theHOUSE.company is passionate about designing refined, elegant and exciting homes, at affordable prices.

 

We are essentially a 'concept design' company. The principal designer - Jon Crooke - will work with you to create an affordable vision of your new home, incorporating the latest in green design features such as shaded sun spaces and earth sheltering. A home that will let you live comfortable in an ever hotter world.

 

After an initial meeting to discuss your ideas, requirements and budget for your new home, Jon will conduct a site investigation which will include sun access, contours, drainage, car and pedestrian access, views, vegetation, wind patterns, neighbour over-looking and noise issues. and will then sit down with you and produce a design wish list which includes your families unique needs. With this information he will work with you through a process of sketches including schematic diagram, bubble diagrams, preliminary 3D plans and presentation plans and finally walk through 3D CAD models. When the design work is competed, you will have a full set of plans and elevation drawings and 3D models in printed and CAD format to give to your local drafting service for council documentation. Jon is your first stop in the design - drafting - building process.

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His goal is to design a ‘Smart Home’ for you that lets the sun shine in, provides a living environment that inspires a state of well-being and optimism, and also provides solutions to the issues of  sustainability, affordability and climate change.

 Jon takes you step by step through the process of positioning and orienting your new home on your land and creating a ‘Smart Home’ that includes the key energy saving design features of - correct solar orientation - strategic glazing and shading - heat and cool storage - insulation and ventilation.
 He offers design solutions to protect the occupants against the effects of climate change and outlines new and innovative design strategies to substantially reduce the cost of building. 


 

Jon Crooke is a pioneer of 'green' residential architecture and the Tiny House movement. In 1979, his Design Studio built the first green energy ‘project homes’ in Australia, the Big and Little Solar Houses range of kit and project homes.

By the mid 80‘s the company was one of the biggest kit home suppliers in the country. Two of the Studio's designs, the ‘Kinglake’ in Victoria and the ‘Cherrybrook’ in NSW, won the industries top solar design awards. The Studio’s projects have won numerous other awards and have been featured in books, periodicals and other media, highlighting Jon's pioneering work in green architecture.

Over the 40 years of designing affordable green dwellings, the Studio has explored ways to reduce the tremendous impacts that buildings have on the environment, and ways to live that are sustainable in the long term. The House Company's Towable Studio, Core House and Bespoke Post and Beam and Earth Sheltered homes, are defining products of that research.