We knew that this project -to provide us with a sustainable weekend base on our daunting site on the Colo River- would always be a challenge. We’ve long loved the site for the peace it affords away from the city, with its remoteness, its acres of bush, wildlife and a pristine river. But the existing housing, old and dilapidated, was set on a narrow, constrained site in an extreme fire zone.

It lacked basic utilities and was without telephone access, and in a mobile black spot. Its only access was a four-wheel drive route via a steep 1.3km dirt road, involving switchback bends down through sandstone cliffs.

We also knew there would be a challenge in finding a builder willing and able to execute this difficult project, given its problematic site access.

Helen, you rose to these challenges beautifully, delivering us a clean and elegant, unobtrusive design that sits lightly in the bush, is sensitive to seasonal issues of sunlight on a south-facing site and, with its thoughtful design, is a joy to live in.  Your specifications addressed bushfire risk carefully and maximize cross-ventilation on hot summer days, as well as sightlines to connect us intimately to bush, cliffs and river.

Importantly, your local knowledge also connected us with Michael Denton of Kvell Constructions, our wonderful builder who worked patiently and professionally through all of the many challenges the build threw at our team- from the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, requiring urgent liaison with the RFS to protect the build, to the huge Hawkesbury flood events of 2020 and 2021, not to mention the restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic!

We love the detail and finishes of the completed build, and are so grateful for all of your support and input to help weather the ups-and-downs of a project that at times looked out-of-reach. In January 2020 we dug the Kvell construction sign- charred and embedded with blackened gum leaves- out of bushfire ash at our melted top gate, and it now hangs in the house as part of its story, and a reminder of the power of our environment. We feel very blessed to be able to spend time in this place, and in this very special and beautiful house. Thank you for this wonderful result!

“Our thanks go out to all involved in this milestone project and support from friends and family to push forward. The solar aspects of the design work are fantastic. We look forward to taking our shoes off to walk barefooted on the naturally heated floors. No more slippers for me Lol. I have used the fireplace for ambience with windows open. Still so surreal to come home to this. We are awed by the views from every aspect and just can’t wait for the pool and landscaping to enjoy next summer”.

“We are owner builders and blissfully happy with our new house, although it is not quite finished (we are owner builders!). With the northerly aspect windows/doors so aptly designed by Helen, every day we sit and cast our eyes over our mountain view. Our brief was complex – we wanted a passive solar, non-toxic house to take us into our twilight years, and our site was situated on a slope in a flame zone! We were amazed and relieved when our DA was passed by council without any questions at all. Thank you, Helen. The flame zone requirements increased our costs considerably, but the house is strong enough to withstand both fire and cyclonic winds (we are located on a ridge), being built of steel and Hebel. We are also really happy with the internal layout of our home – it works exceedingly well. Many of our rooms are ‘not square’ and there are no long corridors – another request in our brief. The high ceilings and pitched roof are a real hit. The reaction of our friends says it all – they comment “Wow, this is fantastic!” or “It’ll be worth 2 million when it’s finished”. Hopefully, our interior creative decisions will match the excellence of Helen’s design.”

“We are at home with the window open, enjoying the sunshine. I had the kids in shorts and t-shirts this morning – we walked outside and it was freezing! I think I’m going to enjoy daytime inside this winter!" (May 2020)

"We engaged 3DE to design our multigenerational “forever” home. 

Helen exceeded our expectations in meeting our brief, providing an energy efficient contemporary design that suited our family’s needs. Our home is spacious, light filled and includes interesting features such as timber feature ceilings. Every space is functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. No space is wasted and we have plenty of storage. 

The process from design to build was smooth and enjoyable. Communicating with Helen was easy and she happily provided honest feedback. 

We are thankful for Helen’s ideas and expertise in completing this project."

"After leaving the Kurrajong property brilliantly designed by Helen, we had a sea change to Lennox Head. We purchased a ‘knock down’ house on a beautiful block overlooking the water. So it was over to Helen to come up with another design masterpiece!

She had to work around very strict council restrictions and come up with a design that also satisfied our long list of requirements, particularly relating to maximising water views from all levels and to build a duplex!

As always, Helen is fantastic at integrating ideas, hers and ours.

The design process constantly evolved, and after much debate, the use of copper on the roof became reality, followed by some panelling. A perfect coastal material and the appearance is stunning.

Suspended cantilevered concrete slabs, polished and endless as they flow into decks, with cornerless doors to give uninterrupted views. Her space management was exceptional to comply with very stringent constraints.

Once again Helen has created a dream home for us, hopefully the second will be it!!

We would recommend the team at 3de, for Warwick can’t be forgotten, to help realise your building dreams."

“We wanted a simple, thermally comfortable, low impact and sustainable home, with extensive, useable outdoor areas; for our rainforest setting. We saw a couple of Helen’s designs under construction and we were really impressed by the clever use of space in the floor plans to maximise the northerly aspect.

Winter sun and ventilation in summer were highest on our priority list, along with the separation of the parents’ bedroom from the kids. Helen responded quickly and offered a great depth of experience in problem solving some of our requests.

We were most delighted with the design and 3D modelling of the house. The series of images looked just like photographs of what the house would look like and we could really imagine what it would be like to wake up there each day!

We found that Helen was able to inform us about many aspects along the way, including composting toilets, grey water systems, roofing options, polished concrete flooring, window choices, colour options and solar hot water systems… She always communicated clearly, was well organised and positive about our ideas and respected our preferences.

Once we got to the council documentation stage, we were once again amazed at the level of detail which Helen and Warwick completed for us. The Basix certificate confirmed the energy efficiency and sustainability of the house, and the detailed plans and site information was very well received by council.

We’ve now been in the house for six months and have lived through a winter with glorious sunshine streaming in every room! The polished concrete floors proved to be a real heat bank and the house remained warm into the evening even in mid winter. The weather is now warming up and the need for ventilation is increasing. We have been very pleased with the flow of air through the house and it appears to generate its own breeze!

Every day we notice how as you move around the house … every room is connected to the outdoors and all rooms have differing views outdoors, so you always know what is going on outside. This is very helpful when supervising children or keeping track of chooks trying to dig up the garden. The sounds of the forest at night come through the big sliding doors which is a delight.

We are all very happy with our new home and find it to be very comfortable, peaceful, airy and spacious. We were very happy with the service from 3DE and firmly believe that it was worth the investment to achieve a great design for our home. It has proven to be a great decision.

We would be very pleased to recommend 3D Environment to others wanting to build a sustainable and comfortable home.”

“We contacted Helen to assist us in designing a new home for our family in Kurrajong. After meeting Helen, we were very confident that she would design the perfect home for us – and she did not disappoint! Helen considered all of our requirements and personal style and also made suggestions which have only improved upon our initial brief. Helen has also taken into account the environmental impact of our home, but has incorporated this in a commercial and cost effective manner. She applies both practicality and a beautiful aesthetic to her design and we would have no hesitation in recommending her”.

And just recently we shared a celebratory drink with P and A who said:

“This project was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Dealing with Helen in the planning phase was fun and very exciting. Helen put a lot of time and effort into understanding what sort of home we wanted and needed as this would be our forever home. As owner builders, building was a challenge but thankfully we have now moved in and it is great.  The house is a really lovely space to be in and the time spent in the planning stage was well worth it. We absolutely love living here, it’s such a pleasure to live in a home which responds to the changing seasons and it really is comfortable all the time!”

“The house is performing very well – we are delighted with it. With no heating on, the inside temperature has only varied between 18-24 degrees throughout the year. We’ve been warm in winter and cool in summer and the solar rebate covered the gas bill so our total cost for last winter was $10."

“Paul and I wanted to thank you for creating a great design for our family home. Well, how lucky we were to come across you, Helen. You were professional, patient and generous with a wealth of knowledge in sustainable living ideas that allowed us to end up with a beautiful home that is ideal for our family’s needs, and blends perfectly into the bush setting of our property."

“We hardly notice the seasons as we never feel too hot or too cold in our home, always warm in winter and cool in summer. We have so many visitors who simply don’t want to leave, the house is always full of friends and laughter.

The house is exactly what we wanted, the design suits all of us, and our needs perfectly. Neighbours regularly stop as they go by and compliment me on what a great house it is, so well suited to the environment around, and so clearly keeping environmental impact to a minimum and being fire safe. Many neighbours say they feel inspired to build something similar and see that it is possible to have a house that is both fire safe and aesthetically pleasing without it costing the earth in so many ways."