6 North Street

Woodend VIC 3442

The zig-zag fence appears an extension of the geometry and materials of the house, but, opening the slatted gate brings the visitor into an entry courtyard lined with a gentle yellow inner face.

The stone slab path leads to a front porch framed by a dark red cornice and columns. What could have been an ordinary gutter and down-pipes has been turned into a formal arch.

The entry hall has a parquet floor re-using Queensland maple from the 1940s house that used to be on the site.

The Geocrete polished concrete floor of the main rooms is the upper surface of a slab supported on 1.7m piers and 450mm beams formed by polystyrene moulds, with an insulating perimeter. There are no apparent cracks.

The outer walls are a termite resistant stud frame supporting 70mm rigid foam held on 32mm battens, with 10mm coloured render; 210 deep overall. The deep polished timber widow frames are set flush with the plaster, without architraves, similarly, the polished timber skirtings are flush. The main rooms have 3m ceilings.

The kitchen has a wall separating it from the main room, in part to give more space for art and in part because we prefer the chaos of cooking to happen in its own space. A large pantry/laundry is adjacent, as is the utility room leading to the rear entry.

A double glazed, glass roofed pod gives views into the oak lawn, as well as housing a small, secret library., This pod, the French doors and the corner windows bring the garden and light into the house from all sides. The reflection of sun off the highly reflective floor adds sparkle.

There are three bedrooms - a main bedroom with large walk-in wardrobe, dressing area and en-suite. At the other end are two study/bedrooms, with built-in furniture, sharing the main bathroom.

The studio has excellent light from the polycarbonate ridge, and is a comfortable adjunct for guests, with its wood heater and micro ensuite. A small separate bedroom connects dramatically with the garden through a glazed window which had previously been part of the old house and was moved intact for reuse.

The workshop has excellent light and has been fundamental to the production of the built-in joinery in the house. The large adjacent carport is a very useful external added workspace.

The north terrace has a trellis supporting a wisteria giving summer shading to the French doors, as well as shading the edge seating. The curved screen is a playful reprise of the black Macintosh chairs Roses trained over the east and west corner windows continue the theme of plants as beautiful sun control. On that score the oaks, bare in winter, give deep and cool shade in summer.

The garden is full of bulbs and flowering deciduous trees, possible in the cool climate and volcanic soils of Woodend. The seasonal pulse is one of the delights of the place.

The location, at the edge of the village, in the prettiest street, with golf club across the road, is very special. In the evenings the 3rd fairway is like a beautifully maintained private park, in which too stroll or practice approach shots and putting, or catch up with favourite dogs and their owners.

All in all, it has been a great house we have enjoyed these past 8 years but, regretfully, the time has come for it to be passed to other hands.

Systems

The solar array has 10 north facing and 4 west facing 375watt cells made in South Australia by Tindo, controlled by individual Enphase micro-inverters

The solar hot-water has a 17 tube collector leading to a 300 litre tank, with Rinnai gas heater.

Room heating is by panel radiators supplied by a Bosch condensing boiler, off town gas. A recirculating wood fire in the main room is often the only needed source.

A 2,000 litre rain water tank sits at the north end on the studio.

NBN connection is by an underground wire from a pole at the south-east corner of the site.

Private inspection is welcomed by appointment.


To enquire, please email or call 1300 815 051 and enter code 9065