Client: Inside Out magazine

Land size: 22 acres

Prior use: Sand extraction mine

House size: 28 squares, four bedrooms, two living

Power source: Off-grid - solar and batteries

Builder: Booken Blend as owner builders, and employed local builders & trades

Price: under $400K

Design: Two north-facing interconnected pods

Location: Kyvalley in Northern Victoria

Stylist: Belle Hemming

Booken Blend is an off-grid house in the Kyvalley. It was built with sustainability in mind and features: passive design, thermal mass, north orientation, recycled materials, double glazing, cross ventilation, strategic shading, and bio-fuel heating.

When we began dreaming about building a sustainably designed off-grid home we were frustrated to discover these types of homes seemed reserved for two categories, big-budget architecturally designed masterpieces or hardcore green homes with owners who didn’t mind sacrificing comfort and lifestyle.

We didn’t fit either category.

So we set off on a mission to smash the stereotypes of the building industry, surely it was possible to build a passively designed, off-grid, beautiful home on a modest budget?

What we quickly discovered was an ENORMOUS information gap.

So we hope by sharing our home and journey we will continue to disrupt the status quo, to help any of you who are building, renovating, extending (or just dreaming of) to access simple, independent information and become believers that homes CAN be built better, use less and be good for the planet.

- Lisa and Boots