While most building company owners rely on the knowledge and advice of an array of consultants, HIA member Harry Friend is truly multidisciplinary and across all aspects of home building. He's a qualified builder, graduate architect and GreenSmart professional. He even has a carpentry certificate but admits he doesn't have time to do everything these days.

'I've always been passionate about design, construction and sustainable buildings,' says Harry, who runs Axis Homes in Hobart. 'I treat each project as a balancing act – we make homes that are architectural and sustainable but also affordable at the same time.'

To help achieve this, Harry completed a Bachelor of Environmental Design, majoring in architecture at the University of Tasmania. 'After that, I realised I didn’t want to sit in an office every day, so I decided to become a carpenter.'

He moved up the ranks by becoming a qualified builder and continued with architectural design on the side. After years of refining his crafts, he knew he had a unique business model, combining efficient construction techniques and architectural design to make affordable, sustainable homes. Axis Homes was launched in 2020 and is now a thriving business operated by a team of four who work seamlessly alongside their range of chosen subcontractors.

It was Harry’s one-of-a-kind construction philosophy that attracted a couple who owned a block of land in the Hobart suburb of Leslie Vale. The owners' requests covered capturing mountain views, a robust design, sustainability elements and a reasonable budget.

'They were attracted by boutique, architectural elements and they'd commissioned a design firm for the original sketches,' Harry explains. ‘From here, we knew we could accommodate them into our building process and work to their budget. Our mission was to maximise solar gain, light, views and privacy.'

It was the harsh mountain environment that guided Harry when developing the design for the three-bedroom home. Resting along a bushy ridge in the foothills of Mt Wellington, the custom-designed home – which appears like a sleek and modern interpretation of a settler’s hut – encompasses a full array of sustainable design principles. 

‘The weather is challenging here, so we utilised robust steel cladding that references the rural environment,’ he says. ‘It withstands the harsh weather for many years. We balanced the design with natural timber, which also referenced the bushy and rural region.’

He selected Zincalume roofing, cladding and flashings in corrugated iron from Lysaght, which boasts form and function. ‘This is a classic Australian material, which the clients loved from the get-go. It’s a reflection of a rural bush shack.’

Harry is also attracted to this off-the-shelf product because it’s affordable and easy to install. ‘It’s an extremely strong material that doesn’t require painting or maintenance,’ he adds.

Embracing the sustainability ethos, the clients came on board by sourcing reclaimed structural timber, salvaged Hobart red bricks, antique feature lights and upcycled Tasmanian oak flooring. 

Since the house is northerly orientated, Harry selected SunPower solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall battery to capture and store energy. The homeowners require limited help to regulate their internal environment: ‘They have a fan for summer and use a wood heater during winter, but the solar passive design with cross-ventilation really goes a long way.’

Other practical features include a rainwater tank to supply the house, while wastewater is treated onsite. All appliances were selected for their energy efficiency, including LED lighting and a Sanden hot water heat pump.

Utilising GreenSmart principles, Axis Homes achieved an energy rating of 7.4 stars through the smart use of insulation and product selections. This included under-slab insulation, high-performance wall and ceiling insulation, low-E glass and the use of thermal mass.

‘The house ticked many sustainability boxes, which we were passionate about,’ says Harry, who completed HIA GreenSmart Professional training. ‘It’s easy to put solar panels on a house and call it sustainable, but there are so many different things you can do.’

Last year, Axis Homes was nominated as a finalist in the national 2022 HIA GreenSmart Awards for this project, and in the GreenSmart Sustainable Home category at the 2022 HIA–CSR Tasmanian Housing Awards.

‘This was our first award entry so it’s a really nice feeling to be recognised,’ Harry says. ‘Now we can show prospective clients our value and what we’ve been working hard on.’

Producing architectural, durable and sustainable homes that are affordable for people is a strong motivator.

While Harry says it’s not without its challenges, especially at a time when material prices are significantly impacting on building costs, it’s an aspiration that he feels is worthwhile. ‘I went into design and construction to discover how we can make homes more architectural and sustainable, so more people have access to them,’ he says. ‘It shouldn’t be that only your high-end architectural homes achieve that level of sustainability. That’s always been a big driver for me.’

Materials:

• Roofing, cladding and flashings: corrugated Zincalume from Lysaght
• Concrete: Hanson – Heidelberg Cement Group 
• Timber: locally sourced plantation pine timber framing from Timberlink 
• Kitchen: Smeg electric oven and cooktop 
• Tiles: ceramic tiles from Durastone
• Fixtures: WELS 4- or 5-star -efficient plumbing fixtures from Methven
• Hot water heat pump: Sanden
• LED lighting: Online Lighting
• Paint: low-VOC from Anmax Coatings.

First published on 25 May 2023