It was the heavenly ocean views that convinced Jane and Rob to buy a run-down old home and turn it into a beautiful Australian-style beach house.
Janne and Rob weren’t really in the market for a house when visiting family and friends in the northern Sydney suburb of Palm Beach in December 2006. But before flying back to Asia, where they were based, they happened to drive past an ocean-side property that was for sale and decided to take a look inside.
“The poor little house was in terrible shape,” Jane remembers. “Rotting water-damaged walls, rusted pipes coming through walls, ancient plumbing that didn’t work, a crumbling roof with open holes you could see through, a garage that was toppling over, major foundation issues, major cracks in structural walls, windows so warped they didn’t fit their frames and hadn’t budged in years, and at some stage someone had painted the floorboards white which had partially worn away – I could go on forever!”
But the 180-degree water views of gorgeous white sandy beaches stretching into an endless blue ocean took Jane and Rob’s breath away, and that same afternoon they made an offer, signed the contract, and the house was theirs.
A SOLID FOUNDATION
As the house itself seemed unsalvageable, Jane and Rob assumed they’d demolish it and start anew. But over time, as they started to get to know the odd little home, they fell in love with some of its unusual elements – such as the sandstone foundations that formed the lower half of the house. “The stone was quarried from our block and the beautiful Hawkesbury sandstone was cut by hand into irregular pieces that miraculously fit together like a jigsaw,” Jane explains. “Big bits, small bits; it’s amazing the amount of work that went into building it. I thought, ‘no one will ever build like this again, what a shame to knock it all down’.” The beautiful floorboards were also saved, as were some twin glass doors.
So after a lot of discussion, Jane and Rob decided to renovate the home – which they started calling ‘Norma House’, after the road it was on – and return it to its former grandeur but add modern functionality and practical, spacious living spaces.
“We wanted to create something that was timeless and classic, reminiscent of the home’s past and the history of Palm Beach,” says Jane. “A very Australian house – nothing inspired by Spain or Italy or France – which reflected our own beautiful country. We wanted a very comfortable, welcoming home that was sophisticated and adult, where we could enjoy the serenity or entertain large groups of family and friends.” And of course, they were determined to showcase those beautiful views.
INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES
The living areas and kitchen were small and cramped and the existing balcony was practically standing-room-only, so with builder/manager James Davidson of Jaylo Property overseeing the project, they gutted the room, lifted the ceilings to add extra height, removed the entire ocean-facing wall and built new outside decks.
To optimise the views Jane and Rob replaced the ocean-facing wall with timber and glass bi-fold doors, making the room seamless with the upper decks and creating the effect of one large serene area with plenty of areas for relaxing and enjoying the spectacular vistas. “The living space interacts with the views and seemingly brings the water into the house,” says Jane. “I love how even on the coldest winter day you can snuggle up on the lounge or at the dining table and enjoy the change of the ocean every minute of the day and practically reach out to touch it.” and atmosphere both inside and outside the house, Jane realised some innovative design techniques would be needed. She devised a basic program in Microsoft Excel that showed her various potential layouts for the decks, enabling her to determine the dimensions that would maximise deck space without compromising the ocean views from key places in the house.
“We split the upper and lower balconies into two levels – so we had a total of four decks,” she says. “The result was a tiered effect that gave us the space we needed, but without obstructing any of the ocean views from inside the house, such as when sitting on the sofa in the living room or the armchairs in the cellar.”
JANE AND ROB’S TOP TIPS FOR RENOVATING AND DECORATING
■ Before you start, think long and hard about the look you want to achieve, then establish your style and stick with it throughout the entire house, giving it an identity.
■ Speak with friends and family who have built or renovated for any recommendations or referrals of tradespeople they have used.
■ When you know exactly what you want, don’t let anyone talk you out of it. You’re the one who has to live in the house, so trust your gut instincts and stick to your guns.
■ Don’t overbuild. Think about how you live, what your family and lifestyle requirements are and build or renovate accordingly. Building a big house with unused rooms won’t guarantee an amazing home.
Story by Katy Scott
Photography by Tony Potter
Styling by Kirstin Randl-Katalinic