Garden House

The client’s purchased the site on a popular street in Avalon Beach, it was a typical ‘worst house on best street’ scenario. It is a modest sized site, with a classic fibro 1960s beach shack fronting the street. Quintessential of the past, a reminder of a time not so long ago when Avalon Beach was a quiet, remote & insular village renowned for its endemic tree canopy, koalas, sand dunes & surfing. Our clients remember it fondly. They asked us to keep the street character – to design them something that they wouldn’t see from the street !

We proposed a master-plan for the site to provide a 2+ bedroom cottage for the grandparents at the rear, and to alter & extend the existing bungalow to suit the young family of 5.

The site constraints included heavily regulated flood planning requirements & the need for ‘shelter in place’ for all 7 occupants. We navigated codes, consultants & council, proposed argument of precedent studies in the area & we gained approval for the scheme. We successfully challenged flood planning requirements to retain the existing dwelling’s floor level, and provided a roof turret / bedroom as a means to justify ‘shelter in place’. We also negotiated approval to build the secondary dwelling inside of the rear setback.

The existing bungalow was retained, stripped out & liberated to become the main living space fronting the social streetscape. We exposed the existing roof structure to provide a cathedral ceiling and increase spatial volume. The client drove the boho style – beach shack aesthetic, and so the building palette was deliberately kept restrained. We designed a rear extension with a beautifully composed roof turret structure – and as promised, all remains out of sight from the streetscape. The oasis is secretly hidden beyond!

The vertical turret structure literally hovers over a deep blue resort style pool, with roofs characteristic of an iconic Australian ‘Queenslander’ floating above.

It is climate responsive design, cross ventilated spaces, drawing cool breezes over water through large windows & upwards to cool the entire home.

We delicately added finesse & detailing to soften the forms, adding beautiful window awnings, textured & fluted window glazing, tapering edges & expressing rafter tails, collaborating with our client on her desire for old world charm in fittings & finishes.

The secondary dwelling is a simple beach cabin with tall raked ceilings to provide spaciousness for a small abode. We wanted the 2 homes with share a similar language, even though they differ in brief, ideas & living requirements. Simple & beautiful.

Most importantly, the pool and gardens are formulated as a central focus and oasis for both homes – Garden House. Given the development was pushed to its boundaries in order to fit the large programme, the ‘garden’ principle provides both homes with a private leafy outlook. A beautiful coastal garden with resort style pool so that they may come together as a greater family, or it is a natural sanctuary that acts to peacefully separate them.

It is a success story in so many ways, more than an architectural outcome…it pays tribute to what can be done when families pool their resources, and trust in the guidance of well considered design. Implementing strategies toward generations living together.

Some years later the children grew, they outgrew, they sold for a street record, both families capitalised, moving forward into the next great chapter of their lives. We are so grateful to be party to such a beautiful storey.