19 Dianella Way

Aldinga SA 5173

Set amongst surrounding native scrub, sporadically dotted with other likeminded eco homes, living, both inside and out, has been designed to get the most out of the views on offer, which reach across to the backdrop of the majestic Willunga hills.
From the front, the home appears to be a hideaway, concealed behind large succulents and a funky corrugated wall. Upon opening the rustic oak front doors you enter into a tropical style covered breezeway entrance deck that leads around and past a pond and water feature packed with foliage and up to the entrance door to the home. This entrance shields you from the road and is a cool and comfortable place for meditating and listening to the frogs all year round.
Inside everything is light, bright and breezy. Built in Britain to a Swedish design and then transported and rebuilt in Australia, the interior has a distinctly unique feel. Everywhere you turn lies evidence of the use of recycled building materials throughout, creating an eclectic and sensory blend of rustic timbers, corrugated irons, glass and fabrics from floor to ceiling.
The journey through the home is in itself an adventure, with main living focused around an open plan family room and a selection of further spaces to relax and create in leading off. Enjoy the view from the corner sun room or the extensive northern deck, whip up a new creation in the artist's studio, invigorate yourself in the jet shower or wet room; even luxuriate in the outside bath, set within a private external courtyard area.
Impossible to fully describe, features include:
* Beautiful, restful master bedroom dressed floor to ceiling in white with ceiling fan, high corrugated acoustic ceiling and a wall of built in robes fronted by panel blinds
* 2nd good sized south facing bedrooms
* Central open plan living with split system air conditioning, timber wall panelling, stunning rustic timber trusses, lofty raked corrugated acoustic ceilings and lots of big windows and doors for an abundance of natural light
* Kitchen built with recycled timber, funky circular tiled splash back and bench tops, top of the range Ilve gas cook top and Smeg electric oven, tiled black and white chequered flooring and L shaped breakfast bar overlooking rest of the room topped with rustic timber slab
* Meals area with storage underneath the adjacent breakfast bar and a stylish modern wall unit
* Lounge area with French doors opening onto the northern deck
* Room divider with study or alternative dining area behind with match board wall panelling, large window overlooking northern deck and floor to ceiling bookshelves
* Cute little conservatory with thriving plants, black and white chequered tiled flooring and a corner wall of windows with full height French doors to rear
* Separate home office/ /artist's studio or alternative third bedroom, with attractive French doors from family room and French doors opening to steps leading to garden
* Stunning wet room with sliding entrance door with lead light feature, huge feature tiled shower area, toilet, built in vanity cupboards and French doors opening onto covered external decked area with outside bath tub all set within a private courtyard
* Further bathroom with curved corner shower with jets, toilet, vanity and nicely incorporating a laundry wall with built in cupboards and timber bench tops, inset trough, washing machine space and wall mounted Robin hood ironing centre
* High ceilings throughout
* Clean and bright decor, mostly in white tones, floor to ceiling, including white painted timber flooring through much of the home
* 1KW solar electricity
* 23,000 litres rainwater plumbed to home with mains water back up
* Useful garden shed
* L shaped hardwood deck and covered breezeway entrance up to the front of the house with beautiful pond, water feature and foliage
* Extensive rear deck with angular pergola over and with separate designated areas to each end with glass windows and bamboo fencing creating outside rooms, a great entertaining space
* Stone steps and retaining walls to lower level garden area which opens directly onto native scrub
* Large raised veggie gardens
* Neat little wrap around lawn areas
* Stylish, angular corrugated privacy walls to front of home
* Established front garden with large mature succulent planting
* Rustic paved driveway with off street parking space
* Single garage with automatic roller door
See it to believe it this is one that needs to be explored in person to truly appreciate the unique nature, distinctive design and lifestyle on offer. Live almost entirely self-sufficiently - bills and maintenance are minimal - in this private eco village, set within a virtually unspoilt natural environment, peppered intermittently with other environmentally considered homes.
This is something very special, seeking equally special new owners. Call or email Ben Watts to arrange your must see inspection.
THE ALDINGA ARTS ECO VILLAGE:
The Aldinga Arts Eco Village is a self-contained, purpose-built and ecologically driven housing development spanning 18 hectares. The village is a community of approximately 250 residents working collectively towards sustainable resources and the preservation of the natural environment. All houses face north, are well insulated and have water tanks and solar panels, together with other individually selected ecological features.
There is much environmentally designed common land into which the residential blocks merge, including communal fruit orchards. 17 hectares of farmland adjacent to and belonging to the village supply organically grown produce for residents, both vegetables and copious amounts of fruit. The village also has on site its own system for the biological treatment of waste water and the agricultural use of the effluent. Stormwater is harvested through eight collection ponds.
Residents are invited, if they choose, to participate in village life and its many thriving activities, including a rich and varied program of social events. A covered meeting place boasts a brick oven and an outdoor amphitheatre is host to regular movie nights, performances and gatherings. A community centre is planned for the central hub of the village.
There are internal phone, TV and Internet lines, so no need for aerials. Water is pumped to the village and residents are encouraged to use rainwater, so minimal water bills, no cost for mains connection and no sewerage bills. There are lots of opportunities for creative people and plenty of common land to develop projects or small businesses. Residents have plenty of say in how the village is developed and in maintenance and planting of the common land areas throughout. Traffic is kept to a minimum and, whilst there are bylaws, these are designed to enhance the pleasures of living in the village.
Set on the coastline of the Fleurieu Peninsula close to the beautiful sands of Port Willunga and Aldinga beaches, the village is just 45 kilometres from Adelaide with accessible public transport or a stress-free 45 minute drive to the CBD via the recently upgraded southern expressway.
The township of Aldinga has become a lively centre, with several new stores selling goods produced in ways sympathetic to the overall philosophy of the eco village, including a very busy bakery and a branch of the famous clothing store, Ms Gladys Sym Choon.
Some words from the vendors:
We have lived in our lovely home in the Aldinga Arts Eco Village for eight years now and will be very sad to leave, but personal matters call us back to the city.
We will miss the people, the quiet and calm of the village, the glorious outlook, the huge vista of open skies, the relaxed friendships, the walks through the village and the farm and the easy walk to Port Willunga beach. We will miss the real sense of community and the opportunity to be part of something we can influence and be rejuvenated by, and the complete absence of vandalism and burnouts and break-ins. We will miss the communal land and the many fruit trees - and the fruit you can pick, or that turns up unexpectedly and most welcomed on our doorstep - and the opportunities to mix and mingle with social evenings, working bees and interest groups, as much or as little as you want. We will miss the many nearby attractions - the Willunga Farmers Market, wineries, good food, the beautiful beaches, the nearby hills, ease of access to the city via the Southern Expressway; the many friends we have made.
Most of all, though, we will miss our home that has been such a good friend to us. The light in and around the house is wonderful, and with its flow through of unpolluted air, the ease of living and privacy, it offers enviable levels of comfort. It may not be a house for everyone, but many have commented on its character and atmosphere, the views, the space and, to put it bluntly, its beauty.
It is a great entertaining house. We spend a lot of time on the partially enclosed huge northern deck - the house has some 60 square metres of decking - with its great views, protected from wind; or on the southern deck on hot summer evenings, cooled by the pond with its fountain and frogs and water plants and roses, clematis and jasmine in season. We have had memorable parties here for over 80 people, who move easily around on the decks and in the living areas. Once we had a sit down lunch at tables for 45 people inside when the weather prevented us from holding the lunch on the northern deck.
The house is sited with its main living areas facing north to take advantage of winter sun and summer shade. My favourite room in the winter is the conservatory, with sun streaming in through the eastern window, masses of plants - the 'lungs' of the house - and a comfortable hanging chair to read in, although it's hard to pick a favourite because it all fits so well.
We built with the intention of maximising material use - it is 90% recycled - and minimising environmental impact and embodied energy debt - it has zero embodied energy to repay. We are not eco warriors but have wanted to do the best we can with this house for the environment. It was rebuilt, new plumbing and wiring, and insulated from top to bottom, including under house insulation. It is effectively a new house but with the charm and grace and high quality workmanship of yesteryear. The rainwater it collects is pure, clean and sweet.
The Aldinga Arts Eco Village is a community that cares for each other, that helps each other, that offers stimulation and involvement, and we invite you to join it and to love and enjoy this house as much as we have done.