Rebuild creates level playing field

This family had lived in a modest 1960s house since 2000 but with two young children and a big dog, they needed more space.

They thought about renovating but decided the cost related to the compromises they’d have to make would not be worth it.

Instead, they sat down with Design and Construct Residential, which came up with plans for a new one-level home on their Sorrento block.

The plans went to tender and the job was won by Zazen Building and Design.

The owner said she and her husband wanted to keep the original curved concrete swimming pool in the backyard and were able to use the tin from the roof of the original house to cover the pool and protect it during the eight-month build.

She said apart from having a fabulous new four-bedroom, two-bathroom home, another bonus of the project was that the beloved swimming pool was now on the same level as the Alfresco area, main bedroom and open-plan kitchen, dining and family room.

“The block rises from the street and you had to step up to get to the pool,” she said.

“Now we’ll be able to see into the water even from our bed and we have a door from the bedroom to the pool for midnight swims.”

The pool’s turquoise coloured concrete informed colour choices inside, with the kitchen splashback, a light over the dining table, a rug and several retro chairs — finds from Gumtree — echoing its ocean shimmer. A light and rug were purchased from IKEA.

The owner said they were delighted with the build and had not experienced any of the problems people often reported when building.

The problem of the sloping block was solved by having a slightly raised front veranda and steps inside from the children’s wing at the front to the rest of the house.

Zazen project manager Dino Colica said he and construction manager John Simunovich and their team were proud of the home.

“I think it ended up being nicer than they’d envisaged. And, if anything, the slight step-ups add a feature and help to delineate zones,” Mr Colica said.

“The house looks great in the street. It has a contemporary front elevation with a linear, minimalist appearance.

“You see that cube design on two-storey homes where the balcony section may mimic a cube.

“In this house, the cube has been interpreted on the front veranda.”