-by Megan Wallace My son rushed in the door, so animated after sharing a ride home from school with our neighbours. After a quick chat and snack he hears our home schooling buddies riding by and rushes out to play. I take the opportunity to walk over to our common area and am delighted to progress our idea of a …
Healthy Homes Series #3 – Drainage, Eaves and Gutters – and Roofs too!
-Mikala Dind In this six-part series, Narara Ecovillage member Mikala Dind shares her knowledge about what makes houses healthy or unhealthy. While this article is about existing homes, the information will definitely assist anyone seeking to build a home. One of the most common reasons for mould problems in a home is water finding its way into the building. In …
Creative Financing
Alternatives to the Traditional Models of Home Ownership and Bank Finance at Narara Ecovillage. Our next Friday night zoom will see us chatting with Deb who does the finances for our Ecovillage. We have many interested followers who can’t afford to buy a lot and build a house, or who don’t want to be tied down to a mortgage for …
The Values Behind Sociocracy
What is sociocracy? Sociocracy is a set of powerful collaboration tools that allow large and small numbers of people to make decisions and work together effectively. We use these tools at Narara Ecovillage, and I think it’s fair to say that sociocracy has been key to the strength, resilience and energy of our village. I recommend this article from Sociocracy for …
Healthy Homes Series #2 – Location and Orientation
-Mikala Dind In this six-part series, Narara Ecovillage member Mikala Dind shares her knowledge about what makes houses healthy or unhealthy. While this article is about existing homes, the information will definitely assist anyone seeking to build a home. LOCATION While “location, location, location” might be the catch cry for real estate agents because it indicates access to shops/public transport/schools, …
Historic House Makeover: From Freezing to Comfort
Nicky and Mark are the happy owners of Bellbird House – a heritage listed timber house at Narara Ecovillage. They are meticulously restoring their home, and have had to focus on thermal comfort as the house was freezing cold in winter and stupendously warm in summer. We will chat to them about what they have done to make their home …
This Week @ Narara Ecovillage
A lot has been happening over the last few months here at Narara Ecovillage. Join us for a quick look around. If you want to visit us, check out our website for information about the next Open Day.
Quails: From the Ground Up
Want to increase the diversity in your garden but don’t have space to keep hens? Quails are a fantastic way to increase your food security and add another layer to the home garden. The village children were excited to visit Donna and her day-old quails! We will check in with Donna in the coming weeks and watch her transition them …
A Vision for Our Children
Megan is a co-host of our village Parents Circle. Here, she explains how living at Narara Ecovillage offers so much hope and promise for our children, and through them our environment, our people and our world. What dreams do you have for your children? Watch the video:
Healthy Homes Series #1 – Age and Foundations
-Mikala Dind In this six-part series, Narara Ecovillage member Mikala Dind shares her knowledge about what makes houses healthy or unhealthy. While this article is about existing homes, the information will definitely assist anyone seeking to build a home. THE AGE OF A HOUSE The age of a house can give clues to potential hazards. For instance, homes built: before …
Kids Tour of the Ecovillage
Want to know what’s so great about growing up in an Ecovillage? Take a tour with some Ecovillage kids around their favourite places. Watch the video: More videos on our Youtube page.
Background on the Project
Get some background on the project with one of our members Donna and then follow around the property with our founder, Lyndall Parris. With around a third of the homes in Stage 1 being built and Stage 2 about to be available, now is a great time to come and take a look if you think living in an ecovillage …
Small and Tiny Equals Affordable Living
How 2 independent ladies found a way to share one housing lot and create affordable living for them both. Jazz’s Yurt with a Difference Jazz Mozzi was the original owner and had long planned to build a yurt on the block. The builders specialising in yurts gradually increased their prices until it was out of Jazz’s reach. Living Green Designer …
2 Couples, 1 Block
Grant & Liz and Bron & Dave joined the village as a joint membership from day one. Liz and Bron are twins. All four of them were early investors and committed to the vision of Narara Ecovillage. They had always intended to build a composite house that would afford each couple their own living area with a shared communal living …
Climate Impacts on Growing Food
Our network of growing friends on the Central Coast and further afield has been very hard hit this summer. As you are all no doubt aware, many local farmers have suffered very long periods of dry weather, followed by the effects of bushfire, followed by the effects of torrential rains. Two of many examples: Little Feet Gourmet, located at Ourimbah …
A New Year at Narara Ecovillage
It seems strange saying Happy New Year to you during these interesting times, but 2020 has started and at Narara Ecovillage, we are excited at the prospect. We have been under threat of fire and still the fire season has a way to go, but throughout this period we have witnessed some very sweet behaviours here, from offers of practical …
Artistic Hobbit House (171m2)
“My dream was to build a gathering place for local invited artist friends to embellish with mosaic, clay carving, bottle walls, mandala plaster wall, and more.” Linda Linda’s spacious hobbit house is filled with delightfully creative solutions that are there to make it both healthy, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing. On the higher part of the lot there is an octagon …
“Powerhouse with bedrooms” – Thermally efficient hemp house (143m2)
“I was unable to find a builder who was prepared to give a fixed price on a hempcrete house. So I became an owner-builder. The budget for my project was $450.000.” Geoff Building with hempcrete has many benefits including mould reduction, humidity regulation, vermin proofing and excellent fire rating. Geoff’s 143 m2 house has 3-4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It …