Kyal and Kara from The Block season eight talk about their latest stunning renovation project, a coastal-meets-Mediterranean new build, just moments from the beach.
After taking second place on season eight of The Block back in 2014 and pocketing a cool $567,250 profit from the reno, it’s only been onwards and upwards for Kyal and Kara Demmrich.
With The Block 2020 just around the corner we’re gearing up for all the inspiration we can handle and this home hits all the right notes.
This Blue Lagoon home ticks all the boxes. Picture: Supplied / Gyprock
The couple’s latest project – a beautiful lagoon-style coastal meets classic Aussie beach house – is simply stunning. Complete with open-plan living, a sumptuous indoor-outdoor area and an amazing kitchen it’s located just metres from Blue Lagoon beach on the Central Coast.
“The day our Block prize money settled in our account was the day of the auction for this property – we took this as a good sign. We sold our first home about six months after purchasing the shack.”
Here are the five things we loved most about it:
1. A backyard, in the centre
Think a yard needs to either be at the front or back of the home? Think again.
This modern couple opted for a central yard, which means more rooms within the home get to enjoy the greenery aspect and it helps to bring the outside in.
“We wanted a centralised yard, as opposed to a rear yard, with the kitchen/living/dining and the rumpus room all opening out to this space. The floor plan didn’t change at all during the design and build process, however, there were definitely changes along the way,” says Kyal.
2. The modern spiral staircase
When you’re tight on space sometimes you need to get creative with your ideas. And for this pair, the biggest changes was the internal staircase.
“Our original plans had a straight staircase with a landing,” said Kara. “Once we began building the frame and stood in the space, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to build a helical staircase to tie in with other curves throughout the build – a huge decision, but one of the best we’ve made as the helical stairs are one of the biggest features of the whole build.”
The modern spiral staircase by Gyprock is inspired. Picture: Gyprock
The Helical Stairs, made smooth with Gyprock plaster compounds, can be seen from the kitchen into the hallway and rumpus beyond, and provide a link to the other curves in the home, as well as being a feature you can see from so many different living spaces.
For more garden inspo, check out: The Block front garden reveals
3. Blue Lagoon meets the Mediterranean
“The overall brief we gave ourselves was ‘Australian coastal’ meets ‘Mediterranean villa”, said Kara. “We love the traditional beach homes with crisp white weatherboards, but we also love the textural elements of a Mediterranean home.”
“The curves help to bring a bit of this Mediterranean vibe to our beach house. For the exterior, we’ve mixed curved rendered blockwork with James Hardie Linea weatherboards.
Deciding to start the project afresh meant the couple could enjoy maximum light quality and an indoor outdoor flow. Picture: Gyprock
4. Curves in all the right places
Inside, they used Gyprock Flexible to create curved feature walls which create an architectural statement and help to soften the look of other hard surfaces and finishes.
The curved concrete blockwork at the front of the garage was Kyal’s biggest challenge.
“There was a lot of engineering involved in the tight curves, as well as the large garage door opening,” he explained.
5. A forever (for now) home
“It’s the ‘forever home for now’ house”, said the renovation-loving pair.
“I think when you run a building business, there’s always going to be another project. However, we’re so keen to settle here for the foreseeable future.,” explained Kara.
This modern Australian home perfectly captures the beach lifestyle vibe. Picture: Gyprock
“Having said that, we’re already looking for our next renovation project – we just won’t live in the next one. We’d love to go back to our roots on our next renovation and find a home with ‘good bones’ that’s ripe for a cosmetic renovation.
For more reno ideas from the Block, read The Block’s Neale Whitaker gives his 2021 interior trend tips
3 reasons to start a new home build rather than renovate an old home
The pair had weighed up whether to renovate the existing property or remove it and start afresh, ultimately deciding to start again.
Here are their top 3 reasons for opting not to renovate:
- Poisonous materials such as asbestos or poor-quality workmanship, which mean work is costly and complicated.
- Bad orientation on the block of land, leading to poor light quality and lack of energy efficiency.
- Questionable foundations/stumps
“The original shack was primarily asbestos, with lots of ‘add ons’ over the years,” Kyal explained.
“The foundations weren’t great and there was a fair amount of mould, as the orientation of the original home didn’t take advantage of the natural light and Northern aspect.
“A lot of the charm of the original home came from the surrounding trees and the large frangipani at the front of the block, so of course, we made this a feature in the new build,” he said.
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