A Forever House On A Semi-Rural Bush Block In Banjup
BANJUP HOUSE
Architect : Keen Architecture | Build : Arklen | Interior Stylist : Siba Interiors
Landscape Design : Taylor Landscape
All images : Gathering Light
SCOPE OF WORKS :
Sitting on a five-acre semi-rural block, Banjup House is constructed with rammed earth, rendered brick work and large exposed structural steel. The 710m2 home includes 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 powder rooms, 2 studies, a mud room and laundry and two rumpus rooms plus a separate guest room with ensuite. The single storey home with extraordinarily high ceilings and extensive landscaping, includes burnished concrete floors and custom cabinetry. The home collects its own water and works on a septic sewerage system.
AWARDS : Arklen received the 2021 - Master Builders WA Perth Housing Awards for Best Contract Home $2.5m - $3.5m
Whether it’s the enviable space within this home or the fact that there is bushland as far as the eye can see, Banjup House sits handsomely on it’s five acre’s and makes the most of it’s semi-rural setting - unapologetically.
There are countless sporting facilities built into the landscape, clearly designed with their three boys in mind. As a parent with particularly spirited boys, I can appreciate having all the things better than most and I love that they made this a priority.
The large [ bloody massive ] outdoor barbeque and bar, the pool, it’s elevated outdoor dining area, and that gorgeous bare tree that you can from every single angle of this home - all testament to the ‘serenity’ the family was chasing here [ The Castle an absolute essential reference in this contemporary but quintessential take on Australian lifestyle ].
THE INTEGRITY OF THIS HOME IS IN EVERY DETAIL.
The concrete floors, the rammed earth, the fire-place [ with the firewood storage having a secret door that opens up on the ‘outside’ of the home so the kids can load up the wood without dragging it through the home - epically genius inclusion by Kris Keen ] and it’s passive angles, all play together in the same sandbox and ensure this bush home keeps it’s cool in summer and warmth in winter. [ Check out ‘THE BIG EAVE’ here, where Kris talks me through this design precision ].
THE MAIN POINT OF THIS BLOG was to demonstrate the real integrity of a home like this comes with bringing in a team of experts; and of course the magic that follows when that team work seamlessly together.
BUT WHAT WE DON’T NEED is another blog from their perspective and given we so rarely hear directly from the source, I wondered if the clients might talk to me this time around?
Enter Michelle and Chris Rice, the clients of Banjup House who happily and generously gave their time [ no doubt feet up, overlooking their pool and epic bushland views ] to tell us honestly what they loved about this process.
You ready??
“Affectionately known as the Banjup Rec Centre, I know you relocated from the Pilbara to move back to Perth but was a home of this ‘scope’ always on the cards?”
Not really. We both grew up in the suburbs of Perth as kids, close to our friends and we wanted to give our kids the same sort of lifestyle. Coming back to Perth we thought would be best for them when it came to schooling options too.
We had our experiences from living in the Pilbara which was outstanding and really made us fall in love with adventures and space. It was only after our kids started to get older around the age of 5/6 that we noticed that our backyard was not cutting it !! Their love of sports was crazy and the kids were basically destroying our backyard with football and cricket. We joked around about living on a property to give them space but never seriously looked into it.
We started to travel down south in WA with the kids - with our friends living down there, and it really showed us the lifestyle a property offered. From that we started to look around at what was available near Perth as we still wanted to be close to our family’s and schools that the kids had started at.
Once we started to look around, the plans and ideas around what we could do just made us more excited about living on a property. Then the kids ‘got involved’ sharing their own ideas as well, hence all of the sporting setups we have.
“How did you enjoy working with a custom builder like Arklen compared to previous builds?”
This is the third home we have built and the comparison is so different it is crazy !! Every moment with Arklen (and Keen Architecture) seemed so easy compared to previous builders we had used. Basically everything was communicated better and explained clearly.
What really stood out to us during our build, was if Arklen or a tradesperson had an idea, it would be discussed first and not just built because it was on the plan.
In previous build’s you would get to a point and look at something and question why was it done like that, and you understand ‘its on the plan’ – but surely if there was a better way of doing it (and as customers we can not read building plans down to the last detail) having a builder / people to care and think about what they were doing is what makes the difference.
The experience was outstanding from that respect.
Stools : Made by Tait ‘Seam’ stools designed by Adam Cornish Design from Design Farm. Pendants : Radiant Lighting Appliances : Winnings Basin / Tapware : Reece Bathrooms Floors : APCG Polished Concrete
Island : Worldwide Timber Traders
DESIGN + BUILD NOTES : It may not be obvious based on looks alone - but the ceiling pitch and angle running the entirety of the home, precision on cabinetry placement, and the ‘intersection’ of roof lines at the entry to mud room - this was all a result of significant engineering, build and design to achieve such clean and effortless lines.
CUSTOM BUILT AQUARIUM.
Not something you see everyday. The aquarium that houses ‘Guido’ the rescue turtle was designed from the ground up. It took some tricky execution to create Mr G’s santuary but the family absolutely adore him !
“So many people just assume that it is always the architect 'spending the money' on a forever home such as this. What elements of the design were you adamant 'had to stay in' even though it could have saved you money and why?”
We really wanted a certain look; for it to have that ‘built within the bush’ feel to it so we had certain elements such as :
· Rammed earth walls
· Exposed steel beams
· Large windows to bring the elements inside
· Location of the house on the block
These elements gave us the feeling of the living in the bush and being closer to nature so these had to stay even knowing that different decisions would have saved us money. Kris Keen (Keen Architecture) spoke to us about these in depth, so we were fully aware of the cost of building our own ‘forever’.
Bath : Reece Tiles : Myaree Ceramics Cabinetry : Verse Joinery Glass Screens : Avanti Glass Staghorn / Landscaping : Taylor Landscape
“What motivated you to bring in an Interior Stylist and what surprised you most about the outcome?”
Again the planning of everything and having everyone involved at such an early stage really helped us to appreciate the layouts, room setups and interior ideas we could incorporate into the build.
What really surprised me was some of the items / ideas they had [ side note : Keen Architecture brought in Siba Interiors to handle the interiors side of Banjup House ] had we would never have chosen or looked at ourselves – and I (Chris Rice) was still not convinced on some items until it all came together.
Now I look at furniture and could not imagine anything else. The items ‘just work’ (even in a home with three boys). Things line up and the quality is also a big part of why we put our faith in these choices. Their experience in the industry was worth the time we spent with them.
Window Treatments : Window Studio Rug : Tribe Home Chairs : Level Table : Globewest via Roxby Lane
Fan : Big Ass Fans Sofa / Chair : Jardan Rammed Earth Walls : Perth Stabilised Earth
Due to the BAL requirements on site a composite decking had to be used. What a spectacular outcome, particularly on the integration of this mammoth jarrah table from @slabadabbadoo Feat : Made by Tait chairs.
“The one 'everyone' is keen to know the answer to - the final budget? And in particular what aspects of the cost do you now see the greatest value?”
Well we went over our budget, I think everyone does when it comes to these builds.
This project was close to 3 years from the time we started to finish, so during this time things / ideas changed and the budget changes.
Over the entire build there are a few things that have stood out in retrospect.
The planning / design is the biggest part of the projects ‘forward thinking’ really. The architectural design incorporating passive principles from how the winter sun and summer sun interacts with the property, to the build detail from the builder have been worth every $ we spent with them.
The interior design - from the furniture to the blinds also makes a big difference finishing the home perfectly. I can now see the value of engaging with the experts in these areas.
Final budget was around $3M. The greatest value would have to be the Architect Kris Keen and his team. They helped us plan every aspect of the project and he really was the main driver of the build. Collectively; they were outstanding and our family couldn’t be happier with the final outcome.
PASSIVELY PERSONAL.
It’s so good to see fields of solar panels put to such good use. It would have been a wasted opportunity with a roof span this large. Arklen and the team worked tirelessly up there ensuring the mandate of exceeding expectations was no different from up high. The rooftop itself it’s own work of art. It’s all very much in the details with this home.
And the breezeway - every home needs one of these ! I can personally testify that it creates the most gorgeous soft wind tunnel is the ideal place to just sit against the wall and enjoy.
When I visited Banjup House it was a warm 30 degree March day. The home even with it’s 5.5 metre windows did not fail the comfort test. The rammed earth cool to touch even though it had held back the core punch of summer, the natural light flooding in from every angle. It was then that Kris explained just how much goes into the study of the sun and it’s trajectory when building a home….then I stepped outside and admired those whopping steel beams !!
I don’t quite know how Arklen did it. They are enormous. It was clear that this build would have tested the most astute builder. But then having clients who have the utmost faith, Keen Architecture to work with and later Siba Interiors to bring it all full circle, I can not only see the value in team, but also the investment in bloody good design too.
What do you think? A designers vs clients B-ball game in order ?
A HUGE thanks to Chris & Michelle for giving us their personal insight into Banjup House.
Video : Parachute Media
