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Eight women team up to build two energy efficient homes in joint venture

December 7, 2021 Leave a Comment

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Eight women who came together in an innovative joint venture to design and build a pair of beautiful and sustainable homes, are celebrating its successful completion.

Rebeka Morgan and her partner John of BuildHer Collective and Beirin Projects, have been renovating and developing for years and decided to share this journey with seven other women who all have a love and passion for renovating and developing. The collaborative process saw each of the BuildHer8 take a role in the project, creating two seven-star energy rated homes rather than the “uninspiring” townhouses the block came with planning approval for.

One of the homes, North House, was sold off the plan when neighbours, who had been watching the process, loved it so much that they decided to swoop in quickly and seal the deal! The remaining South House (pictured throughout) is now up for auction this weekend.

“As women we have the power to create beautiful spaces and by teaming up, we can increase our capacity for change, share the risk and have a massive pile of fun along the way,” says Rebeka. “This project is super special.”

She adds: “The cheapest product (for example, the planned townhouses) is not always the best outcome. Putting the effort in to understand how people want to live and thinking about future use and sustainability is a worthy investment and endeavour.”

Fellow BuildHer8 member Ivy Huang explains: “The existing plans were for two townhouses that were bulky, uninspiring, and in our opinion, did not provide the best flow and amenities for family living. We saw this as a perfect opportunity to take a different approach and design something special instead. Rebeka’s brief to our architects, Ben Callery Architects, was to design two different but complementary houses that would optimise the space as well as account for the site, the orientation and indeed, how each house would impact the other.

“We deliberately chose an architect firm with strong values in sustainability. This strategy to redesign obviously comes with an added cost, but we actually believe this was the opportunity that other people missed. And that made the project exciting to us!”

BuildHer Collective teach women how to build a lifestyle around property development in their DevelopHer’s Masterclass. “As part of that, we have a true passion for the built environment, and believe every developer and renovator has a responsibility to care about sustainability. There are now a handful of innovative developers who are really pushing the bar high in terms of sustainability in developments, but the fact that they are considered innovative and not the norm shows we have plenty to go! We love being part of that conversation and progress, and excited to see the industry grow in this direction,” Ivy says.

The group of eight women comprised a huge variety of personalities and skill sets, with their ages spanning across nearly 30 years and with very diverse backgrounds. “We have used this to our advantage by divvying up responsibilities so that each participant gets to shine and have hands-on experience in the project,” Ivy says. “But we’ve also had to rally together to get some menial tasks done, such as cleaning or unpacking boxes of styling items. What we’ve learnt is that there’s never a perfect division of tasks and responsibilities, and that also ebbs and flows over the life of a project. If there’s an expectation of a perfect division, there’ll always be dissatisfaction! What is important is that everyone is leaning in and doing their best!”

The advantages of everyone chipping in were certainly more than just financial. “Eight minds are better than one! Between us we have eight time more contacts, skill sets and capabilities, and that is a tremendous benefit! Developing can be a lonely game, and that’s one of the reasons BuildHer Collective was created. We now have a wonderful community of likeminded women who support each other. And doing a joint venture like this is really as communal as it gets and we’d love to see more!”

And in fact, three more JVs have been created under BuildHer Collective since this one! “We think people crave community collaboration, and with the right set of tools and information, anyone can do it,” Ivy says. 

If you’re thinking of going in with friends to do something similar, setting yourself up for success is crucial. “Work through and document your intentions, scenarios and protections,” Ivy explains. “Another big one is working through financing options, because getting a loan under a JV is drastically different to home loans. We wrote a blog that address this very topic.” 

The BuildHer8 are Rebeka Morgan and Kribashini Hannon, the co-founders of BuildHer Collective, Rachel Collard, Alison Lewis, Pricilla Chan, Ohnmar Ruault, Louise Van Zelm and Ivy Huang.

Project: BuildHer Collective | Build: Beirin Projects | Architect: Ben Callery Architects | Interiors & Styling: BuildHer Collective, Co Kitchens & Alison Lewis Interiors | Photos: Dylan James

The BuildHer8

South House real estate listing, going to auction this Saturday 11 December 2021.

Buildher8
Eight women team up to build houses in unique model
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After working in oncology for 15 years, Yolanda Aarons decided to scratch the renovation itch via a home in Melbourne’s Northcote that was in dire need of an overhaul. After…

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The patient has very much bounced back! Letterbox The patient has very much bounced back!

Letterbox kinder egg deliveries from a friend, dressing changes without a flinch and refusing to nap despite all the bribes (check the face on him in pic 3!).

Thanks for all your care and messages/comments for this tired and shaken up mama! Now very relieved and grateful 🙏
Before & after It's not just the award winning de Before & after

It's not just the award winning designer houses that get us excited here. It's also the beloved family homes which are renovated and extended to make them fit for purpose so people can continue to live where they love 🤗

@inspiredspacesaus helped her clients with teenage kids transform this house in Sydney's Hills District inside and out, making it their forever home. 

Due to the nature of the block they could only extend sideways and then gave it street appeal with render, new windows and doors.

See inside on the blog now, via link in bio. It was completely overhauled!
Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps 🤕

Oh what a night. Thankfully Hornsby Hospital were as amazing as always and we avoided stitches. All taped and glued  back together and now to keep him calm for the next few days (🤪) and watch for signs of concussion. 

Bravest little patient ever. Yes I've had a 🍷

Funny how we go into super organised mama mode in times like these. Grabbed dinosaurs, textas and scrapbook on the way out in case we had a long wait!

UPDATE: thanks for all the love! Charlie is so well this morning after a big sleep!
Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressi Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressive!

The new @studio.xox ONLY sells Australian brands. Like @nood_co coloured basins, lead-free eco brass from @faucetstrommen and @lindseywherrett's  ceramic basins made by hand in Tassie.

And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop
#creatingbeautifulspaces #homestylingdesign
#designbywomen #homestylingtips #sydneycreatives
#homestylingsydney #interiorstyling #interiordesignsydney
#everydaydesign #interiortrends #renovationinspiration
#homedesigninspo #lovemyhome #stylingdetails
#loveinteriors #homeimprovements #interiordesignaustralia
#dreamhomeinspiration #homemakeover #personaldesign
#interiordesignaus #creatingbeautifulspaces
#creativehomes #housestyling #sydneyhomes
#interiorinspiration #myhomedesign
I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new @madeinaustshow in Sydney this August.

🦘🐨Forget every tacky association you ever had about touristy Australian made and prepare to see a showcase of the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and beauty made right here. If the pandemic has made you appreciate buying local even more, this is for you.

It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers🙏

Apply to exhibit or find out more at their website, via their bio, now!

Are YOU buying more Australian made post covid?

#madeinaustralia #australianmade #aussiemade #aussiedesign
Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! 💧 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!🤗

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap 🥴) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon 😆

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!💪🏻) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too 😉

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

✔️ I'm English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008😆 

✔️ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. 🛁 

✔️ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) 📓 

✔️ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London 🚔 

✔️I had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife 😁

✔️ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK ❤️ 🇬🇧 

✔️ At school, my favourite subject was French 🇫🇷 and I was head girl 🤓🤓

✔️ I'm addicted to ☕️ , long hot baths and💄 (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

✔️ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message 😁

✔️ My favourite cuisine is Japanese 🍣 🍜 and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

✔️ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

✔️ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or🍷 

✔️ Cheesy as it sounds, 💁‍♀️being a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life 🧒👦

✔️ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view 📖 

✔️ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

✔️ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker 😯 🅿️

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better 😘

📸 @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? 🎨 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

“We are very honoured to have been a part of The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,” he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

🙏Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
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About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. Interiors Addict has been her full-time job for more than 8 years. She is married to Damian and mum to Sebastian and Charlie.

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