No Comments

Private school girls ‘sell’ campus in creative Muck Up Day prank

The sign at the centre of the Queenwood School for Girls Muck Up Day prank.

A creative group of Queenwood Girls School students have eschewed the traditional egging and shaving cream gags for a hilarious Muck Up Day prank.

Led by year 12 student Sophie Nell, they ‘listed’ their school’s 2452sqm campus in Mandolong Rd, Mosman, for auction.

MORE: Rosselli-designed beauty sells in seven days

Hot pink Versace palace has quirky ‘zebra’ room

In their marketing material they claimed the campus had been rezoned for a nightclub, brewery and minimum security prison.

They reportedly set a price guide of $150 million and even ran an open inspection and private auction, although the results have not been disclosed.

Sophie enlisted the help of neighbour Megan Thomas, a sales executive at O’Gorman & Partners in Mosman, to give the prank some extra polish.

O’Gorman & Partners sales executive Megan Thomas (left) with student Sophie Nell and their fake for sale sign.

With the help of the agent, they erected a signboard on Wednesday with details of the forthcoming auction. It read:

School’s Out –

Nightclub Re Zoned

Mistaken as a prison, this postmodern industrial complex invites new family owners to call this place ‘home’. DA approved for nightclub 24/7, brewery, min security prison, or just a humble Mosman home. This is a brilliant opportunity to maximise views, location & only moments to Country Road.

Auction: Quick Sale

View By Appointment Only

53 bedrooms

47 bathrooms

20 car spaces

Ms Thomas said the sold sticker went on the signboard on Thursday, before the board was removed today.

“It was only up for a bit over 48 hours,” she said.

The sold sticker goes up.

But in the three days it was up, she received as many calls from developers legitimately interested, if a tad confused, in the opportunity.

“When I explained, it was all taken in very good humour,” Ms Thomas said. “It went down well – we never had any negative feedback.”

Ms Thomas said the students paid for the $275 signboard and helped with the design. They also sought permission from the school, she said.

“They were really good about it,” she said. “I was really pleased to see that the school were such good sports and approved it. I love a good prank and it really did lighten the mood. And in these times with COVID we really need that.”

SIGN UP HERE FOR THE NSW REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER

The post Private school girls ‘sell’ campus in creative Muck Up Day prank appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Natural landscape holds centre stage in this Farrer delight

No. 29 Waite St in Farrer is for sale.

You might find yourself humming John Williamson’s iconic tune Give Me a Home Among the Gum Trees when you set foot in this peaceful piece of paradise in Farrer.

Designed by renowned Canberra architect Roger Pegrum, the home at 29 Waite Street opens out to a private deck surrounded by a stunning natural landscape including towering trees and a rockery with views across Isaccs Ridge and Mount Taylor.

Peace and quiet.

MORE: Top Canberra sales rake in more than $6m

Bespoke abode in Watson to go under the hammer

“It’s one of those homes, as soon as you walk into it you just fall in love with that special feel,” said selling agent Steven Lowe, from Agent Team – Belconnen.

“You feel calm, the deck provides a nice place to relax. I guess that’s why they call Canberra the bush capital.

A gorgeous view.

A peaceful outlook.

“It’s a Roger Pegrum-designed home and what I particularly like about it is that from the kitchen you have views to the west to Mount Taylor and views to the east over the bush reserve, so standing there you get the sunrise and sunset from that one place in the house.”

Built in 1971, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, split-level home in Farrer offers floor-to-ceiling windows and doors that make the most of the natural outlook.

Perched on a 1184sqm block, the residence has been freshly painted and carpeted. Additional features include a study nook, double glazing and solar panels.

Modern interiors.

“It’s a turnkey property so there’s nothing left to do to it, other than buy it and just enjoy it. Properties like that are rare,” Mr Lowe said.

The home, which is due to be auctioned on Saturday 26 September at noon, is expected to fetch in excess of $1.1 million.

The post Natural landscape holds centre stage in this Farrer delight appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Iconic Gold Coast trophy mansion sold to FaceTime buyer

1525 Riverdale Dr, Hope Island.

A GRAND Gold Coast mansion built on 11 titles has sold sight unseen to an interstate buyer who bagged the estate for millions less than it fetched in its heyday.

A $5.75 million contract on the Riverdale Drive residence known as Harbour Point went unconditional last night, with the sale due to settle in December.

1525 Riverdale Dr, Hope Island.

Professionals Vertullo Real Estate agent Mark Carew said the interstate buyer was one of several who made offers to buy the estate sight unseen.

“The borders being closed made it harder for interstate buyers,” he said.

“There were multiple offers from parties outside of the Queensland who see the value.”

The 1800 sqm trophy mansion sits on a 4982 sqm point position making it the biggest residential holding within the prestigious Rosebank Gardens Estate.

The Mediterranean-style home was built by national car-warranty business owner Gary Chuck and wife Suzanne, who fetched $9.39 million when they sold the prize home in 2004.

MORE: Penthouse bigger than most houses hits the market

Australians urged to ‘buy more property now’

Hemsworths put their Malibu home on the market

1525 Riverdale Dr, Hope Island.

The estate was sold again five years later for $9 million, this time to Chinese buyers capitalising on what was a GFC market.

An auction last month saw the property passed in, with $4.5 million the best bid from one of four registered bidders.

The property was then listed for offers over $6.5 million.

Mr Carew said the sale was the highest in the Hope Island Estate this year and the latest in a string of $3 million plus sales.

“This sale is a record for the Hope Island Resort this year,” he said.

“Property on the northern end is really going strong.”

QLD_GCB_REALESTATE_AUCTION_10AUG2020

The estate was passed in for $4.5 million at auction last month. Photograph: Jason O’Brien

The new owner intends to renovate the 16-year-old residence before moving in, allaying fears among local residents that the house might be bulldozed.

“It will be renovated and restored to its former glory, maybe even better,” Mr Carew said.

“It is good news for Harbour Point as a lot of people wanted to knock it down, but this buyer plans to restore it.”

The three-bedroom house features towering gilt columns, decorative dome ceilings and ornate balustrades which were in vogue at the time.

1525 Riverdale Dr, Hope Island.

The post Iconic Gold Coast trophy mansion sold to FaceTime buyer appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Canberra’s top two weekend sales pull in more than $6 million

This Hunter St property sold for $3.15 million.

Canberra’s appetite for high-end property is showing no signs of abating with the city’s top two sales last week reeling in $6.3 million alone.

The two elite addresses – at 63 Mugga Way, Red Hill and 18 Hunter Street, Yarralumla – each sold for $3.15 million, with numerous bidders vying at each auction on Saturday.

The Red Hill property, set on what Canberrans dub the ‘Golden Mile’, represented a rare opportunity to purchase a 2081sqm landholding with a five-bedroom, original, single-level home in one of the city’s most prestigious enclaves.

MORE: Forrest residence offers a rare slice of history

Griffith home fit for an epic house-warming

The Hunter St home has five bedrooms.

The Mugga Way home.

Set on an 1800sqm block, the Yarralumla property was of similar ilk with five bedrooms, a swimming pool, outdoor entertaining terrace and garaging for four cars in a blue-chip location.

Mario Sanfrancesco, who marketed 63 Mugga Way, said it appeared buyers in Canberra’s prestige market had been undeterred by the economic fallout of the pandemic.

“The market at the top end is very healthy at the moment,” said Mr Sanfrancesco, from Blackshaw – Manuka. “There’s strong inquiry activity and we’re finding there is a fair bit of interest at that level. It’s probably as active as it’s ever been.”

Mugga Way had five bidders register.

He said 63 Mugga Way attracted five registered bidders on auction day.

“The types of buyers were both live-in owners who might have done something with that property and there was some interest from families who might have rented it for a period and then built a new home there,” he said.

“It’s a substantial parcel of land on what is regarded as Canberra’s ‘Golden Mile’.

“The top three residential sales in Canberra are all in that street. The highest residential sale in Canberra is $8 million and the other two sales are in the $7 millions, so this was a fair offering to get into one of the city’s best streets.”

The Euree St home.

Richard Luton, who sold 18 Hunter Street, said his agency’s auction clearance rates had been almost perfect in recent weeks.

“Last weekend at our auctions we sold eight out of eight, the weekend before we sold eight out of nine and the two weekends before that we sold ten out of ten and nine out of nine,” said Mr Luton, from Luton Properties – Manuka.

“So, there is certainly demand out there. There aren’t hundreds of buyers but there are still good buyers with pre-approved finance.”

This Reid property sold for more than $2 million.

Mr Luton said last Saturday’s auction of 56 Euree Street, Reid netted more than $2 million, another significant sale, but he warned the market was still fickle.

“It’s a good market at the moment, but it depends what happens in spring and if there is a spring rush of properties as to whether this continues,” he said.

“Nationwide, there has been a downturn in the number of listings on the market definitely over winter and we still have so many pre-approved buyers. If the market gets flooded with homes, that could change.”

The post Canberra’s top two weekend sales pull in more than $6 million appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Due North, Preston to feature rooftop pool, fitness hub

Due North by Caydon Property Group - 70 High St, Preston - for herald sun real estate

Rooftop views from Caydon Property Group’s Due North development in Preston.

A Preston development that has embraced an inner-city love of rooftop pools and fitness hubs has worked out a way to cut through lockdown to attract prospective buyers.

Caydon Property Group’s Due North project is winning praise for the inclusion of a work-from-home ethos, added just before it launched amid stage four restrictions in August.

Set to stand a dozen storeys high and feature 107 apartments, the development’s elevated rooftop will include an outdoor gym and yoga space, as well as cabana-like private dining booths with barbecues.

RELATED: Melbourne developments evolve for work from home demand

Union Quarter, Spotswood: Build-to-rent project to have perks

R.Iconic South Melbourne features running track, band room, karaoke

In the development’s lobby, a co-working space will join street art by former Melburnian and now New York-based artist Brolga.

Caydon sales and marketing director Steve Williams said a handful of apartments were now reserved, despite the display suite never being able to open to the public.

Due North by Caydon Property Group - 70 High St, Preston - for herald sun real estate

The open-plan apartments will be oriented for views and natural light.

Mr Williams said many buyers had commented on location and the price, but rooftop amenity was the highlight for most.

“The rooftop living is a real drawcard; it’s more of an inner-city or south of the Yarra feature, but people are really jumping at it,” he said.

Set amid eclectic boutiques, bars and eateries at 70 High Street, Preston, the development is walking distance to trams and trains.

Due North by Caydon Property Group - 70 High St, Preston - for herald sun real estate

The Preston address is convenient for those looking to embrace a vibrant local community.

The tower’s exterior architecture is guided by the suburb’s working-class past, with exposed brickwork and concrete driving the aesthetic.

Interiors will be adapted for a post-virus world with study nooks and desks to be included in some apartments’ joinery. The developer also plans to convert several second bedrooms to home offices. Floorplans range from 50-60sq m in one-bedroom units, up to 124sq m for the largest three-bedroom.

All will feature stone benchtops and splashbacks, European appliances and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Due North by Caydon Property Group - 70 High St, Preston - for herald sun real estate

Sleek kitchen designs are a standard feature in all apartments.

Open-plan living zones will open to balconies of up to 49sq m, some with CBD views.

One-bedroom apartments are priced from $341,000-$497,500, two bedrooms from $584,000-$774,000, and three from $984,000-$1.039m.

MORE: The Castle: Hamilton’s main street landmark home for sale

Stage four lockdown cuts Victoria’s new home sales by 14.4 per cent

Melbourne’s fastest-selling suburbs: Viewbank, North Warrandyte top list

The post Due North, Preston to feature rooftop pool, fitness hub appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Fears extension to WA eviction moratorium will cause “rental crisis”

Western Australia’s peak real estate industry body has slammed a decision by the WA Government to extend the coronavirus eviction moratorium for residential properties, warning of a looming rental crisis with vacancy rates already at a record low. 

The Real Estate Institute of Wester Australia pesident Damian Collins said extending the emergency period tenancy legislation for all residential properties made no economic sense and would ultimately lead to higher rental prices and a shortage of rental properties.

The laws ignored the needs of landlords and would make it even more difficult for renters to find a property, he said.

The backlash comes as Perth’s vacancy rate dropped from 2% to 1.3% in the past two months, according to REIWA.

Perth neighbourhood

Perth’s eviction moratorium and freeze on rent increase are set to stay in place for at least another six months. Picture: Getty

Last week, Commerce Minister John Quigley announced that the freeze on rent increases and some evictions would stay in place for another six months until 28 March, 2021.

Mr Quigley said while WA was entering a period of economic recovery, the threat of a second wave of COVID-19 was still real.

“For residential tenancies, low vacancy rates for rental properties have, and will continue to force rents to rise. This, together with the current unemployment rate, as well as changes to JobKeeper, means families may find themselves in financial hardship,” Mr Quigley said.

But Mr Collins said the WA Government had used the pandemic as an opportunity “to introduce rent control and meddle in the free market”.

“We already have a shortage of rental stock and reducing supply further by dissuading landlords will ultimately mean tenants will find it even harder to get a property,” he said.

He said instead of a blanket extension, criteria should have been added to the legislation so that only those impacted financially by COVID-19 received support.

“The McGowan Government’s short-sighted decision to extend the emergency period for all tenancies is making a difficult problem even worse,” Mr Collins said.

“Unfortunately, sitting tenants are unlikely to move or adjust household size as they are paying below market rents. In addition, we are seeing an influx of people trying to find a new rental property in a market with a very low vacancy rate.”

Subiaco rental

WA tenants are struggling to compete for homes with very low vacancy rates. Picture: www.realestate.com.au/rent

Steve Radi, director at Radi Estates – Inglewood, said the blanket policy was unfathomable given barely 1% of tenancies in WA were impacted by COVID-19.

“This policy is absolutely hypocritical. We are not interested in the politics of what is playing out one little bit at the moment. It’s simply garbage,” Mr Radi said.

“Owners are missing out on money after sticking by the market through five years of economic downturn; and now we have politicians playing politics with people’s money and their lives. Not to mention costing the country an insurmountable amount of lost taxes due to interfering with the free market forces.

“We have one landlord who is terminally ill. She’s got kids, she’s got financial commitments and needs to sell her own home and move back into one of her investment properties. Without going to court to get an order to give the tenant notice to vacate, she cannot ask them to move out until the end of the emergency period.”

Mr Radi said the move would further ostracise investors and was out of sync with government stimulus to boost the construction industry in the wake of the pandemic.

house construction

The extension to the eviction ban has be criticised as “out of sync” with the WA Government’s stimulus to boost the construction industry. Picture: Getty

“(Landlords) can’t do what they want to do with their properties in a free market, yet the government goes and throws out $20,000 to the building industry. They have totally overheated it and allowed them to increase prices for new homes incredibly. Where is the government’s intervention in the free market here? It is a complete double standard.

“That Building Bonus has absolutely been dwindled in the wind. I have sold land for significantly more in the last two months than what identical blocks have sold for in similar locations in May and June before the announcement.

“The policy is a blatant socialist intervention into the free market…If the government had the best interest of tenants and landlords at heart, they would have let the free market play its course.”

The post Fears extension to WA eviction moratorium will cause “rental crisis” appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Investment banker Jeff Hall and Sharon Grey list Darling Point pad with $7.8m price hopes

2/7 Loftus Rd, Darling Point, has a $7.8m price guide ahead of an October 21 auction.

The grand design and impressive city skyline, Bridge and Opera House views of investment banker Jeff Hall and Sharon Grey’s Darling Point apartment will wow buyers this spring.

LJ Hooker Double Bay’s David Malouf has a $7.8m price guide ahead of an October 21 auction for the luxury three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with double garage at 2/7 Loftus Road.

On level one of developer Terry Younes’s five-unit X-Pace designed Aloft building, the apartment offers 235 sqm of internal living space plus 72 sqm of terraces.

MORE:
Art dealer’s $1m discount in Bellevue Hill

Former Lord Mayor sells in Point Piper for $18m

High above the boat-studded waters of the Cruising Yacht Club.

Hang about and enjoy the view.

Set high above the boat-studded waters of the Cruising Yacht Club, the apartment’s bespoke lighting and cutting-edge architectural detailing helps create an instant mind-blowing first impression.

And the sunny entertainment terrace and views across Rushcutters Bay aside, the state-of the-art contemporary fittings help set this apartment apart.

Luxurious finishes.

Bespoke lighting.

These include a Gaggenau gas stove/oven, dual Liebherr fridges, a Miele dishwasher, Ziptap and Butler’s pantry and innovative sliding screens.

Other attractions are the grand harbour-view master suite and the luxury bathrooms adorned with floor-to-ceiling marble.

Wake up to this.

Lavish bathrooms.

There’s zoned ducted airconditioning and plenty of integrated storage.

The couple, who bought the apartment for $3,495,000 in 2017 off the plan, have some high-net-worth neighbours.

These include the art collector and entrepreneur Rachel Verghis — partner of a London – based asset manage, Sigurdur Arnimsson — who paid $7m for the penthouse.

And Dion Rivkin, the financial adviser son of the late stockbroker Rene Rivkin, and his wife, model Anna Rivkin, bought in for $2.9 million.

The post Investment banker Jeff Hall and Sharon Grey list Darling Point pad with $7.8m price hopes appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Cool properties on the market in North Queensland right now

The motocross track at Alligator Creek

There are homes and then there are fun houses – properties so cool they are in a league of their very own.

And sometimes they can even provide an opportunity to earn a quick buck.

MORE NEWS: One Nation identity’s Yeppoon property listed

Madam Butterfly’s big $3.055m payday

Cattle station sold for massive $35m in online auction

In North Queensland there is no shortage of properties with some serious wow factor – for both the kids and the kidults.

Here we take a look at, arguably, some of the coolest properties on the market in North Queensland right now.

***

1. TOWNSVILLE: A designer house on a sprawling 13 acre block hit the market this week, complete with its very own professional motocross track.

Located in Alice River, the property is listed for $1.35 million and also comes with an activity room, a huge theatre, a large outdoor entertaining area complete with an outdoor kitchen and built-in gas barbecue, a gym, dam and a large in-ground swimming pool.

RELATED: Designer home and acreas complete with motocross track

The swish house comes with its own motocross track

The property is owned by Steve Hannah of Hannahbull Hydro Excavations and wife Sharni (nee Williams), the granddaughter of Alexander Park (AP) Williams, who founded AP Williams & Co in 1932 but passed away several years ago.

The family continue to run the business today.

“I designed the house and we built it in two stages, the first in 2010 and the second in 2015,” Mrs Hannah said. “It has heaps of louvres to catch the breezes, and is big and open.”

Mrs Hannah said they had the motocross track professionally designed and constructed for their son Lachlan, who is now 23 and living in Brisbane.

One of Ms Hannah’s nephews in action

Townsville-born world Moto-GP champion Jack Miller has taken a spin around the track, as has Mrs Hannah’s nephew Kayden Downing, who is now competing in the US.

“That’s why we bought the property, really,” she said. “So we would have enough room to build the track. Our daughters (Mylee, 12, and Jordan, 9) have also enjoyed it.”

But the time has come to move on, with Mrs Hannah admitting it was tough to sell the property.

“It has been an awesome place to raise a family,” she said. “The open spaces, the parties with the music cranked up at 2am and no one close enough to hear it.

“It gave us a great lifestyle but we still enjoyed being close to town.”

The property is listed with Open Property Townsville.

***

2. TOWNSVILLE: The iconic Barra Fun Park – arguably Australia’s best backyard – was listed for $2.5 million earlier this year.

Barra fun park

Owner of Barra Fun Park Brent Stevenson PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

On 25 acres, the property is currently run as a red claw and barra farm, but also boasts cable skis, an inflatable water park, a huge water slide, a jumping pillow, fishing, cafe, commercial kitchen and a modern home.

The Barra Fun Park is listed for $2.5 million

Dubbed the “Best Backyard in North Queensland” at the very least, it is listed with Property Now.

***

3. KURANDA: Atreehouse set among three acres of rainforest has also just hit the market in Kuranda for offers over $399,000.

Designed and built in 2004, it has Turpentine poles, Cypress walls, and mixed rainforest hardwood flooring, a handcrafted wooden kitchen and a spa on the deck.

Your very own treehouse in the rainforest

Also in Kuranda is a resort-style house with a separate, self-contained granny flat on almost six acres.

But it is the huge undercover deck overlooking a private lakecomplete with its own waterfall and surrounded by spectacular gardens that would make it the ultimate adults retreat. It is listed with Ray White Cairns Beaches and is on the market for offers over $839,000.

Or perhaps your own lakehouse.

***

4. MISSION BEACH: If fishing is your thing, here is your chance to turn that hobby into a business.

Catch your own dinner at this barra farm

A barramundi farm has been listed for sale at Mission Beach and includes a house, a resort-style pool, a huge shed, nine aquaculture ponds, three of which are stocked, and the business, which stocks a number of local restaurants and sells direct to the public. It is listed for $1.5 million.

Yes please!

Also at Mission Beach is Sails, the “quintessential beach house” on a 4000sq m rainforest block.

This beachhouse comes with some cool artworks

The architect-designed house has 300sq m of decks alone, and is being sold complete with its unique inventory of furniture, artworks and furnishings.

Including its own whale sculpture

Located at Garners Beach, 10 minutes from Mission Beach, it is listed with Ray White Mission Beach and is on the market for $2.5 million.

***

5. MAREEBA: Life could be pretty sweet if you owned Emerald Creek Ice Creamery at Mareeba.

We all scream for ice cream!!!

Zoned as rural residential, the 355sq m business sites on 5.31 acres and is listed for $930,000.

It has operated for 12 years, but the owners are ready to retire, with the option to buy the family home, located on a separate title, also on the table.

***

6. MAGNETIC ISLAND: Who doesn’t love koalas? The Bungalow Bay Koala Village at Horseshoe Bay is listed for sale for the first time in 17 years.

Some furry ‘housemates’ and their keepers at Bungalow Bay Koala Village

It comes with an award-winning eco village comprising of 37 bungalows and 35 bush camping sites, a koala park, a deck bar, reception. laundry and camping facilities.

It is listed with Savills Brisbane.

Bungalow Bay Koala Village is listed for the first time in 17 years

***

7. SOUTH MISSION BEACH: It is all about luxury at this swanky, three-level, 7-star energy efficient house.

Features include glass turrets above the living area, an internal marble stairwell, an infinity pool and barbecue pavilion with ocean views, a fully self-contained second level for teens, grandparents or guests and a 5083sq m block surrounded by rainforest.

This modern castle has its own turrets

And some seriously spectacular views!

It is listed with Andersons Real Estate for $3.55 million.

***

8. PINNACLES: Offering about 68,500 hectares, Springfield Station offers wide open spaces and plenty of cool “toys” to explore it
.

About 8500 cattle are included in the sale of the property, which includes a large, 1960s built homestead with plenty of room for guests to help you explore its vast terrain.

The house has six bed quarters plus two staff cottages.

Springfield Station comes with quadbikes, a truck and tractor and its own air strip

The property also has its own registered 900m airstrip and hangar, sheds, horse agistment and training facilities, huge verandas and outdoor areas for entertaining, including an outdoor kitchen and heaps of trail rides to explore, all just a short drive to the Bartlett Park Rodeo Complex.

A diesel truck, a tractor, ride-on mowers and quadbikes are also included in the sale, with the property listed for $950,000 with Explore Property.

***

9. BOWEN: If you go troppo for mangoes, this ocean frontage property could be just the right medicine.

It has a fully established mango orchard, ripe for the picking, and is listed for $3.1 million.

Offering eight acres with spectacular views, the architecturally-designed four bedroom house also has tropical gardens, stone terraces and its own private boat launching facilities.

See the mango orchard to the left of the house ….

***

10. TRINITY BEACH: This award-winning residence is packed full of features, including its very own aquarium.

Cooler than most nightclubs, just saying …

Offering almost 850sq m of living space, the house features spectacular light features throughout, a sunken lounge, casual living and dining spaces with glass features that showcase the 20m saltwater swimming pool, a rear terrace with a built-in barbecue, landscaped tropical gardens, a media room, a fish pond feature at the entrance, internal access four car garaging, and smart home technology, all on a 1100sq m block.

Just simply cool …

The built-in aquarium is located in the entry foyer. On the market for $2.95 million, it is listed with FNQ Hot Property.

***

The post Cool properties on the market in North Queensland right now appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

Contemporary stunner in Margaret River is sustainable living at its best

Horticulturalist-artist-architect couple Britta and Michael Sorensen have long lived by their passion for eco-friendly, sustainable living – both personally and professionally.

So, when they embarked on their private build at 126 Ashton Street in Margaret River, they embraced it as an opportunity to pay homage to the environment by creating a model of contemporary, sustainable architecture that steps well away from the “hippy” tag the south-west town has been lumbered with.

Ashton Street home

The sustainable home pays homage to the environment around it. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

“We have been designing and building contemporary architecture in Margaret River for over 25 years and mainly upmarket holiday homes,” Britta Sorensen said.

“In our own home, we wanted to make an example and build a model of doing this more sustainably. We wanted to show that even though on a smaller footprint and using sustainable materials and techniques, you can achieve a house that is minimalist, super contemporary, cool, fun and funky.

“We wanted to build a home that was warm, both in temperature and atmosphere, but also really contemporary and cutting-edge as far as technology goes.”

Completed in 2012, the single-bedroom property has been designed to capture the very best of its natural surrounds.

“I love the way it incorporates the beautiful view that we have, overlooking the valley into the national park, so it’s really been all about bringing this view into the house and making everybody in the house feel like they are part of that landscape,” Ms Sorensen said.

“Despite the relatively small footprint, you’re constantly feeling as though you’re connected to nature outside.”

During the build several decaying Marri trees on the block had to be felled and, once milled, local craftsmen repurposed the timber in the home.

Features include a rooftop terrace, double glazing, hydronic floor heating and a vintage 1970s caravan that has been transformed into self-contained guest quarters, complete with orange walls and shagpile rugs.

“We deliberately designed this as a one-bedroom house because it’s just the two of us but of course we still get guests staying. We didn’t want a guest room that sat empty half of the time,” Mrs Sorensen said.

“I love vintage caravans and I’ve turned this 1970s caravan into an ode to the 70s…So, the house is minimalist and the caravan is completely over the top! Our guests love it because it’s like a cubby for adults. It’s a lovely little nest.”

Ms Sorensen designed the garden, which includes food production based on permaculture principles, providing a supply of fruit, vegetables and eggs. It has been organically managed for 10 years and is home to an array of small birds, lizards and two resident frogmouth owls.

Additional features of the property, which won the 2013 Australian Institute of Architects Award for Sustainable Architecture, include a shed and a separate artist’s studio that overlooks the garden.

Clare Andrews, from Stocker Preston Margaret River, is taking offers. Offers close on 18 September, unless sold prior.

The post Contemporary stunner in Margaret River is sustainable living at its best appeared first on realestate.com.au.

No Comments

South Melbourne half-finished mansion for sale with plans

The shell of a sky-high South Melbourne mansion with plans for a rooftop pool has been tagged a rare opportunity on the city market.

Concrete structures have already been put in place for the extravagant extension at 174 Bank Street, which is for sale with a $3.3-$3.63m price guide.

Bekdon & Richards director Paul Richards said the previous owner had plans and permits to create a five-storey masterpiece in the inner city.

RELATED: R.Iconic South Melbourne features running track, band room, karaoke

Wayside Inn: Century-old South Melbourne pub sells

Elyse Knowles: The Block winners renting South Melbourne terrace

174 Bank Street, South Melbourne is for sale.

A plunge pool is planned for the rooftop.

But the half-complete building is now up for mortgagee sale.

“The previous owner has done a fair bit of structural work already, so the buyer is really buying it as a shell to bring it back to life,” Mr Richards said.

“It’s a Victorian house that already has three floors, so the plans add another two that have sweeping 360 degree views.”

360 degree views would be on show from the top two floors.

He said he had “never seen anything like it” available so close to the CBD.

The property has approval for a glamorous rooftop terrace with a plunge pool, terrace and garden, while a basement features a cellar and carpark.

Four bedrooms could be built in the floorplan, including a main suite that has access to its own exclusive living room. A lift to all floors of the home has also been approved.

The half-complete building is up for mortgagee sale.

Detailed period features have still been retained inside the original Victorian terrace.

Mr Richards said the building, which was first listed in July, would have already sold if it hadn’t been for coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

“We’ve had so much inquiry, with a lot of interest coming from builders, developers and also families looking at finishing it too,” he said.

It’s for private sale.

READ MORE: Jeanette Large: ‘The housing market is failing people’

The Castle: Hamilton’s main street landmark home for sale

Stage four lockdown cuts Victoria’s new home sales by 14.4 per cent

The post South Melbourne half-finished mansion for sale with plans appeared first on realestate.com.au.