‘Cliffhanger’ cleans up at Master Builders Awards

It is one of the first structures you see when driving up the Toowoomba Range and now this building has cemented its place as one of the city’s most iconic buildings.

The Cliffhanger was the standout entry at the 2022 Master Builder awards.

Four years ago the idea of spending several millions of dollars to build a home in Toowoomba would seem foolhardy.

While the city was a major centre, its real estate market was hamstrung by a small town mindset and that sort of outlay exposed the owners to a financial sinkhole.

But seemingly unending migration to the Darling Downs fuelled by the Covid pandemic and skyrocketing housing prices in the capital cities has transformed how builders, architects and owners spend their money.

Builder Stuart Valdal of Valdal Projects with the Cliffhanger. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Nowhere is this more evident than in ‘The Cliffhanger’.

The imposing concrete masterpiece at 1 Fletcher Street juts out above the Toowoomba Connection Road at Redwood, defying gravity and reshaping the city skyline.

On Friday, that home was named House of the Year at the 2022 Darling Downs and South West Master Builders Awards.

It also collected nine lesser awards, including best Individual Home over $2 million and Best Use of Sloping Sites.

Builder Stuart Valdal said the build showed how Toowoomba had changed.

The home drinks in views of the Lockyer Valley. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“In the past four years owners in Toowoomba have been prepared to spend upwards of $3 million on their house whereas before they were worried about over-capitalisation,” he said.

“What you can get in Toowoomba for $3 million compare to Sydney and Melbourne is pretty phenomenal.”

Mr Valdal and his wife Emily have built Valdal Projects from the ground up and together they specialise in high-end homes.

The Cliffhanger is a unique modern designed home on Fletcher Street.

“We are so fortunate in this building climate to have clients like we do,” he said.

“They are prepared to pay what it costs.”

The Cliffhanger started with an idea hatched by Brisbane architect Joe Adsett.

It has several unique features – the most obvious of which will be the 30m of continuous windows and doors with no structural blocking elements that run the length of the building, taking in uninterrupted views of the Lockyer Valley.

It was designed to take in and endure the climate of the Toowoomba Range, boasting a seven-bay garage, an infinity pool and an outdoor fireplace,

The Cliffhanger, by Valdal Projects, cleaned up at the 2022 Downs and Western Master Builders Housing and Construction Awards.

But the key feature is a 7m concrete cantilever which seemingly floats about the escarpment.

“It was a really rewarding and extremely difficult house to build on a difficult block,” Mr Valdal said.

“The design and engineering was very complex and it pushed the boundaries of what has been done and what could be done.

The home’s minimalist interior matched its brutal exterior.

“At its outermost point the cantilever sits 12.5m above the ground.”

To make it work Mr Valdal and his team erected platforms underneath the cantilever and slowly extended its reach.

“A lot of engineering went into the cantilever, the formwork and supporting it from underneath,” he said.

“It’s pretty special and such an iconic home for the city.

“It is the first thing you see when you come up the range.”