Renovations & Extensions at
1 Blakehurst Place, Robina Waters, Gold Coast:

Client: Phillip & Angela Hawksley
Builder: Hawksley Constructions Pty Ltd
Designer: Phillip Hawksley
Schedule: 48 weeks

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The old fable “The Ugly Duckling” certainly rings true when it comes to the transformation of this property.

Phillip Hawksley produced the design and administered all of the building work through Hawksley Constructions Pty Ltd.

The original dwelling was an uninspiring single storey brick veneer house with 4 small bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, laundry and double garage. The yard was similarly dreary mainly made up of weed infested lawns.

The renovations & extensions were to be undertaken with a restrictive budget. Therefore to bring the house up to a similar standard as some of the surrounding waterfront properties, while attempting to retain the bulk of the existing structure, so as not to over capitalise, required quite a bit of design juggling and a certain amount of compromise. The new architectural style of the house is “Victorian Regency”. This design was used to separate the house from the typically ubiquitous contemporary Gold Coast designs but it is also a design that blends in nicely with the surrounding streetscape. The heritage character of the design also offers the advantage of timeless appeal which will not date, unlike most contemporary design, plus as it wears it will only gather a patina with age rather than the possibility of looking like a neglected modern house.

A second storey was added to enhance the look of the chosen architectural style and also to provide the additional floor space required without encroaching too much on the available land. This saving of footprint space allowed for the inclusion of a large vehicular turning circle at the front and a large pool and water feature ponds at the rear.

It was discovered early on that the Gold Coast City Council had no existing documentation whatsoever for the property. Consequently without any structural details of the existing footings it was a requirement that the tile roof was removed and replaced with a metal roof to lessen the load of the upper storey on the existing footings and lightweight construction methods were utilised with extensive use of pre-coated polystyrene cladding and mouldings along with additional tie down rods and bracing. The necessity of lightweight construction also assisted with the decision on the ultimate design concept consisting of a pitched custom orb roof behind the perimeter of a dual stud frame parapet wall.

The rear foundations, pool and stairs required extensive use of concrete. The construction of retaining walls and the forming of the numerous stairs up either side of the property along with the installation of the glass edged pool & ponds provided many technical difficulties but were an integral necessity to achieve the required design

Further complications were caused by extensive flooding only a few weeks after commencement. Flood waters came within 1.2m of the slab level and washed away all of the footings prepared for the building extensions.

One of the main mitigating factors affecting the budget and complicating the time frame was the requirement of the residents to stay in the house throughout the construction process. Consequently the project was split into 3 phases. The necessity to keep the house waterproof and secure, so that it could be lived in, created numerous complications which were all addressed satisfactorily as they arose.

Although the budget was tight only high quality materials & finishes were used. All of the bathrooms have floor to ceiling tiles, stone vanity tops, frameless shower screens and quality tapware. All hard floors throughout are .60cm x .60cm porcelain tiles. The kitchen has glass splashbacks and doors, “Blum” motion drawers, stone sink and bench tops and quality stainless steel appliances and trims.

With the new ground floor and second storey extensions the house has more than doubled in size to 502m2 (54 squares) and now features;

* 4 large bedrooms upstairs, 3 with ensuites, plus a guests bedroom and large office with a powder room downstairs.
* The bedrooms upstairs include a very large main bedroom and ensuite, walk-in wardrobe and large private, covered waterside balcony where there is a stunning spa bath which takes advantage of the water, park and mountain views.
* A fully equipped dedicated cinema, insulated for noise, with tiered floors, high definition equipment and leather reclining theatre seats.
* Two very large store rooms, one under the rear patio adjacent to the pool and another one off the garage.
* Porcelain tiles throughout the living areas, hallways & bathrooms.
* Carpeted bedrooms, cinema & office.
* Superb stone topped kitchen with composite stone sink, glass splashbacks, European, S/S, fully integrated dishwasher, microwave/convection, inbuilt coffee machine, matching oven, induction cooktop with matching rangehood, inbuilt double door ice-maker fridge, a very large butlers pantry with a second fridge and a separate bar area with wine & beer fridges.
* Separate laundry & large adjacent linen cupboard under the stairs.
* Brand new fully glass fenced, glass edged, in-ground waterside pool with two large tiered glass wet edge ponds & water feature bowl.
* Covered resort style outdoor entertaining balcony, leading off from the kitchen, overlooking the pool, waterfront & park.
* A full turning circle at the front with central water feature.
* Waterfront concrete boardwalk providing easy access for fishing, canoeing or a boat
* Dual fully ducted reverse-cycle air-conditioning units.
* Alarm system, video intercom, remote gates & vacuumaid.
* Automatic lock-up double garage with internal access to the house and a separate carport.