The Booken Journal
Browse sustainable building tips and passive design how-to articles, plus peek behind-the-scenes for a ‘warts and all’ look at all we learned while building our own off-grid Booken House.
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Master Bedroom Makeover of Booken House
A behind-the-scenes look at a mini-maker of the master bedroom in an off-grid passively designed home, Booken House.
How to Orientate Your Home
Would you like free heat, abundant natural light and comfort all year round in your new home or reno? Then good orientation needs to go at the top of your priority list.
Answers to Your Concrete Floor Questions
We get asked lots of questions about our burnished concrete floors (not polished), so here are all the answers compiled into one easy-to-access place.
Building & Living Off Grid
Featured in the House of Wellness: While Steve and Lisa’s house would look at home in any architectural or design magazine, its off-grid capability and resourceful design inclusions are the real standout features.
The Victorian Family Putting Sustainability First and Living Off Grid
Feature in The Herald Sun: Discover Lisa and Steve's journey with Booken House, a stylish off-grid sanctuary they've crafted from a once-forgotten sand mine.
The Shearing Shed House
Check out how Lisa and Steve transformed a deserted sand mine into a chic, sustainable haven they call the Shearing Shed House.
How We Designed Our Off Grid Home
So many of us are keen on incorporating greater sustainability into our builds or renovations, but we’re not quite sure where to start. This is how we did it.
Eeek, Our Off Grid Build Is Happening!
A few years ago, we noticed a run-down 22-acre property for sale and went for a look. We looked around wide-eyed, and thought, ‘Imagine if we could purchase this land, regenerate it and build an eco-friendly, off-grid home on it?’
From Farmhouse to Greenhouse
A 100-year-old farmhouse that has been transformed into a classy, truly liveable family home using sustainable design principles and bucket loads of elbow grease.
So Much For Tough Aussie Farm Kids
All of a sudden, blood-curdling screams pierced the night, and my eldest two children sprinted up the hill towards home as fast as their legs would carry them.
The ‘Our’ Kid Changed Everything
We have four kids who make up a rowdy combination of his, hers, and ours, and in our blended family, each one of them is adored equally. But here is the uncomfortable truth… the last kid, the ‘our kid’, changed everything.
From Contentedly Divorced to Happily Married
Mum said to me over a sink full of soapy dishes, “Remember your old mate Boots, I ran into him down the street. He has separated from his wife. I think he’s having a pretty tough time.”
Unveiling the Dream
We sit on the hill for a while and I can feel the magic of this very special property starting to sink in. There is absolute quiet apart from a few birds in the trees. There is peacefulness. We are home.
How (Not) to Build a Sustainable House
Oh how I wish I could write a post called, ‘How to Build a Sustainable House’, but I have a funny feeling this journal is going to turn out to be a ‘what not to do’ type of publication rather than a lovely perfect set of instructions.
Five Things to Learn From our Grandfathers
My pop is my yardstick. He is the kind of person that I can only aspire to be like. Everyone and everything, is measured up against my pop – and most fall short.