“Rough plan has a refined finish”

The West Australian, New Homes, 14th November 2009

A traditional look typical of building styles in the Hills suburbs brings a refined note to this Helena Valley home. The triple gables are accentuated with finials and vertical board trims, while the Colorbond roof is fittingly matched by the orange-red face bricks and three-course rendered band that ties in with the sills.

After scouring the metropolitan display circuit, but finding nothing that quite fitted the family’s needs, the owner, Paul, had a rough plan drawn up by a draftsperson friend and took it over to show Dale Alcock Homes. The close match of this working drawing with the finished plan underscores the builder’s precise interpretation of the client’s wishes.

Only minor amendments were needed, mainly in the redistribution of storage areas.

Paul’s chief aim was to achieve a floor plan suitable for the 1000sqm block, one that would keep minor bedrooms to the cooler southern side and allow plenty of backyard space for leisure activities. A spacious kitchen was high on the wish list.

The traditional façade that so enhances the property’s street appeal is matched immediately inside the porcelain-tiled 2.2m entry hall, which has double French doors into the home theatre. By arrangement with the builder, Paul did some of the work himself highlighting the entry with a 2.7m lined coffered ceiling, repeated in the home theatre but with the addition of a light trough.

The entry splits into a lateral corridor at the end of the passage to service the opposing main and secondary sleeping wings.

Floor-level windows admit northerly light to the main suite, which has a particularly big walk-in robe that juts beyond the main floor area to intercept the main approach to the rear family zone. This dog-leg section gains a 45deg. angled wall, providing far more useable space on its reverse side for an offset fridge-freezer recess. A whopping 10m of white essa stone benchtops provides ample working space.

Matching the home’s overall neutral décor are white laminated cupboard’s those overhead fitted with translucent glass doors. The laundry is conveniently situated next to the kitchen, and more French doors enclose a games room.

The design gets a visual boost with a 3.5m cathedral ceiling in the meals area, mirrored in the alfresco area, but with a cedar lining.