800 Macquarie Rd

A growing family on a lakeside block in Croudace Bay, backing onto tall gums, with an SJC Lawler design they loved. They wanted a home that worked for kids every day, with a pool, room for cars and gear, and a finish that felt calm and natural rather than builder-standard. The risk on a first new build is the design getting watered down once the quotes come in.

We built it as drawn. From the street, the white rendered form sits under a floating skillion roof, with stone-clad piers and vertical timber battens framing the front door and the upstairs balcony. Behind the double garage there's a separate garage for the boat, trailer or workshop. Inside, a long island kitchen in pale timber veneer has stone benchtops with a waterfall end, brushed brass tapware and a full galley behind it, all on wide oak-look floors. Glass sliders open from the living room straight onto the pool terrace, with exposed aggregate paving, a white batten pool fence and the bush as a backdrop. The main ensuite has twin vessel basins, arched backlit mirrors and large-format stone-look tiles, and the powder room continues the timber and brass palette. It's a family home that looks architect-designed, because it was, and the owners got the design they paid for.