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This has been a much-loved beach house for an extended family for many years.
Described as a ‘bit of a shack’, the Merricks Beach house contained tiny rooms, old materials, and little insulation, but what it lacked in quality it made up for in charm, character, and memories for the family.
With a few grandchildren and retirement approaching, the owners wanted to rework the home to suit their new stage in life. ‘They wanted to keep the beach house but extend it to accommodate their growing family to allow for large extended family holidays for years to come,’ explains Ben Callery, director of Ben Callery Architects who renovated the home.
The main spatial challenge of the project was how to accommodate a large group (four adult couples with their own children of various ages) over the holidays, without losing the intimacy of the home when only the main owners were present.
Another architectural challenge was how to repair and renovate the old part of the house without erasing original features, while meaningfully adding to its legacy through a more contemporary and energy-efficient addition.
The architects’ solution was to retain the existing part of the house, and convert the original living room into a second living area/rumpus room. Further down the hall, within the existing pitched roof form, two more bedrooms and a bathroom were added to form a contained and comfortable visitor’s wing.
Materials across the rooms and front verandah were restored throughout to be virtually new, but still with the wonderful spirit and energy of the old house.
The new extension comprises a large open-plan kitchen, meals and living area under a high raked ceiling mirroring the proportions of the original home and its enclosed front verandah. ‘The high ceiling makes a grand space for many people to gather, bathed in natural light and able to open up to cool breezes and lawn to play,’ says Ben.
A new first floor features the main bedroom suite, providing the primary owners with their own space to retreat to regardless of visitors, with the feel of arriving into a treehouse.
‘This generous room with an en suite and walk-in robe acts as almost a third living room where they can find space when needed,’ says Ben. ‘When it is just the two of them at the house most weekends, they will use just this room and the living room and close off the visitor’s wing, contracting the house from a large one to a small one and saving energy in operation.’
Post renovation, the house is more efficient to operate thanks to zoned heating, all-electric appliances, solar power, and water storage.
In adapting the original house, this project has sent little waste to landfill, and ensured this home’s longevity for many more decades — a model that can be applied across many Mornington Peninsula homes to uphold the area’s neighbourhood character.
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