The Petrie Terrace house took out the award for the best use of a small site at the Master Builders Brisbane awards.

Brisbane’s best houses: How a tiny City block became a prize winning property

Andrea Macleod

3 min read·July 16, 2019 - 12:00PM

Quest Newspapers

The house that now stands on this little block, in one of Brisbane’s smallest suburbs, not only nabbed a building industry top award but its construction caught the eye of the much loved Grand Designs architectural series.

Built and owned by fourth-generation builder Alan Newitt, the house KARINYA, in Sexton St, Petrie Terrace won the Best Use of Small Sites in last month’s Master Builders Brisbane Housing and Construction Awards.

With four levels on just 162 m2 and looking like a classic renovation of a heritage house, it’s easy to see why.

Inside the attic during the build. Photo: supplied.

The attic retreat on the fourth level is a perfect hideaway with its own bathroom and views over the historic Brisbane suburb. Photo: supplied.

The land, once destined to be part of the Hale Street ring road, momentarily touted as a public park and then owned by former Chief Justice Timothy Carmody, was accidentally picked up in 2015 at an auction Mr Newitt had never intended to attend let alone bid at.

He only turned into the narrow street out of curiosity but then fate took over and instead of walking away, a two year journey to create KARINYA began.

Spanning over four floors and nestled between the Caxton Street precinct and Suncorp Stadium, the home has been a labour of love - “a real passion”.

It was Mr Newitt’s commitment to the design and modelling the new home on one of the suburbs’ most beautiful heritage properties in neighbouring Mountjoy Street that garnered the interest of the Grand Designs team.

Brisbane builder Alan Newitt’s Petrie Terrace House KARINYA demonstrates a love of the local history. Photo: Andrea Macleod

“People think it’s an old house,” Mr Newitt said.

From passers-by to artists stopping by to paint the house, Mr Newitt said interest in the heritage look of the house was the highest reward.

Every effort was made to keep the house sympathetic to the suburb.

“It’s very traditional and it’s done to the very best level,” Mr Newitt said.

“There was no time limit or costing on it so I just kept going - we were actually on it for a year and 47 days so I was very happy to win an award for this property.”

Designed in conjunction with Focus Architecture and Denis Mullins of Mullins Designs Architects, Mr Newitt said creating synergy and flow between old and new was key to the end product.

“I’m very traditional,” he said.

“I love the idea of history, of wondering who has lived in a property. And I wanted this house one day to be a landmark property and I think it is in that category because it is very well built. It’s not the sort of area where it will get bulldozed.”

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Heated floors are just one feature of the classic bathroom. Photo: supplied

While the exterior is a stunning fit with neighbouring cottages, the interior has all the hallmarks of modern design and cutting edge technologies.

The fully integrated smart home can answer to your every need remotely, from turning on lights and lowering the blinds, to setting the temperature control.

The house features a buttler’s pantry, solar panels, electric fireplace, 400 bottle wine cellar, electric car charging points, heated flooring, a panic room, hidden cubby holes and custom made fittings and fixtures lovingly designed by Mr Newitt.

Months of research went in to creating the design for the wine cellar with its vaulted ceiling and handcrafted wine racks also built by Mr Newitt.

There are even little touches like lighting fixtures designed to look weathered over time.

Then there’s the four bedrooms, a study and a fifth retreat on the ground level which has the potential to be turned into a stand alone area complete with plumbing for a kitchen.

“I’m pretty proud of it,” Mr Newitt said.

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KARINYA taking shape during the build. Photo: supplied

Petrie Terrace House complete. Photo supplied.

Despite having a two street frontage, the 162 m2 site was not without its difficulties.

“The land size is very small. We had to do a massive cut so initially we took out 600 cubic metres of dirt,” he said.

“We had to have massive street blockages and road closures. The issue was also getting things on site.”

Mr Newitt is the first to say the build would never have gone so smoothly without the support of incredible neighbours.

From giving him their car keys to move vehicles as trucks came and went, to storing building equipment and supplies on their properties, he says as much as he loves KARINYA, “the neighbours are the reason you would want to live here”.

“They said put your stuff on our land. We had to cut a heap of one neighbour’s land away and it was no problem. We repatriated it for them with vege gardens.

“It’s a community.”

The property is now on the market selling through Ray White Spring Hill.