New beginnings
Stunning tranquil beaches helped win over the Kacmarek family. Before Tracy and Bill Kacmarek relocated from California, they did their research. At the top of their location wish list were beautiful beaches, a great climate and being close to an international airport. Refining their search to the coastal stretch between Coolum and Sunshine Beach they found Peregian — bang in the middle — offered everything they could want.
“In California you can’t put a beach towel on the ground without being a metre away from someone. But here you can walk along the beaches for ages and be the only person on it. It is just beautiful. We love the uncrowdedness,” Tracy explains. The couple bought a ‘70s high-set Besser Block house, fully intending to renovate. But after living in it for four years they realised their dreams were bigger than the house and decided to rebuild on the block instead.
As the existing house still had enormous potential, Bill, a builder for Pacificap, relocated it to a Nanango block where he spent several months renovating it to sell. This left their now empty block as the perfect blank canvas to design their ultimate dream house. Inspired by their time living in Bali, the couple wanted to create a contemporary house with a few Asian influences and enlisted building designer Ben Thornton from SBT Designs to draw up their concepts.
“Having lived in a house on the site we knew how the light and elements hit the block and what aspect we’d have building up a bit higher,” Bill explains of the design, which captures the view yet blocks out south-easterly breezes. Set on two levels, the ground floor comprises bedrooms, bathrooms and a living area for children Sierra and Dillon, as well as guests. Upstairs, the floor plan is entirely open with the kitchen, living and dining area flowing on to a deck, which is orientated to take advantage of the sweeping views.
The only designated rooms are the couple’s bedroom, ensuite and study, which sit unobtrusively at the northern end of the house. As the family endured cold winters and hot summers in the former house, a solar passive approach and good insulation were integral to the design, which prompted Bill to investigate alternative building materials. He chose a product called Zego, which are polystyrene interlocking modular units that are stacked without mortar and filled and rendered with concrete.
Bill says the insulated concrete forms (ICFs) had many benefits. “Usually if you are building with cement blocks you need a forklift to move them around on site, but because these were so light they were a lot less labour intensive and incredibly quick to put up. They’re stacked by joining holes and nodes so it is just like using Lego,” he explains. “They’re great for insulation, too. It’s
like living in an Esky.”
Carefully positioned windows, louvres and tinted stacking glass doors also help channel breezes and keep the house cool, while a gas log fireplace above a polished concrete hearth warms the house in winter. “The nice thing about the house is that there are lots of options for opening and closing it off to the elements, so we don’t need airconditioning and it’s always comfortable,” Tracy says.
Both keen cooks and entertainers, the kitchen was designed as the home’s hub and is enveloped in glass to give unimpeded views across the hinterland from Lake Weyba and Mt Cooroy to the Glass House Mountains in the south. A simple and functional polished concrete island bench floats in the centre among a wall of cabinets finished in driftwood veneer, while a bar fridge and extra cupboards wrap around the room below the windows. “I love cooking and having a fantastic kitchen is a great incentive to spend time there,” Tracy says.
With muted grey driftwood tones setting the natural colour scheme for the house, the lower level is finished in natural blue stone. Upstairs, blackbutt flooring merges with the hardwood timber on the deck while bathrooms combine a mix of timber and travertine. The walls, painted in Wattyl’s Alabaster White, take on a grey hue on overcast days. The house, a labour of love, reflects Bill’s ability to convert Tracy’s ideas into reality.
“I’d think of something and explain it to Bill who’d sketch it and work out how to build it,” Tracy says. Bill adds: “I’ve always had a fetish for treehouses and I guess this is kind of like a modern one.” Although they will eventually downsize when their children leave home, for now the couple are content to enjoy their dream home and the idyllic beach setting.
Favourite spot
Tracy I like being in the kitchen where you can see the water and the mountains.
Biggest splurge
Bill The glass, including the stacking sliders and commercial custom windows, was the biggest single expense but it really makes the house.
Best time of day
Tracy In the afternoons we see incredible sunsets, particularly during winter. Living here you also see a lot of sky and trees, and in summer you see great electrical storms.
Story: Kylie Jackes, weekender Issue 631, June 17th, 2010.
Stunning tranquil beaches helped win over the Kacmarek family. Before Tracy and Bill Kacmarek relocated from California, they did their research. At the top of their location wish list were beautiful beaches, a great climate and being close to an international airport. Refining their search to the coastal stretch between Coolum and Sunshine Beach they found Peregian — bang in the middle — offered everything they could want.
“In California you can’t put a beach towel on the ground without being a metre away from someone. But here you can walk along the beaches for ages and be the only person on it. It is just beautiful. We love the uncrowdedness,” Tracy explains. The couple bought a ‘70s high-set Besser Block house, fully intending to renovate. But after living in it for four years they realised their dreams were bigger than the house and decided to rebuild on the block instead.
As the existing house still had enormous potential, Bill, a builder for Pacificap, relocated it to a Nanango block where he spent several months renovating it to sell. This left their now empty block as the perfect blank canvas to design their ultimate dream house. Inspired by their time living in Bali, the couple wanted to create a contemporary house with a few Asian influences and enlisted building designer Ben Thornton from SBT Designs to draw up their concepts.
“Having lived in a house on the site we knew how the light and elements hit the block and what aspect we’d have building up a bit higher,” Bill explains of the design, which captures the view yet blocks out south-easterly breezes. Set on two levels, the ground floor comprises bedrooms, bathrooms and a living area for children Sierra and Dillon, as well as guests. Upstairs, the floor plan is entirely open with the kitchen, living and dining area flowing on to a deck, which is orientated to take advantage of the sweeping views.
The only designated rooms are the couple’s bedroom, ensuite and study, which sit unobtrusively at the northern end of the house. As the family endured cold winters and hot summers in the former house, a solar passive approach and good insulation were integral to the design, which prompted Bill to investigate alternative building materials. He chose a product called Zego, which are polystyrene interlocking modular units that are stacked without mortar and filled and rendered with concrete.
Bill says the insulated concrete forms (ICFs) had many benefits. “Usually if you are building with cement blocks you need a forklift to move them around on site, but because these were so light they were a lot less labour intensive and incredibly quick to put up. They’re stacked by joining holes and nodes so it is just like using Lego,” he explains. “They’re great for insulation, too. It’s
like living in an Esky.”
Carefully positioned windows, louvres and tinted stacking glass doors also help channel breezes and keep the house cool, while a gas log fireplace above a polished concrete hearth warms the house in winter. “The nice thing about the house is that there are lots of options for opening and closing it off to the elements, so we don’t need airconditioning and it’s always comfortable,” Tracy says.
Both keen cooks and entertainers, the kitchen was designed as the home’s hub and is enveloped in glass to give unimpeded views across the hinterland from Lake Weyba and Mt Cooroy to the Glass House Mountains in the south. A simple and functional polished concrete island bench floats in the centre among a wall of cabinets finished in driftwood veneer, while a bar fridge and extra cupboards wrap around the room below the windows. “I love cooking and having a fantastic kitchen is a great incentive to spend time there,” Tracy says.
With muted grey driftwood tones setting the natural colour scheme for the house, the lower level is finished in natural blue stone. Upstairs, blackbutt flooring merges with the hardwood timber on the deck while bathrooms combine a mix of timber and travertine. The walls, painted in Wattyl’s Alabaster White, take on a grey hue on overcast days. The house, a labour of love, reflects Bill’s ability to convert Tracy’s ideas into reality.
“I’d think of something and explain it to Bill who’d sketch it and work out how to build it,” Tracy says. Bill adds: “I’ve always had a fetish for treehouses and I guess this is kind of like a modern one.” Although they will eventually downsize when their children leave home, for now the couple are content to enjoy their dream home and the idyllic beach setting.
Favourite spot
Tracy I like being in the kitchen where you can see the water and the mountains.
Biggest splurge
Bill The glass, including the stacking sliders and commercial custom windows, was the biggest single expense but it really makes the house.
Best time of day
Tracy In the afternoons we see incredible sunsets, particularly during winter. Living here you also see a lot of sky and trees, and in summer you see great electrical storms.
Story: Kylie Jackes, weekender Issue 631, June 17th, 2010.
