Stickybeak of the Week: A Post-War Beach House Stacks Up
An original beach shack is retained and a timber-and-glass box elevation added to capture the views
“A couple of years ago [the couple] showed us around their beautiful beach shack and asked us how we could add a clear and elevated view of the ocean without demolishing, damaging or dominating their beloved shack,” says Andrew Maynard, co director of Austin Maynard Architects. AMA’s answer was to craft a timber box that hovered independently above the existing house. Set back behind the ridge line of the original shack, it has been designed to weather, grey and age, and merge back into the bush landscape.
The elevated extension contains an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area. It sits atop a timber structure that accommodates the master bedroom and walk-in-robe. The original house has been tidied up and painted; little has changed otherwise except for the old kitchen being transformed into a bathroom and laundry.
The size, scale and positioning of the timber box and its substructure are sympathetic to the original home, so as not to dominate it.
The new living space stays behind the ridge line of the old house. Lightweight polycarbonate clads the infill of the heavy timber structure below, allowing for a useable space without adding mass.
Silvertop ash shiplap exterior cladding: Timber Cladding Melbourne; Lexan Thermoclick polycarbonate cladding: Ampelite
Silvertop ash shiplap exterior cladding: Timber Cladding Melbourne; Lexan Thermoclick polycarbonate cladding: Ampelite
The new timber box is a large open space with a kitchen, dining and living room accessed via a spiral staircase. It has a north and east aspect, and the openness of the space allows for full views from the kitchen across the room.
While the couple asked Austin Maynard Architects to capture the views, they also wanted to create a space not solely focused on the vista. “What could easily have been a white plasterboard box full of downlights is, instead, detailed and well considered,” says Maynard. “It’s a space that has character and responds to the seasonal changes and hours of the day.”
A palette of three materials creates a unified and harmonious space that is warm, welcoming and meticulously crafted. “In doing so, the interior does not fight for attention with the view,” says Maynard. Silvertop ash lines the walls, floors, ceiling and kitchen cabinetry and is punctuated by black steel and studs. The black stone splashback complements the steel and timber.
A palette of three materials creates a unified and harmonious space that is warm, welcoming and meticulously crafted. “In doing so, the interior does not fight for attention with the view,” says Maynard. Silvertop ash lines the walls, floors, ceiling and kitchen cabinetry and is punctuated by black steel and studs. The black stone splashback complements the steel and timber.
Set against the southern wall, with views north and east, the timber-clad kitchen and cabinetry is an integrated component of the interior space.
The extension has a northeast aspect and the lighting is evocative and controlled, so as to not compromise the view.
BathyscaFocus suspended fireplace: Oblica
BathyscaFocus suspended fireplace: Oblica
It can prove a challenge to maximise glazing for views while creating thermal efficiency. Austin Maynard Architects achieved this through the eastern and northern glass walls, allowing for natural light by using double-glazed windows with thermally separated frames.
A hood above the northern windows shields the interior from the summer sun while achieving optimal passive solar gain in winter. Full-height windows slide open for sea-breeze ventilation.
A hood above the northern windows shields the interior from the summer sun while achieving optimal passive solar gain in winter. Full-height windows slide open for sea-breeze ventilation.
A spiral staircase joins the new extension to the infilled space and original beach shack below. As with the upstairs, the interior of the first floor is exceptionally well crafted, with Silvertop ash lining boards and flooring, as well as hardwood portals and beams. The exposed bolts and fixing plates of the structure are honest and well considered.
Staircase: Enzie Spiral Staircases; Durabeam laminated cypress timber structure: Laminated Timber Supplies
Staircase: Enzie Spiral Staircases; Durabeam laminated cypress timber structure: Laminated Timber Supplies
The master bedroom and walk-in robe are located in the structure beneath the timber elevation, and there are two bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with a laundry) and a second lounge in the existing house.
Austin Maynard Architects carefully removed the existing external timber decking and relaid it internally. Newer timber boards were laid outside where, exposed to the weather, they create a cohesive continuation of the deck.
“As a result, the weathered timber floor inside appears as though it was always there, with the structure seemingly having been built around it,” says co-director Mark Austin. “It further retains and emphasises the charm of the original post-war timber beach shack.”
“As a result, the weathered timber floor inside appears as though it was always there, with the structure seemingly having been built around it,” says co-director Mark Austin. “It further retains and emphasises the charm of the original post-war timber beach shack.”
The couple originally envisaged the area beneath as a rumpus room; however, they loved it so much they wanted it as their bedroom. “We added heavy curtains and huge sliding doors so that the space could have as much light and openness as they wanted,” says Maynard. “They can leave it open on a moonlit night and sleep with the sea breeze rolling in, or close it up and curtain it into darkness for cool summer afternoon naps.”
The ivory-coloured brick walls and flooring have a creamy, textured look and feel, while the fireplace adds warmth and glowing colour. The polycarbonate lining allows for an abundance of natural light.
Architectural concrete brick in ‘Ivory’: Adbri Masonry; fireplace: Chimenees Philippe
Architectural concrete brick in ‘Ivory’: Adbri Masonry; fireplace: Chimenees Philippe
The master bedroom opens to the outdoor deck area and is linked directly to the old house via sliding doors.
Seen here, the deck is a place for the family to spend time outside in the sun.
There is a large rainwater tank that collects water used for the toilets and garden. Whenever possible Austin Maynard Architects sourced local trades, materials and fittings for the build.
In addition to the passive solar design and sustainability initiatives used throughout the house, the most sustainable factor is that the existing home has been retained. “It is irrelevant how sustainable you make a new house if you knock down an existing structure,” says Maynard. “Even if you have a 9-star home, the carbon debt in the demolished house takes many decades to repay.”
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple and their two teenage sons
Location: Lorne, Victoria
Year built: 2016
Size: 224 square metres (including 96-square-metre addition); 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Architect: Austin Maynard Architects
Awards: Winner, Architecture Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations & Additions), 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards, AIA
“The shack is located in bushland near the ocean along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, and it contributes to the popular imagery of the area,” says Maynard. “In the post-war period, many Australians aspired to own a bush or beach shack in addition to their suburban home, but today, sadly, we see the steady demolition of the modest and humble shacks for unnecessary McMansions.”
A distaste for such structures led the couple to an extension that preserved the beauty and history of the original house, which was reworked for a modern lifestyle.