Late in 1990, the director of Oppidan Homes was approached by a retired doctor who owned a home on a large block of land in leafy St Ives.
Realising the land could be subdivided, the client asked Oppidan Homes to present a preparation to subdivide while retaining the accessible home, part of which was on the bordering land, allowing the other block to be accessible for sale.
Plans were presented to reinstate the existing home, which would remove part of the house from the adjoining site. This was achieved by placing the bedrooms on the new second level, and freeing the adjoining site for the new vacant lot.
Once the ideas were acknowledged by the client, Oppidan Homes organised the subdivision and the renovation.
The director of Oppidan Homes is often approached by clients to find land on which to build new homes and this occasion was no exception. The new vacant lot appealed to one of Stevens’s clients who purchased the land and custom-built with Oppidan to design a family home.
This new prestige home was designed to complement the style of the existing, adjacent home and the neighbourhood. It retains a classic facade to the street while featuring the new finishes in its interior.
The home is constructed from cavity brick and concrete slabs with a rendered and painted finish. The roof is tiled, with corbelling under all eaves. The western red cedar windows used throughout also feature decorative corbelling, which gives the home's exterior a distinctive character.
The southern elevation is to the street front, with all the living and entertaining areas to the north-facing rear. Entry to the house is through the imposing front portico, which features rendered brick columns and square-set rendered bulkheads with triple corbelling.
The ground floor layout includes the master bedroom with walk-in robes, large ensuite bathroom and study, bedroom two powder room, laundry, large gourmet kitchen, meals, formal living and dining rooms and a double garage.
The great, covered rear terrace is accessed from the kitchen, meals area and formal lounge. Combined with the gleaming in-ground swimming pool, spa and landscaped gardens, this peaceful and sunny location is ideal to relax and entertain family and friends.
An open courtyard between the formal lounge and dining areas provides an enjoyable outlook from these rooms. Located on the second floor are two additional bedrooms, large rumpus room, library and roomy three-way bathroom with all amenities separated from each other allowing individual use.
Flooring throughout the ground level features a combination of selected brushbox, ceramic tiles and pure wool carpet, with carpet to all areas on the second floor.
