Acknowledgements

Many people are interested in the choices we have made about sustainability features, community organisation and suppliers for our cohousing community.

We aim to follow our values and principles in all our decision making, but we have also gained a better appreciation for the challenges in achieving some sustainability outcomes. At the same time, we have discovered how quickly new solutions are evolving.

We will gradually add more information to our website and this page will summarise and index most of those topics. Hopefully this helps provide a starting point for others facing similar decisions.

Construction

Constructing any building is complex and requires a team of designers, managers and skilled workers from many trades. The Stellulata Cohousing project has benefited from an excellent team who collaborated to bring the design to life and solve problems as they arose.

• Architect - Brett Lowe created a beautiful, functional design for our new home based on the principles of cohousing and with many sustainability features. He worked with the six of us, individually and together, to create spaces that met our needs and were comfortable and enjoyable. Brett also helped select the builder and then administered the building contract for us. He worked collaboratively with the builder and all the trades to turn his theoretical design into a well-crafted building. You can read more about Brett's concept in the Design part of our website. You might also like to have a look at the model he built to help us understand his vision.

• Builder - Alliance Building Group were selected given their experience in both residential and commercial buildings, which meant they had the systems in place and trade connections to manage an architectural build of this scale rather than a more standard residential build. Peter Angelos and his team have consistently worked well with Brett, supported our vision and demonstrated a focus on quality outcomes to the end. They also enabled a reasonable, fixed price contract, which has avoided budget over runs since our agreement in September 2023. Read more about the construction process in the News section starting with the water tanks.

Index to topics and suppliers

The following alphabetical list of topics will be expanded as we have time to explain more of our choices. Solargain is the only provider where Stellulata may benefit directly from new business referred through our website. See Solar Energy below.

• Appliances - Winning Appliances of Kingston ACT (“Winnings”) provided us with quality service and helpful storage and delivery to suit our builder's schedule. Each unit selected their preferred brand of appliances, with a mix of largely Bosch and Miele chosen based on factors including longevity, functionality, energy and water efficiency.

• Building Certifiers - Capital Certifiers

• Concrete slab - Read our December 2023 explanation of why we used a concrete slab and how we minimised its carbon footprint.

• Curtains - Watson Blinds have provided curtains for Units A and B. They also assisted Unit B with a panel glide solution to the main bathroom design, where a divider was requested to make the space dual use when visitors were staying. They had a big range with some recycled material options in the sheer versions and supportive service as the timing for the installation was varied a few times.

• Energy Assessor - Peter Overton

• Hot water heat pump - Sanden 315L stainless steel tank with compressor supplied by Sunstak

• HVAC - Heating Ventilation Air conditioning - Read our September 2024 article about how we decided on the various configurations of ducted reverse-cycle (heat pump) air conditioning, energy recovery system (heat exchanger) and air filtration systems installed in each unit and the common house. We sought professional advice from Rob Withers, a mechanical engineer with MN8 Consulting. Les Kulcsar and Jack Brown from Premier Airconditioning & Heating, and Rick Stanley from Sanctuary Air, then customised and installed air systems specific to our project.

• Joinery - Select Custom Joinery are bespoke cabinet makers and furniture makers located nearby in Wallaroo NSW. They specialise in using solid, sustainable, low VOC materials to create beautiful kitchens, wardrobes, doors, and furniture. Gino Monteleone and his team have crafted beautiful timber joinery in all our kitchens and laundries. Their attention to detail has created spaces that are often the outstanding feature of our homes.

• Joinery - Thor’s Hammer provided the recycled timber for the island benches used in the kitchens, and the recycled Oregon featured on the raked ceilings. They have also been commissioned by Unit B for a dining table and bookshelf to complement the island bench.

• Mechanical Engineer - MN8 Consulting, Rob Withers.

• Pavers - Hydroston permeable pavers were the obvious choice to support Stellulata’s sustainability vision. These pavers allow us to limit stormwater runoff from our driveway, pathways and courtyards, and instead let the water through to recharge groundwater and support adjacent gardens. The pavers are attractive and are specially manufactured in Cowra for both vehicle and pedestrian areas. Another permeable paver provider had been considered, but when a more local provider became available, this helped to influence our decision.

• Paving - NVS Paving and Landscaping is a smart pairing with Hydroston permeable pavers, in that NVS is well versed in the specific technical requirements for laying these pavers. They worked closely with our architect and builder to achieve our goals for this part of the project.

• Shade - Awnings - Canberra Blinds, Awning & Curtain Centre understand that even the best designed northern exposures will face sun on windows in the shoulder seasons – fine if it’s cool but there are hotter days. Unit C chose their horizontal retractable awnings to provide northern shade on those hot sunny days, and to disappear when we want to let the sun in – all while retaining full views of our beautiful northern garden.

• Solar Energy - Solargain custom-designed a sophisticated 27.7kW solar system for us. The system features 33.2kWh battery storage plus an innovative solution to grid power outages featuring automatic switching to power from both the solar panels and the batteries. Linked to the system is an EV charger with cabling in place for a future bi-directional charger which will have vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capabilities. Read our April 2024 article about the process of designing our solar power system. Enquire with Solargain through their Stellulata page and tell them you heard about their quality work through Stellulata Cohousing. Full disclosure: If you follow any of our links to the Solargain website and purchase a PV system, Stellulata Cohousing will receive a referral fee to support our promotion of cohousing and sustainable living.

• Structural Engineer - Advanced Structural Designs, Mal Wilson.

• Tiles - Rivoland were our tiles supplier, with Brett selecting the foundational white matt wall tile and each of us selecting our own feature tiles for wet area flooring and kitchen splashback. Brett encouraged us to choose 'authentic' tiles - not those trying to look like something they weren't - which helped to narrow the materials and focus on colour preferences. Some floor tiles had some recycled content.