Upper Ferntree Gully eco-house with green heart
Overlooking the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, 8 Olivette Ave, Upper Ferntree Gully is possibly one of the country’s most sustainable homes.
The award winning, eco-friendly abode was purposely built with sustainability in mind 12 years ago by Melbourne builder Anton Englemeyer and his wife Mel.
It comes with a price guide of $2.3 million to $2.5 million.
After more than a decade in the home, the Englemeyer’s eco-house has been listed through Ray White Forest Hill agent Hugh Francis.
The couple are passionate about sustainable practices and Mr Englemeyer specialises in eco-friendly design and construction leading him to build his own green oasis in an area that is known as the ‘Gateway to the Dandenong Ranges’.
Affectionately called the ‘House with the Green Heart’, the structure features both rooftop and indoor gardens, solar panels, water tanks and is built from sustainable materials.
The Olivette Avenue ode to environmentally conscious living won the Five-Star Sustainability Excellence Award at the Continuing Professional Development awards in 2011. The house also won the Master Builder’s Excellence in Housing Awards in 2013 for the most sustainable house.
“We based the construction on green star ratings to get the best result. The features of the home are all there to add to the air quality and help conserve energy as well as being made from high quality and long lasting materials,” Mr Engelmeyer said.
“Sustainability to me is building something that lasts longer and if you use good quality materials then you don’t have to do anything. It has timeless features and no trendy stuff that ages quickly.”
Mr Englemeyer said much of his inspiration for the home came from European designs but the couple made the choice to stay closer to home when it came to planting the many gardens on the property.
“In the gardens, we made a conscious decision to use indigenous and native plants to blend in with the area but we also chose to use bromeliads because we like them,” he said.
While the eco duo are ready to move on to their next project, Mr Englemeyer said there is plenty they will miss about the house which he considers his “own Machu Picchu”.
“We love all the rock work which came from existing rock upcycled from the previous site’s groundworks done by the owner before us,” he said.
“The views are also spectacular - you can see 100km into the distance and nature is a big part of it. We get a lot of beautiful wildlife here from birds to kangaroos and echidnas.
“It is an amazing place to live and whoever buys it will be the next custodian of the house.
“We have built this property in indemnity, it’s like Machu Picchu, it will be around for ages and the next buyers won’t want to leave.”
“I would be surprised if it was a local buyer, it will be someone who has an interest and a passion for that sort of thing, someone who will identify with it and respect the man hours and labour of love,” Mr Francis said.