In this quiet street at the end of a peaceful cul-de-sac in the hills of Terrigal, you will find our latest newly built custom architectural home. It presented some challenges straight from the start. The land is classified as a landslip site by the Geotechnical engineer, this meant all of the footings and piers had to be socketed into the rock which required heavy earthmoving machinery accessing a very difficult site. The site was very steep and rocky with the gradient exceeding 45 degrees in places. This provided a very difficult set-out and sub-floor frame construction.

To add to this there was a three and a half metre excavation on the roadside boundary. Innovative engineering and the latest construction methods and materials were used throughout the build. Constantly changing requirements by the engineering caused by site conditions and plan changes meant the works at hand were constantly being updated from week to week.

Constant changing sub-surface ground conditions meant that the geotechnical engineering requirements constantly changed as well from what was initially planned to make adaption on the fly a must.

The pool itself was an engineering and construction fete. It is partly carved into the rock and partly formed and socketed into rock due to the extreme downward slope of the site, this was all done with oversized earthmoving equipment on a small site with very limited access.

We sourced the latest technology and materials in posts and floor bracing systems. They were utilized to achieve a structurally sound, cost-effective substructure.

Building the home was constantly changing with owner requirements and plan changes. As with every project, we work with the owners to get them exactly what they were after. This is not often realized on plans and when opportunities present themselves the owners were more than ready to explore them.

The house is a 4 bedroom home with a rumpus room, spacious kitchen complete with huge butler’s pantry. The kitchen is adjacent to the large luxurious living area that opens up to, on one side and outdoor balcony, with a remote-controlled operable louvred roof that looks through the treetops, making you feel you are in a treehouse. The other side of the home opens up to the expansive deck featuring the pool. The whole top floor can be opened up from inside to out through the large sliding stacking doors on both sides, making a large open entertaining space.

The use of timber both inside and out provides a warm and luxurious feel, the living room features a centrepiece fireplace that is encased in rock from floor to the very high raked ceiling with the adjacent custom wall-hung cabinetry with stone top. All the flooring is wide board spotted gum and looks amazing.

There are three bathrooms and it is evident the thought that has gone into materials and set out. A mix of natural stone and porcelain tiles have been used and the quality of workmanship is second to none. Concealed cisterns on the toilets and wall hung vanities provide an openness, a feeling of space in a relatively small area. The addition of underfloor heating provides warmth on chilly winter mornings.

The owners were so happy the day we handed over the keys and they could move in. For us, to get such positive feedback and seeing the excitement of the clients on one of our builds makes all the passion we put into it worthwhile.

Photography: Greg Rivers - Clixar