Cootamundra House

This amazing light-filled farmhouse is located in Cootamundra, which is in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales.

This home is encompassed by picturesque surroundings in a fantastic location, so an important aspect of the build was to ensure that the landscape was transferred into the home. The clients had a strong brief for the design of this inspiring home and realised they needed an architect who was able to envisage their design brief and ensure it could come to life.

Architect Andrew Verri of Andrew Verri Architects was chosen by the clients to carry out the enormous task of designing their dream home - a farmhouse which was fit for their entire family. Very early on, the clients stated that the landscape and surrounds of their home were so magical that they wanted them to be visible from all aspects of their abode, both inside and out. They wanted the architect to design a non-sterotypical farmhouse that overlooked the valleys and hills. Andrew Verri quickly decided that the main focal points of the project would be large spans of glass and a beveled roof line, which would also ensure the functionality of the home was at its peak. Through incorporating many windows and doors, the home took full advantage of the surrounding natural beauty. Andrew took the clients’ brief of a functional, designer farmhouse and inverted the idea.

Due to Cootamundra’s typically cooler weather all year round, Andrew didn’t want to go with a conventional farmhouse. He decided to make the middle of the home feature a central courtyard, allowing the house to have a double northern frontage that ensured the bedrooms at the back would soak in some of the sun and create warmth throughout the home. The clients also wanted a pool in their new home. This was a difficult task for the architect as the local climate would require the pool area to be enclosed in winter, and open in summer. This would enable year-round swimming. Andrew Verri looked into various window systems that would be required to create this environment in the pool. There was also the consideration to be made regarding condensation within the pool area. Andrew required a frame that allowed all of the functional requirements as well as preventing condensation build up when temperatures differed inside and out. It is for this reason that Andrew decided to choose the AWS range of ThermalHEART™ systems in the pool area. Andrew then continued to use the ThermalHEART™ systems throughout the home as it enabled him to incorporate many windows and doors whilst maintaining thermal efficiency throughout. This aluminium system ensured the design brief of capturing the outdoors was met without compromising the thermal efficiency of the home. For maximum design flexibility, Andrew appreciated that due to the large AWS range, he was able to combine standard aluminium frames with the ThermalHEART™ profiles. Throughout the home, Andrew utilised various awning windows, large panel bi-fold doors and sliding windows to maximise viewing angles and levels of natural light.

The clients were delighted with the completed project and are thankful for the thermal efficiency and comfort of their home due to the use of ThermalHEART™ systems.