Residents on Sydney’s Northern Beaches enjoy a strong, rich beach culture and live a relaxed, captivating beach lifestyle. With plenty of local hideaways to explore, spectacular places to watch the sun go down and beach street cafes and restaurants to dine in, it’s little wonder why Heidi and her family decided to stay in the much loved Northern Beaches area.
Heidi and her family were ready for their forever home. After six years of living in their dream location of a leafy, coastal suburb on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, this young, professional family decided it was time to knockdown and rebuild to make way for their growing family.
The decision to finally take the plunge wasn’t an easy one as they had created wonderful memories in their home. However - with the structures falling down around them - the writing was literally on the wall!
“We thought of renovating and were surprised when we realised the cost to knockdown and rebuild with Hall & Hart was a more financially viable option,” says Heidi.
Finding the Right Custom Builder for a Difficult Block
When our client's building journey began, they met with some early disappointment when the first building company they approached turned them down due to their complex block.
“We had limited access and they also anticipated complexities with rock in our area,” says Heidi. The couple were devastated that builders weren’t prepared to take the risk.
“We’d had our heart set on a particular design and thought we’d get the same flexibility from other builders.” In hindsight, they were so grateful they were put into the ‘too hard basket’, as they continued their search for the perfect builder and came across Hall & Hart.
“Not only were Hall & Hart open to working through the difficulties of our block, but they were approachable and had a genuine interest in creating our forever home. It wasn’t about the thrill of another sale; they were in it for the journey.”
At Hall & Hart, we ensure compliance is upfront in the design process which makes way for a smoother, stress-free custom building experience.
Circumventing Problems with Customisation
Our design team and the client's dedicated Hall & Hart Construction Manager, Michael Goodall, got to work, figuring out the complexities of the block to ensure there would be minimal disruption during construction.
“The nature of the block posed some early challenges, with very limited access,” says Michael. “The block is located on a bend on the main road, meaning it is in a blind spot with no stopping. This required a finely-tuned delivery and construction schedule.”
There was also a 2m fall from the front of the block to the back, with the block falling steeply back to a rock ledge. This required complex hydraulics and a retaining wall to be built.
Our team of architects and town planners refigured the home design so that it was ‘stepped’ three times to follow the natural slope, creating an organic flow between the internal spaces.
“To give the home an airy, coastal feel, we also maximised the ceiling height while staying within council guidelines,” says Michael.
Modifications to Create a Personalised Dream Home
Upon visiting and walking through Hall & Hart’s display homes, the clients fell in love with our designs. Heidi and her family wanted to embrace the picturesque landscape of their Northern Beaches location and felt our designs offered a beachy feel allied with architectural sophistication.
“We also wanted to take advantage of our outlook. The coastal design captured our views perfectly and was well suited to our block,” says Heidi.
The complexity of the block and style of home Heidi wanted for her family required several modifications to the design. Heidi and her family worked with our design team in challenging design boundaries, working together to maximise the design to the block’s full potential. The team moved the location of the rumpus room and the alfresco area in the design in order to optimise the views.
“Being our forever home, we needed to future-proof, think about the needs of our children as they got older, more privacy, more versatile spaces etc. Hall & Hart understood that and were flexible with every change.”
Creating a Unique Design with Premium Selections
When it came time to make their selections, Heidi and her family were apprehensive about selecting items to bring a room to life, when they couldn’t envisage how it would all come together once built.
“As a nervous decision maker, choosing colours and finishes from swatches, without the ability to preview what rooms would actually look like was quite stressful to me. The guidance and experience of Hall & Hart’s Interior Designers was extremely beneficial during this process.”
At our Design Studio we like to engage our clients in a positive customer experience and reduce the decision fatigue that is often associated with making your selections. We do this by limiting the number of appointments you need to attend, both internally and with our external suppliers.
Our philosophy at our Design Studio is that your home should reflect your personality and style, it should also function in a way that you want to live. With our industry knowledge and experience, we will help you to achieve what you aspire for your home to be.
Making it an Enjoyable Journey
Many families transitioning from the research phase to the commencement of their new build project embark on an emotionally charged knockdown rebuild journey. Unfortunately, this journey is often marred by misconceptions about the joys of constructing their dream home, fueled by the negative building experiences of their friends and relatives.
As Heidi and her family didn’t quite have the start they expected, we were very proud that the Hall & Hart team gave them the confidence to move forward and build their forever home.
“We had a wonderful experience during all stages of our design and build with Hall & Hart. We were anxious about the construction phase, given all the horror stories you hear, but we couldn’t have been happier with the building supervisor, the level of communication and transparency. It meant that we were always well informed and comfortable with each stage’s progress.”
“We have no hesitation in either using Hall & Hart again or recommending them to friends. In fact, one of our friends has just engaged Hall & Hart to build their home. The team are all so helpful and approachable. Thank you so much to the entire team, it was a really enjoyable experience and we can’t wait to enjoy our home with our family.”
Discover more about Hall & Hart building on the Northern Beaches.
