Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Avid Rock Climbers Create a Mountain Getaway
Two friends had their dream holiday home built on a plot in the Blue Mountains, enabling them to indulge in their favourite pastime
After a long day scrambling up and down the world-famous Blue Mountains, about an hour and a half outside of Sydney, who wouldn’t want to come back to a holiday home immersed in nature and soak their weary bones? This was exactly what Francois Ladouceur and Dominik Mersch had in mind when they asked Ruth Kealy of Up Architects to build them their idyllic retreat in Little Hartley. The two friends are avid rock climbers and grew tired of the drive to and from the city when they went on their outdoor adventures. They wanted a home in the bush that could also host their friends, fellow climbers and artists.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Francois Ladouceur who is a Professor of Photonic Engineering, and Dominik Mersch who owns Dominik Mersch Gallery
Location: Little Hartley, NSW
Size: 140 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and sauna
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Francois Ladouceur who is a Professor of Photonic Engineering, and Dominik Mersch who owns Dominik Mersch Gallery
Location: Little Hartley, NSW
Size: 140 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and sauna
The nature of the site meant that Kealy had many considerations to make concerning the build. “It was steeply sloping, heavily treed and located in a high-risk bushfire zone,” she says. To account for the bushfire risk, the tree canopy was trimmed. It was also important to both the clients that the house could accommodate a lot of people, but still feel spacious.
Kealy also says that Ladouceur and Mersch asked that the house exist on one level, that it was shielded from the main road and western sun, and it be a low-maintenance house that is cool in summer and warm in winter, without having to rely on air conditioning. Finally, with Mersch’s extensive art collection, they asked that the house had plenty of space to hang his prized pieces.
Kealy also says that Ladouceur and Mersch asked that the house exist on one level, that it was shielded from the main road and western sun, and it be a low-maintenance house that is cool in summer and warm in winter, without having to rely on air conditioning. Finally, with Mersch’s extensive art collection, they asked that the house had plenty of space to hang his prized pieces.
As well as trimming the tree canopy, the exterior material used on the house had to be tough and satisfy regulations regarding fire safety. Kealy also notes that the number of windows was limited, and that in places three-metre-high pivoting toughened double-glazed doors were used instead. Corten steel and recycled blackbutt cladding were also used for the tough exterior. “The steel-clad butterfly roof has a central gutter, linked to the rainwater tank, which spans the two parts,” Kealy explains.
Walking straight through to the living room, the space is extended by opening out onto the back deck through tripartite sliding doors, which are recessed behind the chimney. What might surprise some is that there was no ceiling used in this project. Instead, the metal underside of the insulated panel is exposed. “This allowed for considerable cost savings and also generated novel lighting solutions. It is for the most part free of light fittings. Instead fluorescent tubes are recessed behind the blackbutt-clad central beam and gutter downpipes,” Kealy explains.
To create the simplistic yet comfortable decor, Ladouceur and Mersch declined to buy all new furniture, and were given most of their pieces as hand-me-downs from friends.
To create the simplistic yet comfortable decor, Ladouceur and Mersch declined to buy all new furniture, and were given most of their pieces as hand-me-downs from friends.
“Interior finishes were chosen for their longevity and low-maintenance properties,” says Kealy. The kitchen, where the homeowners and their guests regularly congregate, is made of plywood and blackbutt veneer. Another feature of the space, with low maintenance and longevity in mind, is the honed concrete-slab floor with underfloor heating. This material allows the floor to stay cool in summer and warm in winter.
The bathrooms are Kealy’s favourite rooms. “I wanted to separate the sink and toilet from a calm bathing zone,” she says.
The simple bath, which was bought at Bunnings, is truly the place to be. Soaking those aching bones while looking out onto bush views after vigorous rock climbs would be the ultimate way to relax.
On the opposite side, the shower by Caroma sits a step down in the concrete slab, with a large glass partition shielding the spray. This connects to the sauna with an outside shower.
The three bedrooms in the property are decorated similarly to the rest of the home, in that they’re incredibly simple in style. This enhances the beautiful lookouts to the surrounding environment on the home’s doorstep. The third bedroom doubles as a studio for when the homeowners’ artistic friends or their families come to visit.
Kealy says that her proudest achievement from this project is that she became close friends with the clients in the process. “They also happily describe their house in the mountains to friends and colleagues,” she adds.
TELL US
What do you like about this home in the mountains? Let us know in the Comments section.
TELL US
What do you like about this home in the mountains? Let us know in the Comments section.
Kealy had previously studied sustainable design, and she executed her skills and knowledge in this area with this project. Some of the design elements include a 20,000 litre rainwater tank, prefabricated lightweight roof, insulated floor slab, high-level double-glazed windows to encourage natural ventilation, solar hot water and recycled hardwood cladding.
The house was constructed in two stages between 2012-2015, and the architect says “the time lag can clearly be seen in the evolving colour wheel of the cladding as the studio’s cladding was allowed to bake in the sun before being erected.”