Grand design
Brian and Margo Jewell knew their home was special long before the Australian Institute of Architecture named it Sunshine Coast House of the Year in the regional awards.
Words Kylie Jackes
Finding a home that has just the right feel can take years. But not so for Brian Jewell, who bought a house at auction on his way home from surfing. Explaining the impulse buy, Brian says he and wife Margo, both distribution directors, had not seriously begun searching for a new house when he decided to stop by an auction “just out of interest”. “When I got there it was already under way, so I hadn’t had the chance to walk through the house and at that stage I hadn’t even noticed there was a pool, but the place had a really great feel and no one was bidding, so I put in an offer,” he says.
Walking through the Coolum home for the first time while the owner considered the offer by phone, Brian’s first impressions were reaffirmed and he was thrilled when his bid was accepted. Returning that afternoon for another look with Margo, who was equally enamoured, the couple started talking about the possibility of extending the house. The property was designed in the mid 1990s by former Coast architect Lindsay Clare, who with wife Kerry is renowned for innovation and award-winning projects, ranging from small domestic dwellings to major public buildings such as the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.
“When I rang Lindsay he remembered all the details of the house and chatted to me for a good 45 minutes or so,” Brian says. But since moving from the Coast to Sydney, Lindsay’s practice had expanded to 80 architects and it was in the middle of a huge project in China. “He said he wouldn’t be available to take the job over the next three years,” Brian recalls. “But rather than wait he recommended (architect firm) Owen and Vokes, who had handled renovations on another one of his houses.”
The brief for the Brisbane firm was to add two bedrooms and a garage without impinging on the home’s original character. It was quite a challenge given its steep and largely inaccessible site. Initially Brian thought the only option was to build a pavilion at the back of the site for the extra bedrooms until architect Emma Hodgkinson devised a clever alternative, which preserved much of the remnant coastal vegetation on the site.
The extension took the form of a bridge across the pool with two bedrooms and bathrooms linked to a veranda that runs the length of the bridge and culminates in a secluded day bed overlooking the ocean. A�Along the veranda a row of black casement windows frame portions of the expansive view and help to control air flow and breeze. “We’ve only ever shut them once and that was when there was a really bad storm and it was raining horizontally,” Brian says.
To give the original fibro beach shack an air of sophistication, the home’s former blue and cream colour scheme was refined to black and white, while timber battens were used as a recurring feature inside and out. Capturing the feel of a tree house, ensuites in the two new rooms feature a skylight in the shower, which illuminates the space with moonlight at night. In the existing section of the house the kitchen was relocated to create a living area that overlooks the ocean and the entry was re-orientated to visually connect the space with multiple outdoor aspects.
“One of the best features is that wherever you are in the house you can see ocean or vegetation. It has really opened the place right up,” Brian says. “And I love all the nooks and crannies. There are so many great places to read,” Margo adds. The lower level of the house was also overhauled. Formerly a large sleep-out, the area was converted into a self-contained granny flat with courtyard for their adult daughter, Natalie. A new polished concrete slab was also laid after excavation works to construct a bunker-style garage below.
An incredibly ambitious project from the outset, builder Ian Callaghan explains while there were plenty of hurdles along the way, the process was achievable because of the meticulous design and impressive feats of engineering. “To get to the back of the site, we had to build a temporary bridge over the pool so the machinery could get in there,” Ian says. “To build the garage, we had to remove the lower level slab and excavate six metres deep and seven metres back. To do this the entire house had to be supported with a giant steel beam. It was very difficult, but the architects had brilliant detailed drawings and we followed their advice the whole way.”
When it came to the interiors Brian and Margo were also happy to be guided by expert advice. “Emma specified everything down to the paint, the fabric on the cushions, the light fittings, the Eames chairs in the kitchen, and we went with it all, which is probably pretty ballsy,” Brian says. “But they’re the experts. They had the vision and we love it all. I plan to keep it until I can’t walk up the stairs.”
Favourite spot
Margo In summer I love the pool area and throughout the house there are lots of great places that look out to the ocean or the trees out the back.
Renovating advice
Brian Unexpected problems may arise, so a realistic time frame for completion is a must. It is also important to do the research to find respected architects and builders as trust, communication and passion are the key elements for a successful renovation. We had complete confidence with Owen and Vokes and our builder, Ian Callaghan, and his crew.
Story: Kylie Jackes, Issue 627, May 20th, 2010.
Brian and Margo Jewell knew their home was special long before the Australian Institute of Architecture named it Sunshine Coast House of the Year in the regional awards.
Words Kylie Jackes
Finding a home that has just the right feel can take years. But not so for Brian Jewell, who bought a house at auction on his way home from surfing. Explaining the impulse buy, Brian says he and wife Margo, both distribution directors, had not seriously begun searching for a new house when he decided to stop by an auction “just out of interest”. “When I got there it was already under way, so I hadn’t had the chance to walk through the house and at that stage I hadn’t even noticed there was a pool, but the place had a really great feel and no one was bidding, so I put in an offer,” he says.
Walking through the Coolum home for the first time while the owner considered the offer by phone, Brian’s first impressions were reaffirmed and he was thrilled when his bid was accepted. Returning that afternoon for another look with Margo, who was equally enamoured, the couple started talking about the possibility of extending the house. The property was designed in the mid 1990s by former Coast architect Lindsay Clare, who with wife Kerry is renowned for innovation and award-winning projects, ranging from small domestic dwellings to major public buildings such as the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.
“When I rang Lindsay he remembered all the details of the house and chatted to me for a good 45 minutes or so,” Brian says. But since moving from the Coast to Sydney, Lindsay’s practice had expanded to 80 architects and it was in the middle of a huge project in China. “He said he wouldn’t be available to take the job over the next three years,” Brian recalls. “But rather than wait he recommended (architect firm) Owen and Vokes, who had handled renovations on another one of his houses.”
The brief for the Brisbane firm was to add two bedrooms and a garage without impinging on the home’s original character. It was quite a challenge given its steep and largely inaccessible site. Initially Brian thought the only option was to build a pavilion at the back of the site for the extra bedrooms until architect Emma Hodgkinson devised a clever alternative, which preserved much of the remnant coastal vegetation on the site.
The extension took the form of a bridge across the pool with two bedrooms and bathrooms linked to a veranda that runs the length of the bridge and culminates in a secluded day bed overlooking the ocean. A�Along the veranda a row of black casement windows frame portions of the expansive view and help to control air flow and breeze. “We’ve only ever shut them once and that was when there was a really bad storm and it was raining horizontally,” Brian says.
To give the original fibro beach shack an air of sophistication, the home’s former blue and cream colour scheme was refined to black and white, while timber battens were used as a recurring feature inside and out. Capturing the feel of a tree house, ensuites in the two new rooms feature a skylight in the shower, which illuminates the space with moonlight at night. In the existing section of the house the kitchen was relocated to create a living area that overlooks the ocean and the entry was re-orientated to visually connect the space with multiple outdoor aspects.
“One of the best features is that wherever you are in the house you can see ocean or vegetation. It has really opened the place right up,” Brian says. “And I love all the nooks and crannies. There are so many great places to read,” Margo adds. The lower level of the house was also overhauled. Formerly a large sleep-out, the area was converted into a self-contained granny flat with courtyard for their adult daughter, Natalie. A new polished concrete slab was also laid after excavation works to construct a bunker-style garage below.
An incredibly ambitious project from the outset, builder Ian Callaghan explains while there were plenty of hurdles along the way, the process was achievable because of the meticulous design and impressive feats of engineering. “To get to the back of the site, we had to build a temporary bridge over the pool so the machinery could get in there,” Ian says. “To build the garage, we had to remove the lower level slab and excavate six metres deep and seven metres back. To do this the entire house had to be supported with a giant steel beam. It was very difficult, but the architects had brilliant detailed drawings and we followed their advice the whole way.”
When it came to the interiors Brian and Margo were also happy to be guided by expert advice. “Emma specified everything down to the paint, the fabric on the cushions, the light fittings, the Eames chairs in the kitchen, and we went with it all, which is probably pretty ballsy,” Brian says. “But they’re the experts. They had the vision and we love it all. I plan to keep it until I can’t walk up the stairs.”
Favourite spot
Margo In summer I love the pool area and throughout the house there are lots of great places that look out to the ocean or the trees out the back.
Renovating advice
Brian Unexpected problems may arise, so a realistic time frame for completion is a must. It is also important to do the research to find respected architects and builders as trust, communication and passion are the key elements for a successful renovation. We had complete confidence with Owen and Vokes and our builder, Ian Callaghan, and his crew.
Story: Kylie Jackes, Issue 627, May 20th, 2010.
