Cliffhanger House

Imagine how hard it would be to build a house on a very steep site. Don visited an amazing cliffside house and chatted to the owners about some of the challenges they faced. As well as the difficult situation, they also had to cope with a partial structure and an enormous amount of building rubbish on the block. The end result is a fantastic contemporary home with a distinctly Asian feel, which is well designed and in harmony with the natural rock forms of the area.

Features of the house

Natural products are used extensively throughout the house. The joinery in the living area is fiddleback sycamore, with the grain going in different directions rather like the back of a violin. The flooring is American maple. In the lower bathroom glass tiles admit light and give a watery, reflective effect, and a modern freestanding basin adds a lovely Zen quality. The front courtyard features an exercise pool and water feature. The pool is deep enough to do aquarobics and the waterfall is very good for massage. Great use is made of Murowash, a water based acrylic paint, both internally and externally. For example the interior hallway and ceiling are painted in strong accent colours to give a dramatic effect in a fairly conventional area. The exterior of the house is painted in subtle colours with 50% sand added to the Murowash to give a textured surface.

Further information

Mary Louise Nicholson, Colour Consultant, phone: 0414 259 898 Murobond paint is available Australia wide. For your closest outlet contact Murobond Coatings, phone: (02) 9906 7299, fax: (02) 9439 7593.

Copyright CTC Productions 1999