Ardent collectors Kerry and Judy have a passion for Sante-fe style, mud houses even though they live on a sloping bush block on Sydney's north shore. Inspired by an unconventional builder who changes his mind (and their design) on a regular basis, they set out to create a home out of recycled timber and corrugated iron, rendered in clay dug up from the side of the road. It may be straight out of the American mid west but this hybrid home will have a distinctly Australian flavour and provide an earthy backdrop for their many artistic objects, artifacts and collectables.

Builder Chris Knierem wants to create an environmentally sustainable eco-house in the heart of Sydney's inner west. He manages to buy one of the last, original vacant blocks of land in Forest Lodge and while living in the house next-door, designs, and will now build, his longed for 'green' home. Despite the narrow block and tricky access, the house will feature thermal mass heating below the slab, eradicating heating bills, an underground water tank, vertical gardens, louvres for cooling and a roof-top garden with solar panels. He's hoping this green space above will encourage the return of bird life to the city and that his new home will become a benchmark for contemporary green design.