This home is the second lovingly hand built by Stephen and Karen. Their first home, near Musswellbrook, was a timber structure and this time around Stephen and Karen wanted to create something radically different. The site is just outside Kew on the mid-North coast and straddles a North facing ridgeline. To the West is a steep eucalypt wooded bank down to the Camden Haven river. The East undulates towards Laurieton with cool coastal breezes most of the year. The steep downslope meant the site was classed as BAL 29.
The ridgeline location gave the house its off-centre H shape with the main living areas in the centre. Floor to ceiling louvre windows and glass doors creates a space that overflows into the lush gardens outside and sunsets looking toward the Comboyne mountain range to the West are spectacular.
One of the few elements of the build not crafted by Stephen and Karen are the rammed earth walls on the North and East facades. The team at Earth Dwellings used sandstone from Bago quarry just a few kilometres from the site. Two lightweight fly roofs provide shade to the concrete roof and outdoor entertaining area.
The home is a comfortable temperature all year round and the rammed earth provides beautifully textured walls as well as great acoustic qualities. Stephen and Karen’s attention to detail is second to none with countless unique elements reclaimed or repurposed. Furniture pieces made from timber felled on site and timber sleepers that form the entry path reclaimed from an old bridge a few hundred metres away are highlights.
Every bit a labour of love, this home is different every time we get the opportunity to visit and we always leave feeling inspired. The house does this magic site justice and then some.
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