Experts' Choice winning entries

Renovation - Ten Legs House 4 - click here
Shed/Studio - Huon Box - click here
New Home - The Gravelly Beach House - click here
Demonstration/Display Home - Adam Dew Ecobuild Display Home - click here
Medium Density - Eighty8 - click here


People's Choice winning entries

Renovation - Holyoake Drive - click here
Shed/Studio - Noosa Footy Shed - click here
New Home - Yarra Design - click here
Demonstration/Display Home - Eden Display Home - click here
Medium Density - Kennedy Street Units - click here

LookHome™ bonus prize winning entries

Beyond Developers Display Home - click here
The Gravelly Beach House - click here
Nott Street House - click here
Tallowwood Ridge Residence - click here
Holyoake Drive - click here

LookHome™ member prize winners

Most votes - Vicki, Rye , VIC

Favs most in line with the Experts' Choice - Richard, Invermay, TAS.

In the second episode of our interactive web-streamed tv show, Brett Blacklow, the designer of the Smarter Small Home™ that you may have seen featured on A Current Affair was live in the studio with host Suzy Yates. He was joined by  Craig Riddle, the builder behind Living Green Designer Homes who shared some top Trade Secrets with us. We also took a close look at the Look Green Home Design award entry Alluvium House to find out the most affordable approach to building on a steeply sloping site and we found out about affordable housing projects on the drawing board with architect David Randerson from DKO. Brett and Craig were on the live panel to answer viewers' questions. You can watch the episode that went to air here.

Channel 9’s ACA story went to air nationally on Friday 27th March at 6.50pm. By 7pm smartersmallhome.com.au was inundated with enquiries. Four days later and over 7,500 people have visited the site.

Everyone it seems wants a Smarter Small Home and it’s easy to see why. Here are just a few of the clever features:

• Low embodied energy materials help keep the home's carbon footprint and costs low
• The decking is made from recycled plastic bottles
• Lightweight Scyon™ cladding has been used on the walls inside the house, to save on plastering and tiling
• The new generation ceiling is an all in one product, that can be installed in a day
• The dining room is back to the future with a good old eat-in kitchen
• An all in one switch turns all your stand-by appliances on and off - right from the front door

The really smart thing though is that this home is not just smart, stylish and sustainable, it's also very affordable. The Smarter Small Home is open for public tours from April 18 and you can book your tour online here.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that a high percentage of Australia’s 4.2 million baby boomers own their own homes, yet their 11 million children (Generations X and Y) are now looking at long term rental rather than spending up to 86 per cent of their income on a home of their own.

 

A team of architects, suppliers and builders led by property identity Kevin Doodney is tackling the issue of housing affordability head on by launching a new concept home designed for first home buyers and low to moderate income earners.

 

“There has been a lot of talk about the housing affordability crisis over the years but I think the public is tired of talking and want a solution,” Mr Doodney, Director of LJ Hooker Land Marketing said.

 

Kevin Doodney has spent 30 years researching property trends and has dedicated the past three years alongside major partners LJ Hooker, James Hardie and Earth Spirit Home to find a genuine solution to the crisis.

 

The dedicated group of specialists has been secretly building a new display home over the past three months inside an empty  Brisbane factory. The Smarter Small Home is now about to be revealed.

 

“This home is smarter, greener and more compact than your average house and can fit comfortably on a 300m2 or 400m2 block of land while still keeping a good size backyard for the kids to play cricket,” Mr Doodney said.

 

“Very soon, we expect to be able to offer this home including land for around $275,000 (less in regional areas) and given the average home in South East Queensland sold for over $400,000 last year, this will be a god-send for many Australians desperate to get out of the ‘rent-race’", he said.

 

Public tours will be available from April 18th and bookings can be made online.
 

North Queensland-based builders River City Homes was presented with a challenge when designing a home for the retired Chairman of Mackay-based Porters, a large hardware and building supplies group. The Porters wanted a home that looked better than a rendered concrete block house and one that didn't need 24/7 air-conditioning in summer. When River City Homes explained the benefits of Scyon™ products, the Porters didn't need much convincing. Now they've got their dream energy-efficient home – and it looks cool too. Go to page 2 of the case study area now to read more.