With a request to bring the beachside lifestyle home for them to enjoy, this young family envisaged a swimming pool and spa that had both form and function. It was to provide a great area for the whole family and when not in use, an incredible view over the rolling paddocks of Point Leo, a quiet rural surfing locality on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Designed and built by Coastal Pools & Spas, this sleek 10m-long rectangular pool and spa captures the best of rural and coastal living, while also entertaining the whole family regardless of the time of year or weather conditions, courtesy of gas heating. “This pool and spa combination really is the perfect family entertainer for year-round enjoyment,” says Steve Lord of Coastal Pools & Spas, whose company specialises in designing and building pools on the Mornington Peninsula.

The project is also one of stunning contrasts — it features a combination of hard and soft landscaping, with the contrast of the linear decking sitting well against the irregular bluestone steppers. In addition, the deep charcoal tones of the pool and spa mosaic tiles contrast with the warm Victorian ash decking.

After he had spent many years in the industry, Steve Lord established Coastal Pools & Spas in 1979. At that time there were only a handful of pool builders and designers on the Mornington Peninsula, and he quickly developed a solid company and an enviable reputation for building quality pools that met his clients’ requirements. This has continued through to the present, with the majority of the company’s projects gained through referrals from satisfied clients or repeat business. The team at Coastal Pools & Spas take pride in the quality of their designs, products and service, with friendly, knowledgeable employees working to make dreams come true.

“At Coastal Pools & Spas we handle all aspects of the pool installation — it’s a complete personal service,” says Steve. “We spend a great amount of time with our clients discussing the needs and wants for their swimming pool. Once we have some parameters, we then move on to our design studio, where a comprehensive 3D image is constructed. From here, our focus is on finding what will work best for our clients through the use of tangible and visual samples, from materials right through to the colour palette. With a complete personal service, we find this is the best way to build great relationships with our clients that extend for many years.”

The team works on around 15 pools in and around the Mornington Peninsula each year and specialises in building quality high-end concrete swimming pools. Coastal Pools & Spas is a member of the Master Builders Association of Victoria and SPASA Victoria and most recently received a Highly Commended award for Lap Pool of the Year 2021 Victoria.

For more information, 

Coastal pools & spas 

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When you’ve spent the last 30 years building spectacular homes for other people, the prospect of building the home you plan to retire in is truly exciting. This was the situation in which Dr Tracy and Dr Paul Wakefield, owners of Appalachian, found themselves.

The interior of their dream home has an industrial look, which can be seen in the light fittings, exposed wiring and unique kitchen work island. “This benchtop was made from timber we recovered from a pallet for a six-metre-long machine shipped to us from Austria,” says Tracy. “The timber was pretty difficult to work with as it was a rough pallet, but the end result is terrific and suits the industrial look.”

The staircase is another bespoke element. “Luckily, through our many years of sourcing weird and wonderful Australian timber for our clients, we knew a lot of excellent suppliers. After seeing a mortice and tenon staircase at Griffith Tablecraft in Northern NSW, we both knew that’s what we wanted and one of our suppliers was happy to come to the party,” says Tracy. “They made our staircase from a lightning strike Ironbark tree. Some leftover metal balusters from an old job and some beautiful rosewood handrails turned the whole thing into a truly remarkable construction.”

The design of the home is what Tracy calls “very Canadian”. This can be seen in the steep roof, prow front and vaulted ceilings that show off the amazing craftsmanship of the frame. “The whole thing has a character that is hard to put into words, but most people comment on how beautiful it is and are stunned when they see inside,” she says. “Big verandahs all the way around the house add a bit of Aussie flavour and provide a fantastic outdoor space in which to enjoy the river environment. They also serve to protect all the timber.”

European-style tilt and turn uPVC windows with a warm woodgrain finish were used throughout the home. They provide impressive energy efficiency and look just like timber windows but don’t need the maintenance that timber windows demand. The Wakefields have a window manufacturing business, Plustec, that makes these windows and they come standard with Appalachian homes.

The build did throw up a few challenges. “There were initial obstacles drilling the foundations as the site had a very deep layer of very wet clay. The next obstacle was to find carpenters who had skills in large, traditional timber joinery. Luckily, we found some French carpenters who were travelling around Australia on working holiday visas,” says Tracy.

“The last obstacle was how to design so many valley beams and ridges meeting over the prow area and a more log home prow look with traditional timber framing. Our French carpenters solved this and imbued the work with some incredible features.” The result is an impeccably built home that is the culmination of Tracy and Paul’s extensive experience as log and heavy timber frame kit home designers and builders.

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Appalachian 

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The modern design gives character to the home and creates a comfortable living environment for the family. The owners had a strong desire to maximise the rural setting and maintain a clear connection to the landscape. Gremmo Homes has achieved this through the epic glazed panels which provide viewing points from every aspect of the property.

The exterior of the home, christened The Haven, features the architectural layering of dry-pressed brickwork, extensive glazing and a conspicuous roofline, all of which give it a distinctive facade. Inside, the vast entrance is flanked by double-height windows, allowing natural light to flood the main passageway.

Features such as wide-board engineered timber flooring, stark walling and an almost monochromatic kitchen palette, all favoured by the owners, add exciting layers to the interiors. The Haven offers a functionally designed house with a focus on passageways that allow fluidity within the home. Emphasising the outdoor surrounds, the large glass sliding panels are receptive to cool and warm temperatures and create spaces that are consistently adaptable to the family’s needs.

The build came with bushfire-related challenges. The property has the highest Flame Zone (FZ) rating so a great deal of effort and research was involved during the design process. It was the clients’ desire to ensure an integrated and flawless finish with regards to the required bushfire items (which included a 5m-high FZ-compliant custom entry door unit) and this has been seamlessly achieved. The build also includes double-glazing to all windows and doors.

From the functional communal areas to the clever juxtaposition of finishes, The Haven is characterised by fluidity and thoughtfully created living zones.

For more information

Gremmo Homes

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