Courtyard House

Stylish, functional, and thoughtfully designed, FABPREFAB’s Courtyard House is a unique and modern take on the traditional Australian rural home.

Designed by respected Sydney-based architectural practice CHROFI, Courtyard House is a prefabricated, sustainable, and off-grid dwelling.

At 127m² in size, it’s a highly liveable house that features a generous kitchen, living and dining area, two bedrooms, and a flexible third room (which can be used as a bedroom, study or sitting room), and an enclosed deck.

Surrounded by decks and sheltered courtyards, Courtyard House has a clever open-plan design and a spacious feel. Central to this is a seamless flow connecting its indoor and outdoor spaces, an abundance of natural light throughout the home, and several integrated utility spaces, which make it bright, comfortable, and aesthetically appealing.

Well suited to a variety of environment from rural and coastal to urban and metropolitan, Courtyard House offers a refined, architect-designed, total prefabricated solution that marries mindful design, a conscientious building philosophy and a fuss-free construction experience.

Award-winning design

2020 HOUSES Awards: Commendation, New House Under 200m2 & Commendation for Sustainability (Awarded to FABPREFAB & CHROFI)

Master Builders Association Newcastle, 2020 Excellence in Construction Awards: Winner: Award for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (Awarded to FABPREFAB)

2020 Dwell International Awards 2020, Shortlisted in the ‘Top nine best prefabs of 2020’.

2021 NSW Architecture Awards: Shortlisted, Residential Architecture – Houses (New) (CHROFI)

2021 NSW Architecture Awards: Commendation for Sustainability (Awarded to CHROFI)

Exemplary design is at the heart of FABPREFAB’s mission. To fulfil this, we partner with leading architects who share our passion for beautiful, well-crafted, and sustainable prefabricated and modular dwellings.

Courtyard House was designed in collaboration with CHROFI, an award-winning Sydney-based architectural practice with an impressive portfolio of international residential, public, and commercial projects.

CHROFI’s approach is highly bespoke. In the case of Courtyard House, they sought to design a unique prefabricated dwelling underpinned by progressive values. The result is aesthetically striking, sustainable and functional. Captured in flexible living areas, indoor to outdoor connections, and a design that encourages a more engaged relationship to the land.

Courtyard House was awarded Commendations at the 2020 House Awards in the ‘Sustainability’ and ‘New House Under 200 m2’ categories, won the ‘Energy Efficiency’ category at the 2020 Master Builders Association Awards, and was shortlisted in the ‘Top nine best prefabs of 2020’ at the 2020 Dwell International Awards.

Sustainably at its core

Courtyard House is a compact dwelling that supports low impact living in a variety of settings.

Courtyard House is built with high-quality, environmentally friendly materials with ethically sourced Australian timber as its hero material. This includes the use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as the mass timber structural element, and hardwood timber products, for elements such as the external cladding and batten system, ventilation panel to the bedrooms and bathroom.

This is complemented by full height, double-glazed fixed glass panels to the living area and bedrooms and large aluminium sliding doors, which surround the courtyard and entry to the deck.

Passive design strategies have also been implemented throughout to ensure maximum comfort and efficiency. The courtyard and outdoor room mediate the Australian environment to provide ventilation and shade while extending the time that outdoor living can be enjoyed in comfort. Slender awnings sit above windows to shade the summer sun while ventilation panels open out to capture the breeze.

Courtyard House is available in an off-grid version. A water tank captures rainwater for re-use, a roof-mounted solar PV system with battery storage provides electricity for the home, while a bio-septic treatment system, treats waste and irrigates the house’s surrounding gardens. It also has a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) rating of 29.

Immaculate planning and layout

The interplay between the interior and exterior of Courtyard House is central to its layout, as is the relationship to the environment in which it sits.

Divided into two parallel wings – one is dedicated to living and the other to sleep. The entry sits alongside the sheltered courtyard, with a mudroom, for storing items, located to one side, before flowing into an open plan living area.

To one side of the room is the kitchen. Opposite this, the space can be extended, by sliding the doors open, to connect with the courtyard. The breezy dining and living area are bookended by a multi-purpose sheltered deck.

A flexible room, which could serve as a study, third bedroom or sitting room, sits between the living area and the sleeping area beyond. Two well-proportioned rooms with built-in rooms are found here, with a bathroom, equipped with a shower, toilet, basin, and storage slots, tucked between them.

Throughout the house, there are wide windows and large doors that can stack back to bring light, outlooks, and access to the outside. While a sliding screen in the courtyard can be opened out to connect the house to the landscape beyond or closed to create an intimate garden or provide respite from the elements.

Stay at Courtyard House

Experience the effortless luxury of Courtyard House for yourself with a short-term stay.

Our prototype has been installed on a scenic, private 60-acre block just out of the
town of Hawks Nest on the NSW Mid-North Coast, contact the owners via Airbnb to arrange your trip.

Want to learn more about Courtyard House? Contact us to request a brochure or more information.