The original buildings in this coastal village are small in footprint, with all buildings sharing a simplicity of form and detailing, necessitated by the unskilled nature of their creators. They are generally mono pitched roofs, fibro or weatherboard, with outdoor showers and bathrooms and simple in detail. On the coast generally, when properties change hands, original buildings are often replaced by large suburban houses. Here this approach has been resisted.

This house respects the immediate context, by retaining and renovating an original fishing cottage. The design has been confined to the original footprint, thereby allowing the original landscape to be retained and reinforced.

Much of the living space on the site is actually outside the buildings, in between pavilions or on decks. This works well with the indoor / outdoor nature of visiting here, in the manner of luxury camping. Materials throughout relate to the context of the village, are economical and corrosion resistant. The building is clad in fibre cement weatherboards, painted in a dark colour to minimize the visual impact from the beach.

The NSW north coast is all about surfing and the bush. The attributes of a family home have been distilled down to the basics, moulded to suit the site and optimised for holidays. Careful consideration has been given to the entry to the building, how sand is removed, where surfboards can be stored (out of the sun), where towels dry (in the sun), where wetsuits hang (out of the sun).

The client’s brief was for a simple, compact holiday house that was not ostentatious and fitted in with the place. There is easy transition from the beach to the house and surfaces are hardy so that durability is not a concern. The living spaces open easily to the decks and the roofed deck East of the living space is used extensively, nearly doubling the available living area.