Steel Retreat

Location:	Jervis Bay, New South Wales
Country:	Australia
Architect:	Jaime Kleinert Architects Pty Ltd Ph: 02 9690 2925
Builder:	CE+B Clarke Builders
Products Used:	Roofing LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® LYSAGHT MINI ORB®

An older beach house on the north side of Jervis Bay, NSW, has used COLORBOND® steel to be transformed into a stylish, spacious, secure and economical house for an extended family.

The classic 1960s beach house was originally a two bedroom house with a dark living space. With the idea of opening up the home to create a more liveable environment, Jaime Kleinert Architects Pty Ltd and CE+B Clarke Builders together turned the old beach house into a four bedroom, two bathroom house with a rumpus room and a large bright living space.

The additional bedrooms and rumpus room were achieved economically by enclosing the original stilted under croft with wall cladding made from COLORBOND® steel LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® in the colour Deep Ocean®. This provided a robust lining that helped to deter vandalism and was convenient as a low maintenance material.

To enhance the feeling of spaciousness that the new design provided, the low set roof was removed and replaced with a new skillion roof and north facing windows and louvers. Wall cladding made from COLORBOND® steel LYSAGHT MINI ORB® was used under the new roof in the colour Shale Grey™, chosen as a robust, easy to clean and economically priced material. It is light to handle which aided in reducing the installation labour costs.

Jaime Kleinert, director of Jaime Kleinert Architects Pty Ltd said, "As a beach house can often be unoccupied, a low maintenance material that could also be used as a robust lining to deter vandalism was required. Using COLORBOND® steel allowed me to fulfil the owners brief, as well as keeping costs and building time to a minimum."

An open plan interior was adopted with the kitchen area being incorporated as part of the living room, maintaining the beach house feel. Two decks facing east and west expanded the living area, which was increased by cantilevering the floor over the wall line below. The laundry was converted into a laundry bathroom, ensuring the house became a more hospitable living environment for a greater number of people.

Developed by BlueScope Steel for Australian conditions, COLORBOND® steel provides an aesthetic yet durable cladding solution. With twenty contemporary colours, COLORBOND® steel allows building designers to create unique appearances for building and architectural applications.

Creating greater flexibility in design, wall cladding made from COLORBOND® steel allowed the house to be designed using several colours that worked together, as well as complementing the existing materials and the surrounding environment for a harmonic blend of colour and texture.