Coastal Dream
The owners of this beachside home in Corlette, Richard and Rachel, had already built six houses. This is their masterpiece and, they say, their ‘forever home’.
As you climb the beautiful, Blackbutt staircase to the main living area of this four bedroom family home you can’t help but feel on top of the world (in more ways than one!) Living high above the treetops with breathtaking ocean views this is the ultimate dream lifestyle. And this Corlette couple have made it their reality. The house sits high up on a steep slope in Corlette, overlooking the bay. The open plan layout, floor to ceiling windows, materials and colour scheme combine to create the coastal feel of the house. The spaceous kitchen, living/dining area and three of the bedrooms are on the upper level and enjoy breathtaking views that can’t be obstructed by any other build. “We often see dolphins when we are having a barbie on the balcony. They can put on quite the show, especially at dusk,” says Rachel, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She continues: “We had always wanted to build in this area. We used to holiday up here and my husband’s parents are locals. But it was more of a plan for when we retire. But then a golden opportunity presented itself, we grabbed it, and it was one of the best decisions we have ever made.”
Having built and lived in six homes before beginning this project, Richard and Rachel had a really good idea of what their forever home should look like. “We even knew who we wanted to build it,” adds Rachel. “We were familiar with various Bakker Homes projects and just love what they do and how they do it. So when Richard happened to drive by a Bakker Homes building site and saw Graeme (Bakker), he pulled over. They started talking and the rest is history.” “I want the clients to have as much input as possible into the design process,” says Graeme. He is a multi award winning, accredited building designer, yet is keen to engage in an active dialogue with clients making sure that every build is a perfect reflection of the client’s requirements and makes the best of every building site. Home owners Rachel and Richard couldn’t agree more: “The steep slope wasn’t easy to build on, but Graeme designed it so the back of the house is ground level while capturing the views of the bay from the front. He was extremely flexible so changing things was never a problem. His background as both a designer and builder made a huge difference.”
Read more in issue 93 of Hunter & Coastal Lifestyle Magazine
Story: Cornelia Schulze
Photography: Atelier Photography
