A 90-year old home in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe that had thought to be beyond repair has been transformed into a family residence using Boral Timber cladding.
David Groom had owned the block for more than 15 years and in 2012 began the process of transforming the house. While the project was completed in early 2017 following a two year build, some of the interior fit-out, including a wine cellar, has only just been completed.
The concept has a relatively unusual construction method at its core, using concrete tilt on site, which isn’t often found in residential projects.
“Typically, in a residential setting, precast concrete panels or an in-situ pour may be used. We turned the site into one big casting bed,” says David.
After levelling the site, which was more than 2m higher at the back compared to the front of the property, retaining was put in place. A casting bed was laid over the whole site and then a number of large concrete panels were prepared and stacked.
Boral Timber cladding was used as the main feature of the home, with 260m2 of shiplap profile cladding applied horizontally to the two primary building components. This lightweight floating material balanced the concrete and was pre-oiled before application.
“We wanted to retain the natural colour of the timber, rather than change the colour with any pigment finishes. We also looked at composite cladding products but nothing compares with the natural beauty of timber,” says David.
Structural hardwood was used as vertical screening on the East, North and West first floor faces, providing privacy and shade from the outside, while creating a beautiful outlook from the inside.
Additionally, around 120m2 of the internal floor plan features Boral Blackbutt 14mm overlay flooring that creates an aesthetic connection between the interior and exterior zones of the home.
“Lighting was a significant part of our architectural and interior design. There is extensive use of light strips inside the home to wash over and highlight the natural timber, and external up-lightings showcase the timber day and night,” says David.
