strong insight into the benefits of environmentally friendly house design”.

After more than nine years in the corporate world, Craig left Henley to establish Parkway with his wife, Kaye.  “We wanted to run a small family business which we could operate from home”, he said. “One that allowed us to concentrate on building a small number of environmentally sensitive houses each year and enabled us to keep close control of the job and in contact with our clients.

Last year Craig achieved accreditation as an HIA GreenSmart Professional. This means he builds homes using the concept of passive solar design as a basis for the development of sustainable housing. Added to this, building sustainably also includes improving energy and water efficiency thus enabling homeowners to recycle more and waste less. Improved site management practices during construction mean a reduction in noise and the waste from the building process.

The next step for Craig and Kaye was to construct a display home which demonstrated the principles of sustainable housing. The Acacia was built using the HIA GreenSmart environmental guidelines which incorporate realistic and achievable environmental practices in the design, construction and operation of the home. Passive solar design, high efficiency appliances and low energy lighting are among the many features which have enabled this home to achieve an HIA GreenSmart House accreditation.

Kaye said, “Looking at the whole picture we want to offer benefits to both the homeowner and the environment. People can move in and enjoy a more comfortable living space with on-going savings in energy and water costs with a ‘lighter footprint’ on the environment”.

GreenSmart doesn’t stop where the building finishes either. Where gardens are included landscaping practices must ensure design to minimize water use and predominant use of indigenous and/or drought tolerant plants. This is evident in the attractive landscaping surrounding The Acacia which even has a 2100 litre water tank for garden use.

The Acacia can either be built on your own land or house and land packages on the Mornington Peninsula are available. It’s now on display at 5 Peninsula Sands Boulevard, Rosebud. Viewing is by private appointment or the house is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm -5pm.