“A dream country retreat perched on a rise with long views over the surrounding countryside and bushland” could have easily been the brief by the owners to the architect with his thermally efficient home that brings together a collage of ideas to enhance the living experience.
Anything but generic, passive solar design attributes with the thermal mass of the polished concrete floors and double-glazed windows all round, guarantee year round comfort.
The combination of double insulation, orientation and cross ventilation and large amounts of thermal mass from internal brickwork and the slab floor throughout, makes this home highly suitable for extreme temperatures while requiring nothing more than the wood stove for heating and ceiling fans and cross ventilation for cooling.
The internal dimensions are quite generous and there is the option to further extend in the future. The kitchen forms the hub of the home with fully framed views from the living area to Mt Macedon in the distance, opening onto the deep deck: abundant storage spaces are throughout, with full length robes in the 2 king-size bedrooms, floor to ceiling hallway linen cupboard are other thoughtful inclusions, and there are many others:
Mains power
Separate family-size laundry
Carport, garage and workshop
Outdoor shower and mudroom
Flyscreens on all windows
5 x large rainwater tanks
3 Large dams (1 x 4 megalitre, 1 house dam, 1 stock dam)
Winter creek
Secluded but not isolated, the property is surrounded on two sides by Kimbolton State Forest, with sweeping rural views. There are numerous native trees including Apple Box, Longleaf Box, Yellow and Red Gums.
Optimum privacy is achieved by sitting the house high up on a rise overlooking the stunning countryside.
The location speaks for itself, within a 25 minute car drive to Kyneton and Bendigo where there are excellent train services to Melbourne.
