When you walk through the front door of this stunning Alexandra Headland residence you are feel as though you are floating through spectacular ocean and hinterland vistas. The sky, no matter its mood, serves as a backdrop to the iconic Glass House Mountains and sparkling Pacific Ocean. Capturing this beauty was no mean feat – the high elevation and the steep slope presented its challenges to our design and building team. The Owners worked closely with the Murphy Homes inhouse design team to achieve the “best views possible” and to “maximise the usability” of the site…..and indeed, they did.
The house has all the mod cons and features a large 10kw solar system, Tesla electric car charger, rainwater harvesting, LED’s throughout and increased wall and ceiling insulation to aid in energy efficiency and noise control between levels. The block has fully water reticulated landscaping – this is from the feature gardens at the top of the block, right through the veggie gardens and riverbed feature and to the fruit grove at the bottom of the block. In essence, low maintenance materials and colours were selected to ensure the longevity and ease of maintenance of the home.
The home boasts a modern façade creating immediate streetscape interest. An array of materials were incorporated into the façade to maintain visual curiosity. A two storey feature external ‘blade wall’ is the focal point of the façade subconsciously drawing the occupant to the entrance of the home. A client favorite, the iconic entry arbor arches over ironbark decking and is surrounded by landscaping as it guides you to the entry gallery. The home features four spacious bedrooms all of which have purposefully positioned windows to ensure each room captures magnificent ocean and hinterland views providing the home with an overall of viewport of 270 degrees. Many design principles have been implemented into the home to improve overall livability and accessibility. The four levels are broken up with short flights of stairs to improve accessibility and flush thresholds have been implemented into the design where possible.
Along the eastern boundary, a long trail of ironbark floating timber steps taper down the natural contour of the site, arriving at flat turfed area for kids playtime, along with a parents retreat firepit area. The innovation within this home can be identified through materials, functionality and construction techniques. Fingerprint resistant materials and a 60mm thick Aureastone island bench have been utilized in the kitchen to create instant ‘wow’ factor. The home features a large practical kitchen layout with energy efficient integrated appliances for a seamless finish.
The open plan living area is located in the heart of the home on the middle level for easy accessibility from the entry and ground level. The home also features a pool retreat on the northern end of the site capitalising on the solar aspect to ensure the pool requires minimal heating during cooler months. A secondary outdoor balcony off the main living space is directly adjacent to the pool so that the occupants can have close visual surveillance and interaction with the pool area, and enjoy the warmth offered from this space during winter.
From a construction perspective, the house was designed very sensitively around the site constraints. The design provided for a cost-effective balance of minimal cut/fill, concrete slabs, suspended timber flooring and split levels. Being on a very sloping site it was challenging to fit a two storey home below the height limit. By having four levels that taper down, the site allowed the home to sit below the height restrictions, while still capitalizing on the block and surrounding views.
The workmanship of this build was second to none. The home is upmarket with a high level of intricacy and finishes requiring good attention to detail and a skilled level of overall craftmanship. Due to the non-conventional construction methods on a difficult site, this required very close supervision. Skilled and experienced trades were required to execute the design and achieve the clients’ desired outcomes and Murphy Homes selected one of their own commercial Site Managers with excellent technical abilities to manage same.
Now complete and a hive of family activity, this beautiful custom home has fulfilled our client’s wish list, and they are truly delighted with the outcome. For this build, and as always, the Murphy Homes team has delivered a quality home on time and within budget, standing by our ethos as a family company building for Australian families.
