So I got in touch with Shane Blue from Bourne + Blue Architecture (www.bourneblue.com.au) whose work we've admired for some time. He specialises in eco friendly homes, with lots of timber, louvre windows and northern orientation featuring in most of his designs. Right up our alley.
We decided to rent the Redhead place out for 6 months to allow time to complete the finishing touches to our current house (prior to selling it) and get the plans through Lake Macquarie City Council. Apparently the LMCC phase could take a while.
First up Shane said don't wait until the house purchase settles - he and a surveyor should both get in there asap to take all the necessary measurements and photos for the concept and DA.
Not long after the house settled we had our first face to face meeting with Shane, and we also met Claire, one of the project architects working for him. At this meeting we handed over a combined wishlist with mandatory and preferred items. Basically Shane needed a packed lunch to get through it. This is what it looked like:
Key targets |
Strong connection with the outdoors |
Warmth, light, privacy |
Solar passive design - northern orientation, eaves, cross ventilation etc |
Cohesian between existing house and additions |
Low maintenance |
Things we love: |
Clever design |
Creative use of inexpensive materials |
Polished concrete |
Asian style/way of living (see pics attached) |
Window highlights |
High ceilings |
Louvre windows (with flyscreens) |
Large sliding doors preferred over bifolds to outdoor area (like boomerang house) |
Recycled timber accents |
Ply eaves/ ceiling / wall panels |
Fibre cement / weathertex / corrugated iron cladding |
Mandatory |
4 bedrooms incl. master |
Open plan living/dining/kitchen |
Master with ensuite incl. bath |
Bathroom close to kids rooms |
Multi-purpose room to accommodate desk/book storage / tv / sofa bed |
Fans throughout |
Covered outdoor entertaining area |
Outdoor shower |
Preferred |
Skullery/pantry area and separate laundry off kitchen |
Plenty of light in master bedroom, WIR, shower separate to bath in ensuite |
Ensuite with outdoor outlook (maybe can open to outdoors somehow) |
Skylights in areas where don’t need blockout - laundry/skullery/bathrooms |
Separate loo near main living area |
Kids rooms not visible to visitors entering |
Kids bathroom to have separate WC |
No need for air conditioning (in extension) |
Concealed clothesline |
Big laundry |
Lots of storage |
2 car garaging |
Outdoor area adjacent to living area |
Few as possible levels |
Storage considerations: |
Kitchen - primarily for entertaining and cooking |
Some cooking ingredients eg sauces/herbs |
Appliances etc - sink/stove/oven/fridge/coffee machine/kettle |
Good storage for waste & recycling - concealed sliding bins |
Plasticware, serving platters, cutlery, glassware, bakingware |
Freestanding bench with room for 3 barstools |
Skullery/pantry - primarily for storage and preparation |
Most cooking ingredients and bulk food |
Small appliances eg toaster, griller, breadmaker, dishwasher |
Good crockery & cutlery |
Wine storage |
Storage for paperwork - file drawers, corkboard |
Cleaning equipment, drawers for medical, sewing, giftwrap etc |
Linen eg tablecloths napkins, tea towels |
Don't like: |
Sameness |
Stacked stone/aubergine/curved roves |
Too many different roof lines |
Houses that show off - complicated design for sake of it |
Flies/mossies |
Big/lots of rooms that don’t get used |
Low ceilings |
And we also handed over a collage of inspirational images, including our favourite from Shane's prior projects. Here it is:
Modern asian street appeal
environmentally friendly aspect / connection with outdoors
lots of timber accents
warm industrial aesthetic
Outdoor shower a must!
