A night to remember

When a superstorm hit Newcastle in April 2015 the damage was severe and Penton and Glenn’s Tighes Hill cottage was beyond salvage. However, months later they turned disaster into an opportunity, rebuilding their home to take advantage of its great location. 

Glenn was away on business and Penton was alone in the old miner’s cottage that had been his family home for 80 years when the storm hit. Quickly it became clear that something out of the ordinary was happening. With its hilltop position and metal roof, their home was the perfect target for the storm’s devastating power. Despite the State Emergency Service’s best efforts, the roof was blown off, bypassing the pool in front of the house and landing on the street. The water damage was extensive and a complete knock down and rebuild was the only viable solution. “Pretty early on we decided to build a project home,” says Glenn. We both work full time and, as a flight attendant, I travel a lot. We wanted to minimise the stress that comes with building a house and started looking at lots of display homes. I was actually alone when I walked into Rawson’s “Edge” display home and it hit me right away. This was the only home we’d seen where everything was just right: the finishes, the design, there was nothing we didn’t like. Plus, Rawson was extremely flexible and every single one of our change requests has been incorporated.”

Read more in issue 94 of Hunter&Coastal Lifestyle Magazine Story by Cornelia Schulze, photography by Joshua Hogan