A combination of design innovation and creative ingenuity is reflected in this modern family home that connects beautifully with nature.
Words: Carrol Baker
Photography: Jack Lovel
Perched on the last remaining grassy vacant block in a subdivision, this remarkable family home captures the views beyond from deep within.
The homeowners, a couple with three grown-up children and three dogs, were looking for a dynamic home that connected them to the sea views and its sublime coastal location. The four-bedroom home has two living rooms, one has access to the garden, the other takes in the glorious views. There’s a generous kitchen with butler’s pantry that spills out to the leafy garden. There’s ample space for entertaining outside, with a complete outdoor kitchen and plunge pool.
The dwelling is constructed primarily from concrete and timber. Rebekah Clayton, director of Clayton Orszaczky, says the home is a celebration of natural materials. “Green design was at the forefront of decision making,” she explains. The sloping site offered an opportunity to build a connection between the home and green spaces that would embrace it.
Rebekah says one of the first decisions they made was to create a level “plinth” which they called the “garden plinth”, so the garden terraces could be directly accessed from the ground floor. “This plinth is retained around all sides and then there is a large buffer between the plinth and the boundaries which we filled with native plants endemic to the area,” she explains.
It’s a home that seeks to unify the built environment with its organic surrounds, and it does so with poise. The coastal setting inspired the decision to angle the building 25 degrees so it could take in the views. “The idea was that the dwelling could have some transparency so the view could be seen and felt from deep within the long plan,” shares Rebekah.
Large cantilevers protect the openings on the ground floor. Rebekah says the form of the building created a series of terraces. “We named them morning terrace, lunchtime terrace and afternoon terrace depending on their location and the time of day they would be enjoyed,” she says.
When deciding on finishes, a fully off-form concrete finish was considered, but it wouldn’t provide the waterproofing and thermal properties they wanted. Instead, they opted for a combination of blockwork and internal studwork, and micro cement render. “This age-old rendering technique provides a beautiful finish, but also offers a fully waterproof surface — perfect for bathrooms,” notes Rebekah.
The home has an innate feel of strength and intransience; it was built to last. “We wanted the home to feel warm, permanent, robust and protective,” says Rebekah. For her, the true triumph of this design is the views accessed from well within the floor plan. “We had placed ladders all over the site before we commenced designing, but seeing that moment in my head and then seeing it in reality was very special,” she reflects.
The home has good passive solar design. Windows are double-glazed; the walls are a combination of block and internal stud work. The entire upper floor is clad in a timber screen product by Abodo, a decision that Rebekah says didn’t help the budget, but the environmental gains were significant.
It’s made from New Zealand pine forest and cooked to break its cellular structure, becoming almost like a hardwood but lightweight. “The screen provides an added layer of insulation around the building and protects the internal skin from heat loss and gain,” she explains. “Cladding the house in Abodo was a leap of faith to test a new material — one which serves as a benchmark for how we should grow, supply, modify, and ultimately install timber on our buildings.”
For Rebekah and the team, one of the most memorable moments was on the day the large timber screen was installed. It was a windy day and the screen started rolling forward out onto the street. “The guys hadn’t yet put the block in that stops the screen; luckily the head contractor was quick on his feet and it was rolled back and fixed in place,” she recalls with a laugh.
Details:
House: Gerringong House
Location: Gerringong, NSW
Initial budget: $3 million
Final cost: $4 million
Date commenced: September 2020
Date completed: December 2023
Project team
Architect Clayton Orszaczky
Builder Saltbox Building Co
Landscape architect Tanya Wood Landscape Architecture
Structural team
Structural engineer SDA Structures
Hydraulic engineer ITM Design
Fixtures & Fittings
Joiner DSK Kitchen & Cabinets
Tapware Astra Walker
Appliances Miele; Electrolux
Doors Vitrocsa
Door hardware Designer Doorware
Furniture & Furnishings
Interior designer soft furnishings Atelier Alwill
Curtains and blinds Simple Studio