A Builder Crafts His Family’s Dream Home With Reclaimed Timber and Brick

July 12, 2022

A Builder Crafts His Family’s Dream Home With Reclaimed Timber and Brick

He worked closely with design firm Insider Outsider, using secondhand materials for a sustainable dwelling on the coast.

Project Details:

Location: Mornington Peninsula, Australia

Designer: Insider Outsider / @insider__outsider

Builder: Loreco Constructions / @loreco_constructions

Joinery: CHL Constructions & Coast Cabinets / @coastcabinets

Landscape: Kuku Design / @katiewestle

Styling: Kim Kneipp/ @kim.kneipp

Photographer: Willem-Dirk du Toit / @willem_dirk

From the Architect: "After selling their home in Blairgowrie, this family searched for three years for the perfect place to build their home. In 2019, when a piece of land finally popped up in their favorite coastal town, they jumped at the opportunity. They had a strong desire to build a sustainable home that was bright and playful. Working closely with design firm Insider Outsider, they created a home that feels private as soon as you cross the threshold.

"The husband, Matt, who is also a builder, is incredibly passionate about using sustainable materials wherever possible. The external cladding is reclaimed cypress, and internally you can find recycled hardwood timber floors, reclaimed blackbutt cladding and recycled bricks.

"Highline windows along the south side offer glimpses to the sky as you move through the home, and windows along the northern side open up to the enclosed garden. A screen sits alongside the pool, creating the privacy that the family desired. The eaves provide shelter from the sun in high summer while allowing the lower winter sun to stream in, decreasing the need to use artificial heating. On cooler nights, the Chiminees Philippe fireplace heats the surrounding recycled brick, generating thermal mass that keeps the home warm longer."