Textures and Colours of Australia Come Together in a Family Farmhouse

Melbourne residents James and Katie had long dreamt of building their forever house somewhere in regional Victoria. When they found a picturesque 20-acre property overlooking the coast on the stunning Mornington Peninsula, they knew they had found the perfect spot. Just an hour south of Melbourne, it offered the best of both worlds - sweeping coastal views and the freedom of agricultural zoning.

Though city dwellers previously, James had always been a farmer at heart. The land offered space, purpose and possibility. And when it came to choosing an architect, the decision was easy. Abe McCarthy had previously designed their Melbourne home, and the collaboration had built a deep understanding of style and intent.

“They wanted a home that had a modern homestead-like quality, an enclave of farm buildings that responded to nature” explains Abe. The final design brought this vision to life through three interconnecting pavilions that combine Australian timber, stone and COLORBOND® steel, all perfectly complementing the surrounding landscape. “While the house works beautifully as a family house, it's also a functioning part of the land around it.”

Designed with Environmental Considerations in Mind

Focus on environmental performance was an important element in the design and build of the property. Abe designed the footprint of the building oriented just off direct north, balancing panoramic views with passive solar efficiency. “You've got the deep overhangs that block out the hot high summer sun, while the low winter light pours in to warm the home naturally” he explains. 

Further commitments to thoughtful, energy-efficient design are enhanced by the owners’ implementation of a range of off-grid initiatives. All domestic hot water and hydronic heating throughout the house comes from a pellet boiler fuelled by small timber pellets made from compacted waste sawdust. There’s also a substantial solar array on top of the machinery shed, further supporting the household’s energy needs.

Building with Trust and Collaboration

Choosing the right builder was another key step. Through mutual connections, the couple met Glenn Longstaff of Gstruct Group, whose experience in regional and coastal environments proved invaluable. “Communication is everything,” says Glenn. “Make sure you meet your builder and architect before you sign, see how you can work through challenges together - don’t underestimate your gut feel.”

Materials that Work in Harmony with the Land

When it came to choosing materials for the finished structure, Abe says there was a real desire to embrace responsible living as well. “We wanted to use locally sourced materials, and that ties into the timber - all Australian timber, the roof - all Australian roof, and the stone as well, which is a limestone from WA”.  Colours were chosen that complemented the earthy tones of the surrounding bushland and landscape, creating a structure that blends with the environment. It became a simple combination of a roof made from COLORBOND® steel in Monument® Matt which dramatically contrasted with the external walls clad in timber, and feature walls of limestone.  Specifying materials to suit the environment is something that you can work on with both your architect and builder to achieve the result you want.

Glenn sees the roofing decision as a good example of that: “It's always about putting forward the right materials for the right purpose – and on this project COLORBOND® steel in the Nail Strip profile met the requirements of the architect as well as the client’s budget – you’ve got to be mindful of that”. As a big plus, it also ticked all the performance boxes. The six Matt colours in the COLORBOND® steel range all feature special Thermatech® solar reflectance technology, designed to reflect more of the sun’s heat on hot, sunny days, helping reduce energy consumption in the home  . Not only is it durable and resilient in Australia's harsh climate, but its long life can help conserve resources and energy that may otherwise be invested in products with shorter life spans. Oh, and all COLORBOND® steel contains recycled content and the steel itself is 100% recyclable. 

Creating such a roof showed the value in choosing a builder with experience in these sorts of environments – in this case, a unique roof called for a unique approach as Glenn explains: “The roof is a defining feature. We built a small one-to-one scale roof on the ground and did a sample mockup so we could work out how to waterproof it properly and make sure that each sheet overlapped.

Abe loves the way the roof turned out: “At a 40-degree pitch, it was such a strong visual element, we knew it had to be perfect. The Nail Strip profile delivers that bold, sculptural quality. You come down that driveway, and the roof is the first thing you see – it's that hero element of the building and it starts to give you that thrill of what may be happening spatially in that building. You experience it even more when you go inside and you're immersed within that dramatic, fully expressed gable. It's an incredible experience. So, yeah, very, important part of it and really successful.”
 

A Home that Reflects its Setting

Flinders House is a spectacular success in the way it seamlessly blends family home with farm living in such a stunning location – it echoes the colours and textures of the surrounding landscape with a collection of unique parts that add up to a very memorable whole. It’s a place where function, form and family life coexist seamlessly with authenticity and grace.

An award-winning home designed by Abe McCarthy Architects, built by Glenn Longstaff from Gstruct group, imagined and loved by James and Katie, with COLORBOND® steel proudly Made by Australia.