doing it once and well - the owner builder munro.pdf · however, the girls’ rooms upstairs are...

42 THE OWNER BUILDER � 196 August / September 2016 � © www.theownerbuilder.com.au

Doing it once and wellA designer designs his own place

BY SHARYN MUNROPHOTOS DAVID TOOBY & SHARYN MUNRO

A

THE OWNER BUILDER � 196 August / September � © www.theownerbuilder.com.au 43

David Tooby always knew he’d want to design and build a place of his own. Being a visual person as well as a practical one, he was well suited to the task, plus his profession of landscape architect had given him plenty of experience in project and site management.

At just under 50, he fi gured he should do it while he still had the energy. His wife Jen, although quite satisfi ed with their Port Macquarie home, was happy for him to go ahead. The time was right; their three daughters were all at university and son Max was nearing the end of his secondary school years.

As David is a partner in a multi-disciplinary consultancy fi rm in Port, they didn’t want to move too far. He and Jen had always loved the seaside village of Lake Cathie, just south of Port, with its inlet as well as ‘great waves – we were all mad surfers,’ says David. So that was where David went hunting for the block on which to realise this dream.

When they missed out on one near the beach, with a 1950s fi bro shack on it, David was disappointed. Surprisingly, Jen was too; the dream was catching. When the block next door to that came up for sale three years ago, they were ready, with funding possible from the sale of their Port Macquarie home.

Putting their belongings in storage, they rented a villa in Lake Cathie for the duration of the project, so he could be on site every day. The original two-bedroom shack and old shed were demolished at the end of 2013 and the build started at the beginning of 2014. Meanwhile, David had been busy.

Design basics

The house design for this odd-shaped block was arrived at relatively quickly and easily. He wanted large and light living spaces, fl ow-through ventilation, passive solar orientation, no wasted space internally and for the garage to be as undominating as possible externally.

He actually designed it in a weekend; son Max was interested in the design stage, and in the building process, and later made a model of the two-level building, which was a great help for Jen in visualising what was planned. Incidentally, post-HSC, Max has decided to study architecture.

Jen insisted each child have their own room, which meant a fi ve bedroom house.

43

However, the girls’ rooms upstairs are sensibly small, as they will be only for visits, while Max was given a larger one on the ground fl oor. This is also planned as a substitute for their own upstairs master bedroom if they should fi nd themselves with reduced mobility in later years, or temporarily, after an operation, for example. Similarly the downstairs bathroom has a hobless open shower. They aim to be able to stay here for as long as possible.

David drew up the plans, he and his fi rm prepared detailed design plans and sought approval from Council. He already knew the best builders in the area so put it out to two of these for tendering on a lump sum. He and Jen interviewed both and chose Clint Wall who was happy to work with David as the hands-on owner builder and project manager.

Managing the build

Then the quote was broken down; Clint was to be paid an hourly rate plus a potential bonus at the end. David had designed the house as easy to build and conventional, to keep time and costs down. The original quoted price as a lump sum was $550,000; it ended up $100,000 less. David feels that the success of the project was due in a large part to the relationship formed between himself and Clint.

Clint recommended and managed the tradespeople, using only the best. David would settle their invoices the day after presentation and approval by Clint. As David says, ‘This kept everyone on site happy.’

David was on site daily, going through with Clint what was happening. He estimates he worked 40 hours a week for seven months on the site, as well as

B



working full hours for his practice, but fl exibly timed. All the trades had to clean up after themselves but David took it on himself to do so for Clint, to save his time for skilled tasks. Clint worked here most of the time with another builder, Brian Kemmett, bringing in an extra carpenter for large jobs like the cladding.

It all went really smoothly; ‘there were no disputes,’ says David. Communication was critical.

Seaside issues

Being so close to the sea, choosing enduring materials was essential. The house is clad in James Hardie Scyon Linea compressed fi bre cement weatherboards. They’re more labour intensive to fi t, says David, than the product typically used in project homes, and which was originally specifi ed. ‘It’s secret nailed underneath, then glued with Sikafl ex to the next one, so it’s a complete seal.’ This level of cladding cost an extra $10,000, but David felt that Linea’s fi ner-grained texture made the building look more like a beach house.

Stainless steel hardware and Colorbond Ultra steel roofi ng were similarly chosen to cope with the salt-laden environment. Weatherproofi ng was a priority, for him and for Clint. They can face some strong southerly storms here.

David had wanted to visually break up the expanse of cladding, especially on the double storey, by having the windows ‘punched out’ from the cladding, in box frames. Clint saw problems – and expense – with doing this in timber, so suggested using 24mm compressed fi bre cement board. They were hard for the builders to make and seal, but worth it, David feels.

storage

storage

living

entry

dining

garage

kitchen

bathldry

wc

void

void

15565

14

66

5

N

robe robe

wir

storage

storage

storage

storage

cpb

dcp

bdcoats

wood heater

bedroom 2 bedroom 3

bedroom 4

terrace

terrace

bath

ens

bedroom 1

bedroom 5rob

e

lin

up

ptry

storage

Arrow letters refer to photos

C

D

E

GH

F

A

B

C

Pl

an

s: K

in

g +

Ca

mp

be

ll

lower fl oor

upper fl oor


Indulging in a deckThe visual impact of the double garage

was designed to be minimised by the distraction of the cantilevered deck above, off the master bedroom. That deck was expensive, but they use it daily and it offers southern coolness in summer. It currently also offers ocean views, but unfortunately the next door neighbour’s unaccommodatingly planned new building will block much of that.

Most timber used was local, but the 150mm square posts that support the deck to the ground are of laminated white cypress from western NSW. The suppliers would only guarantee it in this position if treated with a specifi c wood preservative oil called Cutek CD50. Its sole local suppliers were Bago Woodworks, which is where David saw and bought their handsome spotted gum handrails. David coated all the timbers, including the blackbutt decking, with this oil. While it was expensive, he is very impressed with how it performs.

Apart from the rich timbers, external colours were chosen to echo the soft natural hues found in the coastal banksia trees common here. Aluminium windows are a standard metallic light grey. The one spot of colour is the red front door, which draws the visitor up the path between the two wings of the house. By now the

D

F

G

E

Anticlockwise from above: Sydney blue gum table made by David; great views from upper terrace; solar panels and hot water on rear, northern roof; slow combustion heater is all that’s needed in winter.


red-berried lilly pilly hedge beside the path has grown, emphasising that entry. I notice that next to the door is a full height Perspex sash window.

Outside extrasAs we walk around the house – in

between blustery showers – David comments that he did all the outside work, like moving many cubic metres of sand, landscaping and paths, and the really unpleasant jobs like sealing under the cladding boards and under beadings with Sikafl ex. The fi rst thing he did on site was to lay a slab down the back yard, with the help of a friend, and erect a kit garden shed to hold the tools for the build. That will eventually be replaced by a timber shed. He also built a cute wood shed near the house, for the slow combustion heater.

A great example of well-thought out design for living is the sports shed/room at the side of house. Accessed from outside by a roller door, it keeps the garage free for cars, storing items like fi shing rods, bikes and surf boards, and is near a tap. All the exterior taps are connected to the outside water tanks.

Round the back the 2.5kW solar photovoltaic collectors and the solar hot water system line the 22 degree pitched northern roof. Below is the concrete-fl oored three metre-wide verandah, with alternating Laserlite and Colorbond roof panels to keep the interiors light. David aims to go off the grid once Tesla batteries become available.

Effective designHaving now lived in the house for two

years, through all the seasons, he knows that the fl ow-through ventilation works ‘brilliantly’ with their sea breezes, and ceiling fans to help when needed. So does the northern verandah roof width and angle, allowing sun into the house to warm the slab in winter, but blocking it in summer. The slow combustion heater is all they need in winter to augment the day’s sun warming, including upstairs. Their south-facing bedroom is the slightly chilly exception, as David expected, since it is over the garage.

They chose natural bamboo fl ooring over the slab for the whole house, except in the wet areas and the front entry, which were tiled. David had intended

to use brush box timber on a sunken slab but it was too costly. This is a great alternative, with local suppliers giving a good price and installing it in three days. The blonde look goes well in a beach house. As David says, it is the fastest growing renewable resource, being a grass, and was as cheap as medium priced carpet to supply and lay.

The prefi nished bamboo boards were 1.8m long, laid staggered, like decking. He notes that the skirting boards had to be put on afterwards as bamboo fl ooring expands laterally in heat. The plasterboard’s lower edges were stopped 20mm short of the fl oor, to allow maximum expansion.

With the various wings and the attic protrusion there is lot of plasterboard in the house; it appears to have been seamlessly laid. The tradesman underquoted but he and David came to a compromise agreement, switching from a lump sum to an hourly rate plus materials, and using David’s very capable brother Jon as helper. David feels this took the pressure off the plasterer so he was able to work as hard as needed and achieve a great fi nish. He adds that he went for a simple square set plasterboard fi nish, as opposed to shadow lines which are more expensive and time consuming to build.

DIY

From the main living area, the dining wing extends towards the street. The window wall at the end is ‘a presence on the street’ that David thinks is necessary. It has a blind but they rarely use it. The room is lined with bookshelves above a laminated timber top over stylish, almost concealed cupboards. David had the kitchen fabricators make the timber tops and fi t them, but saved around $1000 by fi nishing them himself, sanding in between each of the fi ve coats of varnish.

In pride of place is the 2.8m long, 10 seater dining table that David made, around which this wing was designed. Its Sydney blue gum was supplied by Australian Architectural Hardwoods in Kempsey, who source timber from places like old warehouses. They laminated the top for him and he made the legs, rails, brackets and built it, fi nishing it with Feast Watson varnish.

Other furniture made by David, like the sideboard, coffee table and TV wall unit, have simple lines, made from several

layers of 12mm marine plywood, fi nished with CFP, a Cabot’s fl ooring product, as are the stairs to the bedrooms above.

He did not make the kitchen cupboards, as his fi rm’s interior designer, Kim Wall, works closely with a good local kitchen manufacturer, Designer Living Kitchens, who did a great job for $14,000. Not fancy, but effi cient and well made. One regret regarding the design is that he didn’t make the kitchen big enough for a central island bench. Jen is the cook, and isn’t complaining, although with a few helpers in the kitchen it can feel a bit cramped.

Colour compromiseDavid had wanted a simple all-white

beach house, but as a concession to Jen’s taste he has introduced splashes of colour, which actually accentuate the overall clean and uncluttered look. Hence the light blue glass splashbacks in the kitchen, and surprise strips of red, green or blue tiles in the three otherwise white fl oor-to-ceiling tiled bathrooms. Away from the main living areas, all in Dulux Natural White, the walls are painted a soft powder blue, Dulux Angora Blue – for Jen.

White is also the best colour to use as a display background. All the children, daughters Samantha, Lara and Nicole and son Max are artistic, and evidence of their talents decorate the house, as does David’s photography. The face of the attic wall above the dining wing is totally occupied by a very large, bright painting, Nicole’s HSC artwork; in fact, the depth and roof pitch were calculated specifi cally to accommodate it.

H


Before we go upstairs, I spot the unusual water-saving feature in the separate loo (above); it has a small integrated hand basin on top of the cistern, into which the water runs before being used for the fl ush. The amount of water allowed seems excessively generous, but David says its fi ve litres is standard. Certainly makes you aware of water use.

The stairs to the upper level are blackbutt, with fi ne stainless steel side cable guides. The space under the stairs, accessed from the garage, stores pushbikes. I am impressed with the attic space, which is not habitable, but roomy enough to be ‘a den for kids.’ The ridge line is 1.85m, just high enough for average height adults to clear. It was intended for storage but has been used for far more. Clever drawers in the lower slopes were added as David saw the frame offered space that was begging to be used. No space was wasted in this house!

Although David was the main hands-on family member, Jen helped when needed. She did the always awful job of laying in most of the fi breglass batts insulation. David says she was also very good at working with the electrician as to placement of points and switches. Daughter Sam did the four to fi ve coats needed in coating the verandah timbers.

As for the owner builder experience, ‘if you do it well you will feel a great deal of ownership afterwards. I will be forever grateful that I did it.’

However, the physical and mental effort of the build plus fulltime work took a huge toll on David; he thinks the adrenalin got him through but he collapsed afterwards. It took him six months to get over it. As he says, it would have been easier if he could have taken six months off to do it, but with the needs of supporting university educations and accommodation away from home, even with Jen in fulltime work, income demands would not have allowed that.

But had he waited until all the kids had fi nished uni, he wouldn’t have done it! Now he has. ‘Living here,’ David says, ‘feels like you’re on a permanent holiday.’ �

Sharyn Munro is a freelance writer, award-winning short story writer, author of three books and long-time contributor to The Owner Builder. Sharyn is currently working on a new book.www.sharynmunro.com

� King + Campbell

A Port Macquarie based consultancy practice providing project management, urban design, planning, civil engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, land surveying and interior design services.

02 6586 2555www.kingcampbell.com.au

� Trades

Clinton Wall Constructions0411 597 157DP Electrical0416 118 828, www.dpelectrics.com.auB Wallace Plumbing0419 642 471Warren Krogh Concreting02 6559 8255

� Designer Living Kitchens

Design and manufacture custom built kitchens and joinery for home renovators and new home builders.

02 5525 0800www.designerlivingkitchens.com.au

� Midcoast Windows

Manufacturer commercial and residential aluminium windows and doors.

02 6581 0633www.midcoastwindows.com.au

� Eastland Truss and Timber

Suppliers of frames, trusses and engineered fl ooring systems on the Mid North Coast.

02 6581 1133www.eastlandtruss.com.au

� Australian Architectural Hardwoods

Salvaged timber from demolitions of large buildings such as old wool stores, army barracks and wharves.

02 6562 2788www.aahardwoods.com.au

� Verde Floorboards

Suppliers of quality bamboo, timber and laminated fl ooring, decking, acoustic underlays and bamboo ply boards.

02 6583 4877www.verdefl oorboards.com.au

� Bago Woodworks

Custom made furniture, doors, windows, balustrades, and joinery crafted from local Australian timber.

02 6585 1595www.bagowoodworks.com

� Cutek CD50

A unique wood protection oil designed to minimise warping and cupping and splitting, making exterior wood last longer.

07 3188 5242, www.cutek.com.au

� Scyon Linea

Compressed fi bre cement horizontal weatherboards.

131 103, www.jameshardie.com.au

� Sikafl ex

A polyurethane-based joint sealant.1300 223 348, aus.sika.com

� Laserlite

Polycarbonate corrugated sheeting.www.laserlite.com.au

� COLORBOND Ultra steel

For severe coastal and industrial environments.

1800 800 789, www.steel.com.au

� Caroma

The Profi le 5 toilet suite has a unique cistern design with an integrated hand basin.

131 416, www.caroma.com.au

Links & resources

NEW Feature – video!Visit our website and blog for a link

to a short video tour of this house.

doing it once and well - the owner builder munro.pdf · however, the girls’ rooms upstairs are...

Documents