The goal of OFFGRID-INSTYLE is to provide the general public with affordable professionally prepared plans and construction drawings of stylish small homes and cabins which are no bigger than necessary, no more complex than necessary, as affordable as possible, and suitable for off-grid situations if required. Detailed construction drawings, which can be purchased on this website, are prepared by a certified building designer in compliance with the SAA Light Timber Framing Code, so in most parts of Australia can be submitted to local council for approval.
These small home and cabin designs can be built onsite in just a few weeks by a small team of local tradesmen – using standard readily-available off-the-shelf materials and components, utilising conventional construction techniques and standard-sized wall sheets, floor sheets, and roof sheets in easily-handled sizes to minimise waste and labour. These are a timber-framed building with a corrugated steel roof and an elevated timber-framed floor supported by galvanised steel posts – making them suitable for level, sloping, undulating, or poorly drained sites without requiring extensive earthworks. They can be easily modified to comply with Australian bushfire (BAL) regulations and cyclonic conditions, and can be built on a concrete slab if required.
The design philosophy embraces stylish modern simplicity, minimalism, functionality, durability, and economy, combined with the belief that in most cases, houses built onsite, by local tradesmen, using locally purchased (and sourced, if possible) materials, can be more socially responsible, more attractive, more robust, and more affordable than factory-built prefabricated houses.
COMFORT & ENERGY EFFICIENCY
With these designs, providing the veranda is orientated to face due north (southern hemisphere), the two-metre roof overhang and side walls will prevent direct solar access to the interior of the cabin when the summer sun is predominantly from the east, west, and directly overhead. With no glazing on the west and east walls, and the passive ventilation system, the cabin will remain relatively cool on hot days. Convection-driven exhaust vents (whirlybirds) directly above the cooktop and shower provide continuous passive air movement at all times as warmer air is constantly drawn upwards and out. The south wall highlight windows can also be opened for cross ventilation when required.
In winter, the compact internal space, if combined with airtight construction, minimises heat loss so that the entire cabin can be kept warm with a small heater with the assistance of solar gains during the day from winter sun access when the midday sun is lower in the northern sky. With all doors and windows tightly shut, fresh air will be drawn in and preheated through an adjustable air vent in the floor under the heater. This continuous air movement will also help prevent internal condensation. But overall, the energy efficiency required by local building regulations will depend on the specific R-value of the windows and insulation material plus the overall airtightness of the structure achieved by the builder's attention to detail.
