Wagstaffe House designed by buck&simple: doers of stuff is the realisation of a dream to live in the trees overlooking the water. The layout consists of public and private wings that create a raised courtyard, open on one side to frame the view and create a place of refuge from the elements. Photography by Simon Whitbread.

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The site offered many opportunities, with it’s north facing aspect, views over Brisbane Waters and afternoon sunsets reflected off the nearby rocky ridgeline. Our clients sea / green change is a common goal. To be more in touch with the surrounding environment and to live in a way that is more in tune with the outside world.

The home is friendly, warm and calm, largely due to the use of natural light and the natural materials that create the interlocking spaces. Materiality focuses on tactile materials that express their inherent texture. The simple combination of recycled brick, concrete and recycled blackbutt creates a familiar palette. Recycled Blackbutt is exhibited throughout the home, in the large structural timber trusses and exposed rafters that support the oversized eaves. This ties in seamlessly with the recycled blackbutt cladding and internal ceilings.

Wagstaffe House retains the water view by staying elevated and integrates a solid brick courtyard to create an artificial ground plane that is accessible from the upper floor living areas. This visual heaviness is complimented with a modest timber top floor, arranged in a twin pitched roof layout that creates an elevated courtyard. To keep views uninterrupted, the courtyard locates all of the outdoor activity, furniture and planting between the structures and not in front of the view.

Internally the palette is textural and subdued. We avoided plasterboard and used, white painted timber for places we wanted more light and that natural timber wouldn’t have been suitable. The change in flooring from concrete to brick to concrete, signifies a transition between public and private.