Living in the ’70s: Reinventing a Bayview beach house

Living in the ’70s was defined by Skyhooks, cheap fuel and homes with open-plan living, but a Bayview beach house missed out on that last key attribute.

While a few features of the 1970s house overlooking Pittwater – its timber beams and concrete walls – were retained in the renovation, it has essentially been stripped out and made new, literally a shell of its former self.

The original beach house was well sited on the crest of a hill in Sydney’s northern beaches, but inside it didn’t work for the couple who own it, and their three teenage children.

“It was the perfect spot to create a new open-plan kitchen and living area,” said architect Matthew Woodward.Credit:

“The house had great ‘bones’ but it lacked certain spaces, including separate guest accommodation, as well as only having an external staircase between the two levels,” says architect Matthew Woodward, principle of Woodward Architects.

“There was also no real point of arrival, something that was missing after climbing the steep staggered driveway.”

The house’s lower level was subterranean. Its reduced headspace made it fit only for storage. And although the deck added by the present owners was ideally positioned above what was once the carport, it could be used only in good weather.

“It was the perfect spot to create a new open-plan kitchen and living area,” says Woodward, who was also keen to address the home’s exterior presentation.

Woodward and his team reclad the brick and timber house using a combination of timbers, including recycled blackbutt for a garage door. New timber-battened screens form the exterior to the new open-plan kitchen and living areas on the top floor.

Woodward and his team re-clad the brick and timber house using a combination of timbers, including recycled blackbutt.Credit:

A formalised entry, with floating timber treads framed by louvred glass windows, also creates a sense of arrival, both for this first-floor living area and what’s now the guest suite below.

“We had to excavate to increase these ceiling heights,” says Woodward, pointing out the new burnished concrete floor that now extends across the lower level, including the garage.

The ground level has been completely reworked, with a guest suite that includes a kitchenette for extended stays by family and friends, together with a garage that also benefits from having sliding timber shutters allowing direct access to the back garden and its swimming pool.

“The garage was also conceived for when the family entertains on a larger scale, with the overflow of guests spilling out to the garden,” says Woodward.

The kitchen, dining and living area directly above, occupying a prized position, is completely new. It features large sliding doors that lead to a terrace. A cantilevered timber ceiling extends to the terrace to ensure the outdoors can be used in all seasons.

Instead of the poorly located rudimentary ’70s laminate kitchen, the new kitchen, with in-situ concrete bench and brushed rough-sawn timber floors, now occupies pride of place and it has views towards Lion Island.

“We were always mindful of where the views needed to be directed as much as where privacy from neighbours was required,” says Woodward, pointing out the external timber screens.

Privacy was also addressed in the main bedroom, adjacent to the living areas, which is thoughtfully separated by screens and its own balcony. “It was conceived so that it could be easily opened up or configured for more privacy,” says Woodward.

“We worked with what we inherited,” says Woodward, who made use of a triple-brick wall at ground level to create a new built-in bench seat upon arrival. “But we haven’t really extended the home’s footprint, apart from enclosing what was formerly the outdoor deck.”

The Bayview Tree House, about 300 square metres in area, still has four bedrooms, including the main suite. There’s now also a fully contained guest suite, complete with its own entrance.

And best of all, the owners don’t need to go outside to traverse between the two levels. “We wanted to retain the essence of the original house, but it’s obviously now more than a beach house,” Woodward says.

“It’s a permanent home for a family who enjoy entertaining.”

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