This home was once a farmhouse, creekside between beach and hinterland on the Gold Coast.
Our clients have now undertaken the first stage of our concept for their new home.
The original Queenslander was raised off the ground on a site subject to occasional creek flooding. Our design helped the client renovate the home to suit life for an extended family. The design targets intergenerational living for mum and dad, with their adult kids with partners. And a more engaged life for grandparents sharing the home while their health allows.
The 3 generations are designed to be able to live together but with privacy and dignity for all: to help maintain sanity through the challenges this may bring to any family.
Sharing house, land and life across generations is an option for some of us to help current affordability and rental issues. It also improves the sustainability of our projects. There’s a shortage of houses in Australia. But not of bedrooms. There are so many homes which are difficult to share, or grow older in.
This design teases apart the traditional single built form of houses. The whole home is designed for generations to be able to shift through the spaces of the home as they age in place. And share what they do not need.
The additional spaces created might be more easily shared with other friends, or rented for passive income over time as generations move in and out of the home.
The granny flat is near ground level – for stepless living for grandparents, and ease of access to the site around, or cars for lifts.
Adult kids with their own zones at the entertaining areas of the main home.
And mum and dad far enough from both in the smaller pavilion near the pool. This allows mum and dad to escape the action in the main house when they want to, enjoy views north over the pool – and remain connected to extended family life.
The deck and main living spaces upstairs to the main house are opened to the east over the pool with views to the creek. The pavilion form of the house helps the house and pool to create rich outdoor spaces. These courts and terraces will suit different times of the day and times of year. Helping us to acknowledge and understand our place and its seasons.
Renders of our design for the home by Response Image.
Photos of the stage 1 construction by Response Image.