Buttaba House 1
LAP OF LUXURY
Author: JODI VIAL
Date: 12/11/2011
Publication: Newcastle Herald
Section: Weekender - extract
The owners of this stunning lakeside home did not need the raft of housing industry accolades it has collected to know that it's something special.
The owners of this tri-level lakeside home at Buttaba could probably come up with more than a million reasons why they love spending time in it - one for every dollar it cost to build.
After a two-year construction process, the 1000-square-metre site hasn't retained much of its original appearance. But the one thing that hasn't changed is the priceless view of Lake Macquarie, which is what drew the family to the area eight years ago.
"I was looking at getting a place on the water," the Sydney-based owner says.
"A friend suggested looking around Lake Macquarie, and this place came up."
"This place", at the time, was an old house that served the couple and their adult children admirably as a weekender for six years before work began on the expansive residence that now graces the site.
"There were a lot of challenges," the owner says of the building process.
As a civil contractor, he experienced one of the first challenges when excavating the site, finding tonnes of sandstone and conglomerate rock that took him six weeks to move. Most was relocated to another building site at Kilaben Bay.
All the hard work has paid off now, almost 12 months after the owners moved in, with the property named last month as the Housing Industry Association's 2011 Hunter Home of the Year, best custom-built home over $1 million and overall custom-built home of the year. The Master Builders Association also bestowed the award for contract homes between $1.5 million and $2 million on the property in its 2011 Excellence in Housing awards.
Designed by Central Coast architect Paul Zaia and built by McGowan Building Services Pty Ltd, the Buttaba property's environmentally sensitive design was commended by the Australian Institute of Architects in its 2011 awards.
Part of the home's appeal is the ability for the owners to open the indoors out through the use of bifold doors and louvres. All three levels open onto decks, with the top floor housing a kitchen and lounge area that adjoins a three-metre-wide deck. The owner says this area is probably the most utilised during the winter months, with the house's block construction and the large expanses of thermal glass trapping heat and providing a comfortable warmth even on the coldest days.
The second floor houses three bedrooms, including the luxurious master suite, while a guest room and en suite are on the ground floor, opening onto a deck and leading to a boatshed, which is home to the owners' 5.5-metre speedboat should the urge strike for a fishing trip or lunch at the yacht club.
The summer is generally spent around the barbecue or relaxing in any one of several perfect spots to enjoy the fantastic views of a secluded bay.
Buttaba House 1
LAP OF LUXURY
Author: JODI VIAL
Date: 12/11/2011
Publication: Newcastle Herald
Section: Weekender - extract
The owners of this stunning lakeside home did not need the raft of housing industry accolades it has collected to know that it's something special.
The owners of this tri-level lakeside home at Buttaba could probably come up with more than a million reasons why they love spending time in it - one for every dollar it cost to build.
After a two-year construction process, the 1000-square-metre site hasn't retained much of its original appearance. But the one thing that hasn't changed is the priceless view of Lake Macquarie, which is what drew the family to the area eight years ago.
"I was looking at getting a place on the water," the Sydney-based owner says.
"A friend suggested looking around Lake Macquarie, and this place came up."
"This place", at the time, was an old house that served the couple and their adult children admirably as a weekender for six years before work began on the expansive residence that now graces the site.
"There were a lot of challenges," the owner says of the building process.
As a civil contractor, he experienced one of the first challenges when excavating the site, finding tonnes of sandstone and conglomerate rock that took him six weeks to move. Most was relocated to another building site at Kilaben Bay.
All the hard work has paid off now, almost 12 months after the owners moved in, with the property named last month as the Housing Industry Association's 2011 Hunter Home of the Year, best custom-built home over $1 million and overall custom-built home of the year. The Master Builders Association also bestowed the award for contract homes between $1.5 million and $2 million on the property in its 2011 Excellence in Housing awards.
Designed by Central Coast architect Paul Zaia and built by McGowan Building Services Pty Ltd, the Buttaba property's environmentally sensitive design was commended by the Australian Institute of Architects in its 2011 awards.
Part of the home's appeal is the ability for the owners to open the indoors out through the use of bifold doors and louvres. All three levels open onto decks, with the top floor housing a kitchen and lounge area that adjoins a three-metre-wide deck. The owner says this area is probably the most utilised during the winter months, with the house's block construction and the large expanses of thermal glass trapping heat and providing a comfortable warmth even on the coldest days.
The second floor houses three bedrooms, including the luxurious master suite, while a guest room and en suite are on the ground floor, opening onto a deck and leading to a boatshed, which is home to the owners' 5.5-metre speedboat should the urge strike for a fishing trip or lunch at the yacht club.
The summer is generally spent around the barbecue or relaxing in any one of several perfect spots to enjoy the fantastic views of a secluded bay.