Fund a house for wildlife alongside every home you create for people.
Every project leaves a footprint. A mark on the land.
A change to habitat.
Wild Houses is about balance. For every home built for people, a wild house is funded for wildlife.
Not an offset. Not instead of nature.
But as shelter while nature recovers.
You already build houses.
Build one more - for wildlife.
for architects, designers, builders and developers.
Wild Houses is a one-to-one pledge
If we can build thousands of houses for people each year,
founding Wild Houses Partners.
These partners have formally committed to the 2025-2026 pledge year.
Verified delivery will be reported at EOFY.
Thank you to the businesses and individuals who funded the first Wild Houses in response to the 2026 fires.
Breathe Architecture
MVH Constructions
Carland Constructions
Sanctum Homes
Maxa Design
Alwyn Projects
Outlier Studio
Hone Built
Hazelwood Homes
Ben Callery Architects
Wilderness Building Co
Studio Perspective ‘
Marketing Perspective
Sanford Build
Living Future Oceania
Green Hills Farm
Hove Design
Bernie Everett Building
Sustainable Homes Melbourne
Middle Ground
Potager Designs
Warner Conveyancing & Legal
Crafted Hardwoods
Uppercase magazine
Green Hills Farm
+another handful of kind individuals
Tap or scroll to move images
Nature is wildlife’s real home.
But when habitat is lost - through fire, clearing or development - wildlife need somewhere safe to shelter.
Wild Houses is how the housing industry steps in: one home built for people, one house funded for wildlife.
What counts as a “house”?
Wild Houses fund man-made shelter for wildlife.
This currently includes nest boxes for birds, bats and gliders.
Over time, this will expand to include native bee hotels, insect hotels, habitat pods and artificial hollows
These structures have been chosen because they can be designed, manufactured and supplied at scale, using established, commercial processes.
Less structured habitat, such as log piles or brush, can also support wildlife, but is not easily produced or deployed through a commercial model.
Wild Houses focuses on shelter that can be made, counted and installed reliably. They are practical to deliver, targeted to species, and guided by ecological expertise.
What does a pledge cost?
Each Wild House costs $400 to supply and install.
This includes:
the nest box itself (made by a specialist makers, experts on
habitat for native species)site assessment by a local conservation group
coordination with landowners
safe, professional installation in the tree
This is not a donation to an idea.
It funds a physical house, installed where it’s needed.
Oh, and it’s tax-deductible.
Calculator
Use this to estimate your pledge based on the number of units you expect to complete this year.
Estimated number of units this year
Pledge amount: $0
How it works.
PLEDGE
The Wild Houses pledge is simple.
You choose a one-to-one unit that matches your work.
For example:
builders: one wildlife house per home built
apartment projects: one wildlife house per apartment built
architects: one wildlife house per project or dwelling designed
developers: one wildlife house per lot, stage or completed dwelling
landscape designers: one wildlife house per garden or project delivered
Manufacturers: per x number of products supplied
The principle stays the same.
Only the unit changes.
One project. One house for wildlife.
DELIVER
Wild Houses works on a financial year cycle.
Pledge during the year
Reconcile at end of financial year
Fund based on what you actually delivered
This keeps it realistic, measurable and accountable.
Just like the projects you deliver.
DEPLOY
Funds raised through Wild Houses are directed to trusted on-the-ground conservation partners.
From there, wildlife houses are commissioned from specialist makers and installed in locations identified through ecological advice and on-ground coordination.
Your pledge funds a nest box that is assessed, installed and in place - not left sitting in a shed.
The built environment delivers homes for people. Wild Houses ensures wildlife gets one too.
Funds are allocated solely to Wild Houses outcomes. Verified delivery will be reported annually.
Impact you can count.
Wild Houses is designed to be simple to measure and easy to report. One house built. One house funded for wildlife.
That clarity makes it straightforward to include in:
annual reports
sustainability reporting
impact summaries
internal targets
There are no complex metrics, and no abstract claims.
Just a clear number that reflects real action.
At end of financial year, you know exactly what you’ve delivered.
Wild Houses complements existing work on energy, carbon and materials. It adds a tangible biodiversity action that sits alongside the homes you already build, without adding complexity to your workflow.
A number your business already tracks,
turned into measurable impact for nature. -
Why this matters.
The built environment is one of the most powerful forces shaping land in Australia. It decides where homes go. What trees remain. And what shelter is lost.
Natural hollows take decades, sometimes centuries, to form. When they disappear, wildlife doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for systems to catch up.
For an industry that plans, designs and builds with intention, this creates a clear responsibility.
Wild Houses is not about offsetting impact. And it’s not about replacing nature.
It’s about acknowledging what’s lost in the process of building, and acting on it in a way that is practical, measurable and shared.
Providing shelter while nature recovers.
And making that responsibility part of how we build.
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Wild Houses is for architects, builders designers, developers and manufacturers who want a simple, credible way to fund shelter for wildlife alongside the homes they create for people.
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Tree hollows are essential shelter for wildlife.
More than 300 native species in Australia rely on tree hollows for nesting, roosting or raising young, including:
114 species of native birds
83 species of native mammals, such as bats, possums and gliders
79 species of reptiles and 27 species of amphibians
When hollow-bearing trees are lost, that shelter disappears instantly, while replacement can take decades or longer.
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A one-to-one pledge.
For every unit of work you complete, you fund a house for wildlife.
The unit is flexible and chosen by you.
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At end of financial year, based on what you actually delivered.
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For the 2025 - 2026 financial year, funds will be directed to a registered conservation partner and will be tax deductible.
Longer term, the structure is still being finalised. From FY 2026 - 2027, Wild Houses may continue to channel funds through an established non-profit partner, may become a non-profit itself, or may operate as a standalone program without tax deductibility.
As Wild Houses is designed primarily for architects, designers, builders and developers, pledges would typically be claimable as a business expense. Businesses should confirm their specific circumstances with their accountant.
For individuals seeking tax deductibility, we will continue to provide a pathway to donate directly to our conservation partner.
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For FY 26-27, the funds will go directly to a registered non-profit partner, and will be set aside specifically for Wild Houses.
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Wild Houses will track and report:
how many houses are funded
what type they are
when they are delivered
Impact will be reported once houses have been funded and delivered, with updates shared periodically and summarised at key points such as end of financial year.
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We are starting with nest boxes.
Future additions may include native bee hotels, insect hotels, habitat pods and artificial hollows.
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Wild Houses works with non-profit and on-the-ground conservation partners to identify and prioritise projects.
The program operates on a project-by-project basis. As pledges build over the year, houses for wildlife may be deployed in different locations across the state or country, depending on where they are most needed at the time.
No matter the location, the priority remains the same: to place wildlife housing where it will have the greatest ecological impact.
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Once a project location is identified, local conservation groups guide the detail.
This includes:
which species are most in need
what type of houses are appropriate
where they should be placed
and how installation is carried out
These decisions are made in consultation with landowners and ecologists, based on local conditions and species requirements.
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Yes, requests can be submitted.
Wild Houses may work with:
conservation groups and non-profits seeking support for a specific project
land managers or organisations with identified habitat needs
businesses that want to fund houses for wildlife as part of a specific project or site
All requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis, guided by ecological advice, available funding and overall program priorities.
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Yes, once your pledge has been fulfilled and funding delivered.
Verified partners are listed publicly.
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Yes.
Businesses funding above certain thresholds will be offered additional engagement opportunities such as facilitated workshops or team experiences.
More details to come.
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No.
Wild Houses operates year-round.
Disaster response is one mode, not the whole purpose.
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No.
Wild Houses are not a direct offset for biodiversity or habitat loss. They support net biodiversity gain by providing shelter where it’s missing and contributing to recovery alongside other conservation actions, including global goals like 30 x 30.
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Yes.
While Wild Houses is designed primarily for businesses in the built environment, individuals are welcome to pledge one or multiple Wild Houses at any time of the year.
Some people choose to fund a house for wildlife:
as a personal commitment
on behalf of a completed home or renovation
or simply because they want to support wildlife recovery
Individual pledges support the same outcomes, with funds going to an on-the-ground-partner and houses delivered where shelter is needed.
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Wild Houses was founded by Marnie Hawson, a former environmental scientist turned photographer working with architects, builders and developers across Australia.
Through her photography practice, she focuses exclusively on sustainable architecture, green infrastructure and regenerative landscapes - projects that tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and deliver housing that’s good for people and planet.
Marnie is a Certified B Corp, carbon neutral, and a 1% for the Planet member. Her second venture, Business of Biodiversity, helps built environment businesses take practical action for nature beyond carbon.
Wild Houses brings these strands together - linking housing, accountability and biodiversity through measurable action.
P.S. Fun fact: Marnie has a zoology honours degree studying sexually transmitted diseases in birds.
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Wild Houses was started to address a simple gap: while the housing industry is very good at counting the homes it builds for people, it has fewer ways to account for the shelter wildlife loses along the way.
Working closely with architects, builders and developers, Marnie saw firsthand how housing shapes land, habitat and outcomes for nature.
Wild Houses grew from a straightforward idea: if houses for people can be counted, houses for wildlife can be counted too - making responsibility for shelter practical, measurable and shared.
