Modern Off Grid Living - A Sustainable Prefab Home in Rural Australia

Innovative Off-Grid Living

This modern prefab home takes off-grid living to a whole new level. Two families live comfortably in this prefab home design located at Franklinford in Victoria's Central Highlands. The prefab home has four bedrooms that are shared between two families, which is a gathering place for the extended family and a special place to relax and enjoy the beauty of rural life. The modern prefab design is inspired by the agricultural buildings in the surrounding farmland. The prefabricated echo housing mostly clad in Colorbond with accents of Vitrabond. When approaching the modern prefab design the radially sawn timber board and batten clad form of the house immediately gets your attention. The beautifully textured exterior of the home conceals the calm rural retreat, with the long form of the prefab design giving a sense of enclosure and privacy.

Spacious and Bright Interiors

Inside the modern off-grid house is a light palette that makes the home feel spacious and bright. The rooms are painted in white, with a marble-effect Caesarstone benchtop and white laminate joinery used throughout. These simple elements help to create a beautiful contrast against the dark oak timber floors. The large living wing of the home is separated from the private bedroom wing, which is the focal point of the house. Both the living and entertaining areas of the house blend outdoors thanks to the expansive floor-to-ceiling glazing which opens up to a north-facing, sun-drenched outdoor deck. The home has scenic views of the surrounding paddocks and creek which are in view from the moment you walk through the front door. The window becomes the ideal spot to put your feet up and relax. Being a rural property, a mudroom laundry with external access was a must –a seat was even included in the joinery brief so that you can take off your dirty boots before heading indoors.

Sustainable Off-Grid Systems

This prefab home design is completely off-grid with all services systems designed to not compromise on the clients' lifestyle. There is a nearby shed that houses the solar panel and storage system and a large 80,000-liter water tank. Like all of the Modscape prefab homes, Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) have been used to create a highly-insulated shell. The modern off-grid house has been oriented to take advantage of passive heating and cooling, capturing the sunlight in winter, especially in the large living area where the families spend a lot of their time. The home has carefully placed the eaves together with thermally broken, low-e double-glazed windows that help to minimize solar heat gain in summer.

High-Quality Features and Finishes

The prefab home has radial timber board and batten cladding with Vitrabond (Matt Black) cladding and Colorbond Ribbon Strip, black powder coated frame and thermally broken, low-e double glazed windows. Inside the prefab home is European Oak flooring, laminex joinery to kitchen and robes, stainless steel benchtop and Caesarstone benchtop to the kitchen island. Other features in the off-grid home include Abey under-mount sink and kitchen mixer, and Lockwood door hardware throughout. The off-grid systems in place include solar panel and storage system, an 80,000L water tank, septic tank and treatment system, Headmaster open wood fireplace and Daikin split systems.