The three test houses are part of a commercial development being built by Wilson Homes in Kingston, south of Hobart in southern Tasmania. As such, they are standard developer solutions for a growing market sector.
Three of the six houses are part of the research program, one being a 4 Star house, as is standard practice by the developer and the other two are being modified to Five Star. They are compact two bedroom houses with a floor area of about 86 m2, plus a single garage. The three houses to be monitored are adjacent to each other, with the same plan and orientation.
The houses are being modified to meet the required ratings of 4 and 5 Star. For the two 5 Star houses, the fabric of the building, the size, position and assembly of doors, windows, and other openings and the general material finishes are identical except for the floors. In one 5 Star house, the floor will be a slab on ground. In the other, the floor is a timber framed floor.
