Lakeside living doesn’t get any better than this Seaside sparkler
It was a spur-of-the-moment purchase that helped to shift the lives of these two international travel agents from Sydney in a new direction.
It was a spur-of-the-moment purchase that helped to shift the Symingtons’ lives in a new direction.
Mel and Carl travelled together for 10 years as international travel agents. On one of their many trips, Mel picked up a book on the masterplanned homes built in the Florida Coast village of Seaside.
“I just loved the architectural style and very little of that style was being designed in Australia at the time,” Mel said
After giving up life in the air and welcoming their twins, they settled down into the Sydney Central Coast town of Gwandalan, on the edge of Lake Macquarie, with a dream of making a home just like the ones in that book.
The couple eventually purchased a tiny one-bedroom original cottage the same day it was listed back in 2003. It still lives today within the bones of the new home. It helped immensely that Mel’s father was a builder, but even he was a little sceptical about some of the design aspects.
“He pushed back quite strongly on the 40-degree pitched roof,” she said.
“He did eventually agree that the pitch was an essential part of the design but he likes to remind me that some of the rafters required five cuts!”
The five-bedroom home captures the charm of Hampton-style living, with the building orientated to the back of the block in order to make the most of the views out along the lake.
One of the hardest tasks was picking the right colour to paint the home. They knew they wanted bold but of all the shades they could have chosen, “skyscraper” was the winner.
“I said I can’t paint this beautiful house and paint colour that’s called skyscraper that seems wrong,” Mel laughed.
Despite the name, the colour has proven a hit with not only the adults, but kids as well. “Do you remember a show called Bear in the Big Blue House?” Carl asked, referring to the Disney program which ran from 1997 to 2006.
“I can’t tell you how many people and their children walking by on the reserve would call out ‘that’s the bears house’.
“They would run up the stairs on the reserve before their parents could catch them calling out for the bear.”
Mel laughed: “I’d forgotten about the little one that got right to the top of the stairs.”
After all these years, they have their routines. Carl starts the day with a walk along the lakefront with their dog Marley, mostly to give Mel space to read the paper accompanied by a pot of tea and toast in the dining room window seat. Relaxing on a balcony overlooking the water, little hot air balloons painted by their daughter dance in the salty breeze.
But now the Symingtons are hoping their happy routine will be getting a shake-up. They are selling their Gwandalan home overlooking the water with The Agency – Central Coast agent Ron Coleman. The home has a guide of $2.5m.
“Our son and daughter are in the process of purchasing their first homes with their partners so the empty nest concept got us thinking about a new challenge and adventure,” Mel said.
“This will be a very difficult home to leave but we feel blessed to have raised our family here.”
Not only did the couple build their home in the Seaside style, Mel went on to make it her calling. She started her business Seaside Home Design, designing award-winning homes in the same style for others.
The couple also made the unorthodox move prior to the pandemic to fit the home with an elaborate home office that can double as a guesthouse.
It was designed to feel like a carriage house with north-facing water views.
The couple are looking to downsize, with Carl hoping to move into landscape design.
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