For many of us, the home terrace or patio is a safe haven, a place to escape and enjoy some personal space. Unfortunately, Mother Nature regularly has other plans for us. If you’re sick of your morning coffee routine being interrupted by the cold wind, the solution is simple: a retractable terrace enclosure.

Get more time from your outdoor area

A retractable enclosure means you can shield yourself from the elements without sacrificing the feeling of the sun on your skin when the weather permits. Attached to a retaining wall, or other structure, a retractable terrace enclosure can be opened or closed by the click of a button. Say goodbye to the pesky Mossies’ ruining your sundowners and say hello to temperature control and protection.

Bang for your buck

Our favourite feature of the TPEC terrace enclosures is that their product range doesn’t require you to compromise your home’s style. Completely customizable to your preferences TPEC terrace enclosures will ensure you get the most out of your outdoor living space, all year round.

A retractable enclosure is a long-term investment, reducing energy expenses and maintenance costs. During the day, natural light will warm up the enclosure and retain the heat for when the nighttime chill sets in.

For more information

TPEC Australia

The post Bring the indoors out with a retractable terrace Enclosure appeared first on Completehome.

Terrace houses are integral to the Sydney ethos, lining the streets with history and character. Architect Annabelle Chapman secured herself a diamond in the rough that had been stripped of its original details, but this didn’t stop her from drawing up a plan to rebuild the residence and restore it to its former glory.

They say visualisation is the key to making things happen, and in this case it certainly worked. Before Annabelle took the leap and purchased the Paddington house in 2013, she designed it in its entirety — essentially turning her vision into reality. “The final design was almost identical to the initial sketch plan,” she says. The terrace was renovated for the worse in the ’70s, with the removal of original internal details and some external details, too, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade — or in this case, start from scratch. The brief revolved around creating a three-bedroom, three-bathroom house (it was originally two bedrooms) on different levels for Annabelle and her family.

“The brief also included the total renovation of all the living areas, which resulted in the demolition and rebuilding of the entire house, keeping only the existing front and side walls of the terrace,” says Annabelle. “I wanted to create a contemporary space using steel, recycled ironbark and concrete as the main materials. As it was a terrace house, with an internal width of just over 4 metres, it was important to design the space with minimalism.”

Beginning the project in January 2015, the build was a collaborative effort and the home was signed, sealed and delivered in February 2016. “I had great rapport with the builder and all the workmen on the project,” says Annabelle. “I was on-site almost every day for an hour or so in the morning on my way to work.”

One of the greatest parts of building a new house is seeing it all come together, and thanks to the heavy use of concrete in the design, the architect was able to bear witness to the home coming to life. “My favourite parts of the project were the concrete pours, as the building changed quickly and the floors were instantly created,” she says. “Additionally, the arrival and installation of the steel stairs was very exciting. The stairs came in five large sections and were hand-welded on-site by five Italians muttering together with the odd cigarette hanging out of their mouths!”

Broken up into common and private sections, the living area is the hub of the home and features the steel staircase which leads to the upper three levels that house the bedrooms. “The staircase provides a sculptural element to the space,” says Annabelle. “There’s also a light well filling the house with uninterrupted northern light.”

The kitchen and dining room are located half a level down from the central living room, but all the spaces are connected by the same vein. “The floors, walls and ceilings to the kitchen and living areas are predominantly polished and off-form concrete,” explains Annabelle. “Aluminium sliding doors stack away and open up the rear section of the house to the polished concrete rear terrace.”

Far from being a one-trick pony, the Paddington Terrace isn’t just special because of its enviable location — it’s a compact capsule of the essence of Sydney living. Thoughtful in its approach, the home is minimalist in design but maximalist at heart.

Written by Annabelle Cloros

Originally in Grand Designs Australia Volume 6 Issue 3

The post Grand Designs Australia: An iconic terrace transformer appeared first on Completehome.

Esthec’s Terrace is a revolutionary composite decking, suitable for outdoor applications including, but not limited to; terraces, beach club patios, balconies, courtyards, spa and pool decks, rooftop gardens, docks and jetties. It can also be used for cladding / vertical applications.

An extensive range of colours with natural variations in shade is avaliable. Quick and easy to install, also included is:

• 25 year residential/15 year commercial warranty
• Splinter-free and luxurious to touch
• Low maintenance and slip resistant
• Highly durable, stain and scratch resistant
• Zero clearance (suitable for very low deck structures)
• Direct adhesion to concrete or waterproof membrane
• UV stable and eco-friendly
• Composition and Manufacture

Esthec’s Terrace contains no timber or PVC and is made with a stable, waterproof glassfibre base, ensuring minimal expansion and contraction. The top layer is constructed using 25% recycled content, 85% natural materials, and 25 different components, including natural fibres, polymers, minerals, and resins.

For more information

Esthec

The post Terrace of the future appeared first on Completehome.

You may have been wowed by the sprawling green wall or perhaps the outdoor entertaining/dining area. But opinions aside, it’s safe to say this South Yarra apartment block is now a greener place thanks to Inge Jabara Landscapes, taken on for the job by Northern Beaches couple Josh and Charlotte. The aesthetic of the space revolves around Scandinavian and Australian influences — think lashings of timber combined with warm =QUOTE=and soft furnishings.
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The area serves as the formal entrance to the apartment, the goal being to create maximum impact that would set the standard for the rest of the home. “South Yarra demands a touch of luxury and we wanted to design this on a whole new level,” says Inge. “Having grown up around South Yarra, it was easy for me to design this space. It is minimal, however there’s a wow factor when you’re standing inside it.” A seven-metre blackbutt timber wall embodies the aforementioned “wow factor”.

Inge and her team encountered various challenges along the way, including being hit with tight and nearly impossible deadlines, unfinished walls, and the fact that their staircase (and access) was taken away on day two of the build. But despite being faced with never-ending hurdles, the team persevered with the green wall, erecting scaffolding to install an automatic watering system and ivy that will continue to grow and cascade down the timber. “At night there is romantic lighting and a glow that can be seen from all levels,” says Inge. “The cells that the plants are in will restrict their growth as there is only so much root room. I personally installed the irrigation system to make sure there would be no faults. As my client Josh said, ‘It’s The Block — there are always going to be challenges.’”

Equipped with a barbecue and wine fridge, sitting area and dining table, there’s plenty of space for outdoor entertaining in this terrace that flows on nicely to the entry foyer of the apartment. Prunus lusitanica, box hedges, oak leaf hydrangeas and grape vine create a harmonious feel in the outdoor space, the greenery balancing with all the modern amenities you’d expect in an up-market terrace.

“In this day and age apartments are getting smaller, however the green element is getting more vertical if we continue to make sure it is still a part of the project,” says Inge.

Awarded an impressive 28.5 out of 30 for the reveal, Josh and Charlotte’s terrace was only narrowly beaten by all stars Dea and Darren, who received the perfect score. The apartment eventually sold for $2.2 million, delivering a profit of $810,000.

It’s safe to say this stunning terrace played a big role in enticing buyers to pay the big bucks to live in a slice of South Yarra paradise.

For more information,
ingejabaralandscapes.com.au

Photography by Tim Turner

Originally from Outdoor Rooms magazine 29

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