A Place to Imagine

Julian Lennon once said “I love to sit on a mountain top and gaze. I don't think of anything but the people I care about and the view.” This unique home in Toowoomba is just the place for quality time with family and friends overlooking astonishing views of the Lockyer Valley. 

The clients instantly fell in love with the location of this magnificent home but were less than impressed with the existing dwelling and realised that to unlock the potential of the site the building would require significant alteration.  

StruXi Design was given free reign to reimagine the location and functionality of all interior and exterior spaces. The client brief was to create a home which gave the sense of being a luxury resort and provided access to magnificent valley views. 

An ensuite and walk in robe were added to an enlarged master bedroom, effectively creating a new wing to the home, with a free standing bath a key feature of the space, overlooking valley views.

Two glazed pavilions were added in key locations, with north-east facing floor to ceiling glazing to capture views over the valley. The kitchen, living and lounge area was enlarged and modified to enable connection to an outdoor living space and framed by escarpment views.

Large cantilevered steel beams were erected to allow the installation of huge glazing panels with minimal framing to not obstruct the view. Countless hours were spent ensuring the alignment of new and old finishes with that of the existing house, so much so that every internal door was custom made to the exact size. Existing frames were packed to ensure a flush finish with new surfaces, cavity sliding door units were made on site to line up perfectly with existing window heads, and stairs were set out to work the European oak timber flooring.

All existing windows within the home were replaced, creating a consistent modern feel throughout the space. Elevate Series 606 commercial framing allowed Building Designers to create hinged fixed window panels spanning both stories of the cantilevered slab. Elevate Series 412 Bi-fold doors with smooth bottom rolling Centor running gear open the living spaces up to exterior entertaining areas and ClearVENT Sashless double-hung window inserts provide a perfect solution offering clear uninterrupted views with he option to open portions for ventilation.

The result is a stunning resort style home perfect for relaxing or entertaining. The completed project is almost unrecognisable from the original.

As unique and rewarding as the project is, it was not without its challenges along way. The steep slope meant construction access was limited and BAL-29 bushfire rating alongside prevailing bushfire prone vegetation below the site  impacted on the selection of building materials for the project.

StruXi needed a glazing system that could be adapted to meet the specific site requirements and a window fabricator willing to work closely with the construction team to ensure a high level of finishing detail was applied to the project for the perfect result. Local fabricator Scope Doors and Windows were well suited to the projects, with a team experienced in detailed architectural projects.

The Owners couldn’t be happier with the impact a modern approach to glazing for their home has made “Amazing…the large panes of glass present wonderful escarpment views…its magic to see the storms flowing through the valley”. “The double hung frameless glass is almost like a clear opening with effortless movement to operate…The retraction of the bi-folds on the terraces brings the outside in”.