About this event

Want to learn tips and tricks regarding low waste, low cost all-electric home renovation first-hand from a conscious hands on renovator? Get ready for an exciting online event that will leave you inspired and informed! Discover how an icey cold and draughty “basically a shack” can be transformed into a warm, efficient, and low carbon sanctuary, through this riveting real-life case study.

Join us for this interactive conversation with Jack Webb, sustainable carpenter and conscious home renovator as we follow his amazing sustainable renovation journey, sharing priceless tips and tricks gleaned from his own experience, including the crucial do’s, don’ts and learnings of the process.

Jack and his partner moved into the original 3 bedroom 1930s weatherboard house along Victoria’s south-west coast in 2017. With no insulation installed, weatherboards rotting and falling off in places, and massive gaps around the old single glazed windows, the structure offered little resistance to the elements. Coupled with old inefficient gas appliances this meant an uncomfortable, inefficient and expensive space not fit for purpose.

Not wanting to knock-down rebuild due to cost and environmental impact, Jack and his partner embarked on their (6 years and counting) renovate-n-retrofit journey transforming the building into a low-carbon, low-cost and comfortable home ready for another 90 years of service!

Starting with replacing the weatherboards and putting earthwool insulation and vapour permeable wrap behind, Jack moved on to replacing 75% of the rotted and warped single glazed windows with double glazing as well as draught-proofing around windows, doors, and structural gaps. The wiring was all upgraded as required and all lights converted to LED, 4kW of solar PV with micro-inverters on the roof and efficient electric appliances throughout including induction cooktop, Reclaim heat pump and Fujitsu reverse cycle for heating and cooling needs. Using his experience in recycled/reclaimed materials and carpentry through his business Birdwood Codesigns, Jack has been able to achieve amazing results on a budget with almost no waste and without changing the footprint of the home through reusing, salvaging, repurposing and rehoming almost everything from the works.

In terms of energy, since disconnecting from the gas and becoming all electric early this year Birdwood House has gone from almost $2,000 p.a. on electricity and gas to only $900 and their household emissions down by more than ⅓ all the while becoming much more comfortable and healthy.

Jack and his partner are still on the journey, and besides additional insulation and battery storage on the cards, they are currently enrolled in a DIY Landscape gardening course with Melbourne based outfit Takaynar with big moves in the garden to come! We are pleased to welcome Alexandria Jayde, Co-Director & Head of Softscape and Permaculture Design at Takaynar who will be joining us for this session! Their goal is to empower community to create outstanding environments that meet our unique needs and desires whilst not only being sustainable but ideally regenerative and productive. They offer a comprehensive range of services, from initial design to implementation and beyond, including our exclusive DIY Package for those who want to tackle their landscaping projects on their own. Alexandria will share strategies and tricks for creating a landscape that's not only beautiful but also functional and sustainable, with a focus on food production and ecological thinking.

We will navigate Jack’s journey through the power of Evitat’s Logbook, which allows you to effortlessly set and track your own goals, and monitor your progress towards creating a more sustainable, healthy, cosy, valuable home. 

Hosted by Sonja Markovic , Evitat CEO and Co-founder and the Evitat team.

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Come prepared with plenty of questions and insights for your renovation plans and see how the Evitat eLogbook can help you set your sustainability action plan and track your progress towards your dream low carbon, affordable, comfortable and future-proofed home and garden! Join the eLogbook pilot now.

This session will be recorded!

Panelists

Sonja MarkovicCEO and Co-founder at Evitat

Jack WebbConcsicous Renovator, Sustainable Carpenter

Alexandria JaydeCo-Director & Head of Softscape and Permaculture Design, Takaynar