This Currarong Building Project Brief
Located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Sanders Constructions Projects were engaged to create a dream home on a lovely property in Currarong.
Owners, David and Jos, have a keen interest in environmental solutions and this formed a major focus on their design brief. Sustainability is a passion for Sanders Construction projects and we love it when clients of ours come to us with proactive ideas.
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They also requested underfloor, hydronic heating, which is an excellent way to heat a South Coast home in those cooler months. More commonly installed in concrete slabs, we had this installed between floor joists on both upper and lower levels. This is the only heating in the house and is an excellent solution as the system is powered by efficient modern day heat pumps.
The architect specified the use of Magnesium Oxide board in alot of areas. This product was suitable for its durability, long life and zero maintenance possibilities.
Our Approach
This Currarong Building Project had an extremely complex design which involved a lot of coordination and collaboration with the quite detail driven and technically minded clients.
As a somewhat abstract design, we had to approach this Currarong Building Project with an open mind, and we also had to put a lot of trust and faith on the innovative and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking that the architect exhibited.
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A build this complex would not have been as much as a success as it was without the level of communication and project management that we dutifully applied. From the onset, we noticed that communication could make or break a project like this, so we made it our focus.
Automated blinds, integrated wood storage, custom made arched aluminium doors, hardwood louvre storage area doors and underfloor heating in the bathroom were just some of the finer details that completed this fabulous home addition and made it the perfect home for our happy clients.
Obstacles that we overcame
In the ground
Due to the location of the site, it was expected that the house would be built on top of a solid rock shelf. Upon excavation, however, it was discovered that the ground consisted of large and small boulders, making for uneven and at times unstable foundations.
We worked in with engineers to identify the most suitable way forward. At one stage this involved recruiting a large excavation rock-saw to cut trenches in the rocks as well as altering the construction method for the small polished concrete slab.
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The flooring
A new, highly durable, environmentally friendly product was specified throughout most of this Currarong building project.
Initially, we were to be substituting traditional fibre cement sheeting as the flooring material for this new ‘magnesium oxide’ product (named Inex), however, we ran into issues on the ground floor.
The quality of the supplied product did meet our high expectations and we had to alter the construction methods to suit the material.
Wall cladding
As outlined in the customers brief, one of their requests was low maintenance.
One of the reasons ‘Inex’ (the flooring product from above) was selected was because of its low maintenance and durability. Effectively, the product can be buried underground and still maintain its integrity – making it a brilliant option for cladding.
Due to the raw finish of the finished product, we had to take extreme care with installation methods to ensure a flat, even finished product was achieved as all fixings were concealed and fillers were not used.
Even things like over tightening fixings would show up if not executed perfectly. This level of detail ended up taking three times as long as we planned for, however, the result was remarkable.
Sunroom fan
The sunroom is an integral part of the homes design. It would be used to heat the house during winter using the clear roof sheeting which spanned the 3.6m room unsupported.
To maximise ‘heat transfer’ in the winter months, a fan would be required to circulate the air. With no supports to mount the fan, an idea was hatched by the architect to suspend the fan on stainless steel hollow tubes, fixed to each corner of the sunroom.
An installation method that we had never seen before and to be honest was quite sceptical of. Much to everyone’s surprise, the architects’ design, not only looked great, it operates flawlessly.
This Currarong building project’s outcome
As with many highly architecturally detailed homes, there are obstacles that need to be navigated. Some of them being far more obvious than others.
Detail was at the forefront of this project, all the way through its development. The clients were very attentive and knowledgeable in the way of what was being done, which meant that we had to rise to the occasion and deliver excellence.
This attention to detail resulted in a finished project, worthy of attention. From concept to creation, there are so many amazing facets to this home that in hindsight, we couldn’t be more proud of. This home truly is an amazing spectacle, and the clients are ecstatic with the end result as you can see from their glowing testimonial below.
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What would we have done differently?
If we had our time over, we would have insisted on amore traditional construction method for the flooring from the beginning.
Although the intentions were grand, the installation needed more research and better testing for the applications that we were trying to use it for.
Modern day pine framing timber is not what it used to be. The material often comes bowed, twisted and warped. This timber frames we were supplied on this project were sub standard and resulted in a highly labour intensive process to remedy. Since this project, we now have sourced a much better solution and our timber frames are installed straight and true, first time.
Warren and the team at Sanders Construction projects, communicated extremely well, with his emails and texts detailed, clear and timely. We thoroughly enjoyed the build process and getting to know his crew, and subcontractors, particularly those who live in the same village.
When we took ownership of our new home in May 2018 we were pleased to find that the extensive input from our building designer, Dick, and the workmanship and attention to detail of Warren and his team had come together in a home that is wonderful to live in. Warm in winter, with protection from the westerlies and cool in summer with the north easterly winds doing their thing, in the place of air conditioning
The views of the water, mountains and bush never cease to delight us.