Listing of the Day
Location: Perth, Australia
Price: To be determined at auction
If ever you’ve imagined what it would be like to live in a sandcastle, this gothic-inspired limestone home comes close to making that fantasy a reality.
Painstakingly crafted from hand-laid natural limestone blocks, a process that took over two years to complete, The Branksome Garden residence was built in 2013. Designed by James Shaw of Ecotect Architects, the home has many features that mimic the feel of a sandcastle (minus the sand of course)—rugged stonework, pointed arches, capstone entrance stairs, corbelled turrets. "This residence expresses the character of its owners who have a passion for ‘crafted’ eclectic design," Mr. Shaw said.
"Most houses are constructed in straight lines for a reason," owner Tani Richards said. "My ideas are more free flowing and curved with very few straight lines." In fact, as she said, her design was "way out of the normal scope for builders" and the plans were challenging. "At the end of the day, an amazing piece of architecture was moulded from the earth," Ms.Richards said.
Situated steps from the ocean’s edge in Perth, the property boasts sweeping ocean and Rottnest Island views. The home will be available for auction on March 1 and is expected to sell for more than $7.2 million, the sales record for its South City Beach neighborhood.
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The Stats
This 6,800-square-foot-home has six bedrooms and four bathrooms.
Design Pedigree
Designed to mimic the look and feel of a bona fide castle, gargoyles and stained glass windows included, the estate was constructed using many locally sourced materials, such as the capstone used for the façade. Interior details include lime-washed walls, which allow the natural stone to breathe and not decay, parquetry flooring using recycled and renewable timbers, and medieval-style ironwork.
"The basic shaping of the house is ‘passive solar’," Mr. Shaw said. "The living spaces take full advantage of the northwesterly sea views from a large indoor-outdoor upper floor terrace roofed with segmented solar pergolas. The master bedroom suite on the third floor is aesthetically part of the roof space, assisting in reducing the scale of the building."
"Through clever design, we utilized passive solar principles and airflow throughout all floors to maintain a comfortable and constant internal temperature all year round, with the focus on natural light to minimize the use of power," Ms. Richards said. "The thickest stone walls and solid construction was designed to last for generations with minimal maintenance."
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Amenities
The home has an elevator, grotto-style swimming pool, and a separate self-contained apartment on the ground floor.
Neighborhood Notes
Located on the Branksome Strip, which includes just 25 homes, all of which have rear gates opening onto the coast reserve, the home is one the largest and most elevated. It’s a short stroll from City Beach waterfront and the natural bushland of the Bold Park Bush Reserve, and a five-minute drive from Claremont Shopping.
Listing Agent: Scott Swingler, Space
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