Award-Winning Sustainable Home — As Featured on Open Homes Australia
Mamet Homes is the steep block builder Brisbane homeowners trust for difficult sites — and the Greenway Street home in Grange is the proof.
When Borgelt and Craig Architects were commissioned to design a new family home on a steep Grange block, they needed an unusual combination from their builder: proven experience on difficult sloping sites, a genuine understanding of sustainable building practice, and the confidence to construct a design unlike anything most builders had seen before.
They recommended Mamet Homes.
What followed was a build that won the 2019 Master Builders Brisbane Housing and Construction Award — and became one of the most distinctive, and most genuinely sustainable, homes in Brisbane’s north. Featured in Season 3 of Channel 9’s Open Homes Australia, this Grange home is proof that great design is the most powerful sustainability tool you have.
The Design Brief
The owners arrived with a clear set of priorities. Intergenerational living — the home needed to accommodate parents and children in separate but connected zones. Genuine sustainability — not solar panels as an afterthought, but a home designed from the ground up to eliminate the need for air conditioning entirely. Allergy-conscious construction — with children in the family who have allergies, every material was scrutinised and low VOC was non-negotiable.
Preserving what mattered. While the original cottage was not structurally viable to retain, meaningful elements — doors, windows, cabinetry, and structural timber — were salvaged and given new life in the new home. An on-site tree was milled into raw-edge slabs used for shelving throughout the house.
Architect Julia Borgelt designed the home around the movement of the sun — a technique called solar passive design. In winter, the home’s orientation and roof form draw sunlight deep into the living spaces, keeping them naturally warm. In summer, the roof geometry creates shade that blocks overheating before it begins. The result: a home that maintains comfortable temperatures year-round in Brisbane’s subtropical climate, with no air conditioning.
The exposed concrete slab acts as the thermal engine of the home. It absorbs heat in summer and releases coolness at night; in winter it stores solar warmth and releases it after dark. Combined with the passive design, it removes the need for active heating or cooling entirely — not by adding technology, but by using physics.
Sustainable Design & Building on a Steep Block
This was one of the most technically demanding sites Mamet Homes has built on. Multiple builders came to the site, looked at what was required, and walked away. The drainage system had failed, the retaining walls were corroding, and site access was severely restricted.
Mamet Homes started where most would finish: at the bottom of the slope. The 20-metre lap pool — the client’s one absolute non-negotiable — was installed first, becoming the structural and spatial anchor for everything built above it. Construction then worked its way back up the hill in a reverse sequence that demanded careful planning and deep sloping block expertise.
The steep terrain created genuine advantages: two natural ground-level entry points, exceptional aspect, and a view corridor stretching across Brisbane’s north — including a purpose-built window so the client, a passionate aviation enthusiast, can watch planes depart from Brisbane Airport.
Every finish, adhesive, sealant, and building product in this home was selected for its low VOC content — non-negotiable for a family with allergies, and healthier for every person who lives in it. One of the most striking decisions: the design refused all painted surfaces. This eliminated an entire trade from the build programme, removed a significant VOC source, and reduced costs.
Rather than demolishing the original cottage and hauling everything away, Mamet Homes salvaged what could be given new purpose. Timber was recycled into decking, stairwells, and screening. The roof is pitched in a single direction — simultaneously maximising rainwater collection and optimising the surface for solar panel performance. One design decision. Two sustainability outcomes.
This home is a working example of all Five Rs of sustainable construction: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Repurpose — as explained by Adrien Mamet in the Open Homes Australia walkthrough above.
The Award & Recognition
This home was recognised by the Master Builders Association of Queensland as the outstanding custom home in its price category — the 2019 Master Builders Brisbane Housing and Construction Award for Individual Home $751,000–$950,000. A recognition of the quality of construction, the complexity of the site, and the depth of the sustainable design outcomes achieved.
Featured in Season 3 of Channel 9’s Open Homes Australia, this home has been seen by audiences across Australia. Adrien Mamet walked host Mark through the solar passive design, thermal mass, the Five Rs of sustainable construction, and what it takes to build on a site this steep. Watch the full walkthrough in the video above.
Does building sustainably cost more? Not necessarily — and this home is proof. Eliminating painted surfaces removed an entire trade. Designing for solar passive performance removed the need for air conditioning entirely. Good design is often the most cost-effective sustainability investment you can make.
Can Mamet Homes build on a steep block in Brisbane? Yes. Sloping block construction is one of our core specialisations. We work on difficult, steep, and constrained sites across Brisbane and South East Queensland — sites other builders often decline. We provide fixed-price contracts so you know exactly what you’re committing to before a single sod is turned.
Steep Block Building in Brisbane: Your Questions Answered
How do you build a house on a steep block in Brisbane?
Building on a steep block requires a builder with genuine experience in cut-and-fill earthworks, split-level construction, and engineered footing systems. At Mamet Homes, we assess the slope, soil type, and site access before recommending the right structural approach. Our Greenway Street project in Grange — with over 4 metres of fall across the site — is evidence that the right team can turn a challenging block into an award-winning home.
Is building on a steep block more expensive than a flat site?
Yes, typically 15–30% more, depending on the degree of slope, soil conditions, and the design. Additional costs include earthworks, retaining walls, engineered footings, and more complex formwork. However, a well-designed steep block home often achieves spatial qualities — elevated outlooks, split levels, and passive solar performance — that are simply not possible on flat land.
What makes Mamet Homes a steep block builder Brisbane trusts?
We have built on some of South East Queensland’s most difficult residential sites. Our Greenway Street, Grange project won the 2019 Master Builders Brisbane Housing and Construction Award and was featured on Channel 9’s Open Homes Australia. We work alongside structural engineers and architects from the earliest design stage to ensure every steep site is handled safely, on budget, and to a high standard.
Can you build a sustainable home on a steep block?
Not only can you — steep blocks can outperform flat sites for passive solar design. The slope allows for precise north-facing orientation, natural cross-ventilation, and correctly sized eaves that shade summer sun while admitting winter light. The Greenway Street home in Grange operates without air conditioning, despite Brisbane’s sub-tropical climate, because the design works with the land rather than against it.