Architecture
6 Features to Consider When Designing a Coastal Home
To bring out the best features in the design of your coastal abode, consider the weather, materials, fittings – and, especially, the view
“I can see the sea and the sea can see me” was the cry from the first of my siblings to glimpse the distant ocean. This announced the start of our summer holiday: five kids jostling for a glimpse of the sea view, crammed into a Ford Falcon, caravan in tow. The destination was Port Campbell, Victoria, a sleepy little seaside town that lay on the Great Ocean Road, a highway that hugs the southern coastline of south-eastern Australia. This annual pilgrimage, a fortnight by the sea, a retreat from our farm and school, captures the best memories of my childhood. It has fuelled my desire to raise my children by the coast in Ocean Grove, a town which is also on the Victorian coastline.
My story is similar to many who have chosen to relocate or invest in property by the ocean – whether it be a home, holiday retreat or a place to retire. The coastal environment is spectacular, beautiful and at the same time harsh, unforgiving, windswept and corrosive. For this reason, it is important to think carefully about the design features you hope to magnify in your coastal abode, including what materials you plan to use to achieve them. The design must first and foremost be built to last and endure the salty environs, but it should also serve to create the next generation’s seaside memories. Here are some favourite design features that top my list.
My story is similar to many who have chosen to relocate or invest in property by the ocean – whether it be a home, holiday retreat or a place to retire. The coastal environment is spectacular, beautiful and at the same time harsh, unforgiving, windswept and corrosive. For this reason, it is important to think carefully about the design features you hope to magnify in your coastal abode, including what materials you plan to use to achieve them. The design must first and foremost be built to last and endure the salty environs, but it should also serve to create the next generation’s seaside memories. Here are some favourite design features that top my list.
Timber can be an extremely durable cladding. You can stain it, paint it or even leave it to weather naturally. It has a coastal feel, blending seamlessly with the natural environment, as seen in this dwelling by Wolveridge Architects. The house nestles beautifully within the coastal bush setting and the timber cladding melds with the landscape.
Check out this timber beach house
Check out this timber beach house
Colorbond has developed a corrosive-resistant metal cladding (and roofing) recommended for use in a seaside environment. This has been used as the primary wall cladding in this DE atelier project in Lorne, Victoria. It is highly resistant and durable. The exposed steel requires thoughtful treatment: it should be hot-dipped and galvanised to provide a protective coating to prevent rusting. Watch out for steel that has been welded or cut off as this will create a weak point for rust. It is also preferable that the steel is bolted together.
2. A room with a view
If you are lucky enough to have a site with a sea view, you will want to make the most of this opportunity. Careful consideration will be needed for the design and placement of glazing. Obviously, the more you can afford, the better the view. In this image, oversized, glazed doors slide back to reveal a spectacular view – when the residents breathe deeply, they are sure to smell the ocean air. The design, by Gavin Maddock Design Studio, demonstrates exemplar warm-climate design, featuring limited internal walls, allowing unobstructed airflow across the living/kitchen/dining space.
If you are lucky enough to have a site with a sea view, you will want to make the most of this opportunity. Careful consideration will be needed for the design and placement of glazing. Obviously, the more you can afford, the better the view. In this image, oversized, glazed doors slide back to reveal a spectacular view – when the residents breathe deeply, they are sure to smell the ocean air. The design, by Gavin Maddock Design Studio, demonstrates exemplar warm-climate design, featuring limited internal walls, allowing unobstructed airflow across the living/kitchen/dining space.
This view of the rear of the Maddock house shows the building’s transparent centre. It has large glazed walls to the north and south, opening the vista across the living zone and out to the ocean. A single flat roof extends across the mid section to create a generous outdoor living area to the rear. The oversized eaves provide protection from a hot sun, creating a welcome relief from summer heat. The eaves also allow the house to be open during a downpour. The eastern and western side walls have few windows, bookending the living area and reducing the amount of heat that’s generated by the morning and afternoon sun.
3. A sunroom buffer zone
This house is perched on a hill overlooking the rugged south-eastern coastline of Lorne, Victoria. The beautiful ocean view is on the southern side of the house but this orientation also cops ferocious wind and rain throughout the winter. DE atelier Architects designed a spacious sunroom with overhead glazing to take advantage of the view, to provide warmth and light, as well as to form a barrier between untoward weather and other parts of the house. Adjoining the sunroom is a living area and master bedroom, and this inner sanctum benefits from heat captured by the sunroom’s design. To prevent overheating the sunroom in the warmer months, the cool sea breeze passes through large, sash-less glass windows and fans (on sensors).
This house is perched on a hill overlooking the rugged south-eastern coastline of Lorne, Victoria. The beautiful ocean view is on the southern side of the house but this orientation also cops ferocious wind and rain throughout the winter. DE atelier Architects designed a spacious sunroom with overhead glazing to take advantage of the view, to provide warmth and light, as well as to form a barrier between untoward weather and other parts of the house. Adjoining the sunroom is a living area and master bedroom, and this inner sanctum benefits from heat captured by the sunroom’s design. To prevent overheating the sunroom in the warmer months, the cool sea breeze passes through large, sash-less glass windows and fans (on sensors).
4. A relaxing outdoor alcove
When designing your coastal abode, it is important to create a protected outdoor niche where you can sit back and enjoy the sun and, if positioned right, hopefully the view. Along the Australian coastline, there are many beachside locations where the wind will sometimes be blustering off the ocean. Shelter from the wind is paramount. Usually, if you can create a north-facing deck, you can settle down to a quiet sun-drenched moment. The walls of the house pictured here wrap around the south and west side, protecting the north-facing deck and extending the time the homeowners can spend outdoors.
Best decks for Australian weather
When designing your coastal abode, it is important to create a protected outdoor niche where you can sit back and enjoy the sun and, if positioned right, hopefully the view. Along the Australian coastline, there are many beachside locations where the wind will sometimes be blustering off the ocean. Shelter from the wind is paramount. Usually, if you can create a north-facing deck, you can settle down to a quiet sun-drenched moment. The walls of the house pictured here wrap around the south and west side, protecting the north-facing deck and extending the time the homeowners can spend outdoors.
Best decks for Australian weather
5. An outdoor shower
One of the most common requests to include in the design for a coastal home is an outdoor shower. It’s a welcome place to wash off sand and salt before heading indoors. You can select high-quality stainless steel fittings for your outdoor shower but eventually they will corrode. A good option is to buy cheaper fittings and allow for their replacement every couple of years – all grades will succumb to the salt air eventually. If you’re handy, this may be a more economical solution than purchasing the stainless steel counterpart. Otherwise, you might want to consider making a feature of the space, with quality fittings, like this stylish New Yorker outdoor shower designed by West Chin Architects & Interior Designers.
One of the most common requests to include in the design for a coastal home is an outdoor shower. It’s a welcome place to wash off sand and salt before heading indoors. You can select high-quality stainless steel fittings for your outdoor shower but eventually they will corrode. A good option is to buy cheaper fittings and allow for their replacement every couple of years – all grades will succumb to the salt air eventually. If you’re handy, this may be a more economical solution than purchasing the stainless steel counterpart. Otherwise, you might want to consider making a feature of the space, with quality fittings, like this stylish New Yorker outdoor shower designed by West Chin Architects & Interior Designers.
6. A storage spot for surf gear
One of the reasons people love the ocean is that there is a gigantic playground right at your back door. Don’t forget to provide a storage area for little and big kids’ toys, whether they be surfboards or boogie boards, bikes, frisbees or beach balls. This house proudly displays the occupant’s passion for surfing, with a purpose-built storage rack created to store surfboards.
TELL US
Do you have a home by the sea? What are the most important features of your home? Tell us about them in the Comments.
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One of the reasons people love the ocean is that there is a gigantic playground right at your back door. Don’t forget to provide a storage area for little and big kids’ toys, whether they be surfboards or boogie boards, bikes, frisbees or beach balls. This house proudly displays the occupant’s passion for surfing, with a purpose-built storage rack created to store surfboards.
TELL US
Do you have a home by the sea? What are the most important features of your home? Tell us about them in the Comments.
MORE
Houzz Tour: Coastal Cabin Turned Luxury Mornington Peninsula Getaway
Australian Native Coastal Plants Bring the Beach Home
My Houzz: Rugged South Aussie Coastal Site Inspires Studio Sanctuary
The selection of materials, especially those that clad the home externally, are critically important to how well a coastal home stands up to exposure. When choosing a material, you should consider both its aesthetic character and ability to withstand the corrosive environment of the salt air. In the imposing home pictured here, Louise Nettleton Architects have chosen off-form concrete (which refers to concrete cast against formwork) for the blades, screens, overhangs and the deep gills. Concrete is a dense material so these design features will not only stand the test of time, even in a salty environment, but will also provide the interiors with a barrier to overheating in summer.