A beach house makes a grand statement at Little Austinmer beach north of Wollongong
A BEACH house makes a grand and this renovation transformed a tired eyesore into a home worthy of its beachside location north of Wollongong.
WHERE to look first? The magnificent coastline at Little Austinmer beach, north of Wollongong, or the impressive architectural building that lines its shore?
Both are striking and every bit as arresting, but that wasn’t always the case.
Architect Alexander Symes is responsible for transforming a two-storey eyesore in the pristine locale into a home that befits its seashore address.
To put it bluntly, Symes says his job involved an internal reconfiguration and external envelope upgrade of quite a drab old “early McMansion”.
From the onset, there were some very obvious shortcomings of the original home.
Aside from the uninspired facade, it was built to the maximum site setback, so it dominated the landscape.
The old property had a poor-performance thermal envelope, and inefficient to heat in winter and to cool in summer, while internal planning did not engage with the seaside outlook and landscape.
However, instead of knocking down and rebuilding, the decision was made to renovate.
The architect says the plan was to re-use as much as possible of the existing house to minimise the use of resources, and to improve the thermal performance of the building’s envelope by increasing the amount of light throughout the home.
Syme’s idea was to introduce landscape materials into the dwelling and create a central void that divides the house and creates a path for air to circulate through the dwelling.
Fortunately for him, he had an eager client on board with a trusted builder.
“The client had been designing his family’s dream home for quite some time and decided that Matt Jolley Builder was the right builder to help him make his dream a reality,’’ says Syme.
“I had recently completed another home the next beach down in Austinmer with Matt, and he suggested to the client that I be included in the team to fine tune the design and bring it in line with the client’s high expectations.”
There are several visual treats in this design, but the staircase is a standout.
“It’s a key feature of the entry and circulation throughout the house and it was crucial to get right,” says Syme.
“The final ‘Jenga stair’ (put together like a wooden puzzle) was the 17th stair design iteration. Previous iterations included a cantilever stair from the bluestone wall, a spiral stair that doubled as a slippery dip and a series of floating platforms.
“All were fun but the ‘Jenga’ stair was the design that the builder and the clients felt was the right outcome.
“ Ever since I was a kid I have loved playing Jenga and creating things that make people smile, so I’m very happy with the final result.”
Syme nominates the stairs as the most challenging element of the entire build, but well worth the effort.
The Little Austinmer home is still a work in progress, with stage one taking about 18 months to complete, but it’s nearly finished.
Some of the highlights of the renovation so far include a waterfall against the bluestone, of which Syme is particularly fond due to his interest in environmental architecture.
An extra-large reading window with an extraordinary view is another notable addition.
“This is a big, timber-framed window box that you can sit in and read a book while being distracted by the beautiful outlook of Little Austinmer beach.”
The facade of the original home was clearly dated. In turning the facade from boring to brilliant, the use of sustainable materials was foremost in the architect’s mind.
“A big driver for the selection of external materials was that they were robust in this coastal environment and minimised maintenance,” he says.
The window surrounds are made from painted, folded stainless steel and the retaining walls made from bluestone offcuts.
The external timber of the eaves complements the internal timber ceiling and are made from Prodema (a composite panel faced with a natural wood veneer), and the existing brick is clad with a rendered insulation system.
Syme says the plan was to create a warm interior with light bouncing around the interior spaces.
The main materials are a combination of recycled mixed hardwoods, high-gloss plywood and timbers.
To give the home a feeling of unity, indoor and out, Syme has used bluestone throughout, with the internal bridge above the staircase a good example of how this material has been used to marry the spaces.
Pictures Peter Hyatt
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