Intelligently off-grid and unapologetically luxurious, 181 Whittons Road, Kettering is a remarkable contemporary home where complete self-sufficiency is paired with deliberate, high-end design. Sitting high on the hillside at 175 metres above sea level and quietly placed within a sheltered setting that backs into the landscape, the house was built in 2017 by award winning Mirowski Design and Construction, with joint design input made by both the builder and owners.
Every element has been carefully considered, so that the residence blends seamlessly within its diverse environment of dry sclerophyll forest and woodland; and makes the most of extraordinary skies containing ever-changing views, that reach across native forest, Woodbridge Village, Bruny Island, the waterways of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and out to the Southern Ocean.
Clad externally in beautiful Spotted Gum timber and flooded with natural light, the single-level 215m² home centres around an open-plan living and dining space. From here, sliding double doors dissolve the boundary to a substantial wooden deck of approximately 40m² - presenting a calming and effortless vantage point for morning sun, pure air, coastal skies, bird watching, and yacht spotting in the quietude that only elevation and wide spaces can deliver.
Off-grid here doesn't mean compromise - it means freedom, engineered for comfort. Power to the residence is delivered via 33 solar panels supported by a 34kW battery bank; while the larger 144m² shed, is independently powered by a wind turbine and additional solar. This shed comprises a workshop, two-bay open garage and secure storeroom and is complemented by a separate wood shed. The home's performance is equally impressive: an insulated concrete slab, polished concrete floors, and double glazing throughout create outstanding energy and thermal efficiency, with the floor's thermal mass warmed by sunlight. In winter, a Klover wood fire with a wet-back system provides ambient hydronic underfloor heating. Thoughtful zoning, thermostatic control, natural ventilation and a smart ceiling fan ensures year-round comfort across living areas and bedrooms.
With four bedrooms (including one ideally suited as an office) and two bathrooms, the layout is spacious, functional and beautifully resolved, while the kitchen is fitted with top-tier appliances to match the home's refined aesthetic. Water security is equally well planned, collected from both house and shed into three tanks totalling 48,000 litres, plus a dedicated 10,000-litre fire tank.
Set across 12.8288 hectares and bordering a creek, the property offers rare scale and privacy. Approximately one-sixth of the land is fenced for an intentionally wild garden around the home - an immersive, low-maintenance landscape of endemic and native plantings, seasonal orchids and self-seeding species designed as living habitat rather than manicured display. It's also a place where nature is part of daily life, and the property harbours both abundant endemic and migratory birdlife, and an exceptional range of wildlife; including wallabies, quolls, bettongs, bandicoots, echidnas, Tasmanian devils, ring-tailed possums, honeyeaters, fire tailed finches, parrots, pardalotes, wedge-tailed eagles, grey goshawks and yellow-tailed black cockatoos.
Spoilt for location, 181 Whittons Road, Kettering is 40 mins drive to Hobart, 25 mins drive to Cygnet Village and 8 mins drive to Kettering Marina and the ferry to Bruny Island. A coastal scenic drive to Cygnet Village delivers seasonal snow-capped mountains, and a selection of some of Southern Tasmania's renown beaches, eateries, art and craft trails, markets, distilleries and wineries.
Beautifully built, intelligently self-sufficient and completely at ease in its setting, this is a rare offering: a design-led off-grid home that feels genuinely luxurious - because it was always meant to.
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