Memories of summers at their beach shack combined with a permanent move for their retirement resulted in this couple building Sarah Homes' relaxed Hayborough 180 design

Fond memories of many summers spent at their old Carrickalinga beach shack made the decision to knock down and rebuild all the more difficult for couple Jane Dinnison and Richard Mitchell. But wanting to retire to the Fleurieu Peninsula permanently - and realising the shack was far too small to live in full-time - the couple had little choice.

"We loved that old beach house but it was forty years old and was just a little shack. We knew it just wasn't big enough ," Jane says. "We used to spend all of January there, as well as a couple of weekends a month for the rest of the year, and we really didn't want to lose that shack feeling. We wanted (the new build) to have a sense of the old beach house to it."

After demolishing the shack , the couple decided to rebuild with Sarah Homes because of the company's strong reputation in the area. Having visited several of the builder 's displays, Jane and Richard chose the Hayborough 180 design to become their new home. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom single storey design features an open plan kitchen dining living area, separate study and an outdoor deck that makes the most of the coastal setting.

Committed to ensuring the new build replicated the features they loved most about the old beach house, Jane and Richard decided to extend the deck even further and add wide decking steps that double as seating to enjoy an outdoor drink. They also increased the size of the bedrooms and living areas, and while there are 2.7m ceilings throughout they elected for a raked ceiling to add extra height over the lounge area.

In the kitchen , Jane and Richard opted for a sleek white space with white cabinetry, white splashback tiles and a white benchtop, and an island with waterfall ends and seating for up to four people. Opting for crisp white walls and warm timber flooring throughout , Jane has added textural materials and furnishings such as rattan, natural fibre rugs, combined with navy and white , coastal print and leafy indoor plants for a relaxed beach home that is lived in and well-loved.

Treasured pieces, timber details sit with modern artworks and elegant furniture. Jane says the building process was "unbelievably simple" and took just three months to complete. Having now been in the home for more than two years, the pair love the finished result. Furniture from the old beach shack has fitted seamlessly into their new abode, with artworks from the Adelaide home they lived in before retirement adding a final flourish.

While the home feels cosy for just the two of them, Jane says it's also perfect for entertaining family and friend s, and they comfortably hosted 80 guests for a birthday party earlier this year. Importantly, it has retained the memories of the old beach shack while providing the extra room required of a forever home. "It's still got that lovely relaxed beach feel but it's so much easier to live in," Jane says. "It's a lovely little Sarah Homes' home and we feel very lucky to be living the lifestyle down here."

Features you'll love Relaxed beach feel: By adding a larger deck and wider stairs, there's even more relaxation space and a variety of places to sit and unwind while taking in the view.

Coastal interior: Navy, white, timber features and rattan furniture combine to create an alluring coastal feel.

Sleek built-in: The ensuite's vanity in a timber finish offers excellent storage while staying in keeping with the laidback beach style.

13-Sep-2020 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

For more information about the house in this story please look at the Hayborough 180.

When it comes to the winter months, there's no place like a home that is sun-filled and bright. Welcome inside Sarah Homes' Hayborough 180

Sunshine. It's a precious home asset at this time of the year and one that many homes don't have enough of during the winter months. My house is one of them. As many of us remain at home to work, this seemingly simple factor can have a big impact on the light and warmth in our homes. So a design such as Sarah Homes' Hayborough 180 where there are large windows and doors to  the living zone so you can follow the sun, and multiple decks to warm yourself on no matter what time of day it is, is an enticing home proposition come the middle of winter.

You'll find it on display at Sarah Homes' Old Noarlunga display village, on the bend as you drive towards McLaren Vale to visit the wineries and cellar doors. This is not a large home with 179 sqm of total space, but it would be the right size for couples, young families or grandparents expecting visitors to stay over now and then, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large living area opening to two decked areas. Another room, shown as a home office, could also be a fourth bedroom or a smaller living room/ playroom for children. There's flexibility to be had and that's one of the lovely things about a design such as this.

Sarah Homes' marketing manager Jaye Smith says the Hayborough's squarish floorplan allows the design to work on a variety of block shapes, but also means it will gain views (where available) from both the side and rear, of which the open plan living area faces. And she says its relaxed holiday style is something more people are being attracted to for their permanent home, rather than just as a holiday residence.

"In the current environment we are seeing many of our customers choosing to holiday regionally or at home for the foreseeable future, and the resulting need for entertaining spaces, both indoor and outdoor, and the ability to transition between the two has continued to be a feature of our homes that appeals to them," she says.

"The various deck spaces of the Hayborough 180 formed by the kitchen cut-out and external wall articulation, create multiple zones for enjoying your surroundings and letting the outside environment into the home." In this design, rather than the living being at back of the home, it faces the side and rear, while three bedrooms run down the other side, which, preferably, would be on the southerly aspect so the living areas could face the northerly direction and enhance sunlight in the winter months. In between the bedrooms are the bathrooms, the main separating the two minor bedrooms, while the master suite has a spacious ensuite adjacent.

While there is no real hallway separating these sleeping quarters from the living zone, a couple of smaller nooks cleverly act as buffer zones, one with linen cupboards and the other housing a smartly positioned European laundry set inside another hallway cupboard. "The European style laundry is central to the home, but tucked away from the main living spaces behind the kitchen," Jaye says.

The remainder of the home is open plan combining the dining/lounge and kitchen, and the study, which can be closed off. Meandering the walls inward and out, to create space for decks, gives this larger area different purposes: the lounge is focused around fireplace surround, the dining in the central part , and the bright kitchen in its own niche.

Pristine in white, the galley-style kitchen has an idyllic position looking out to the wraparound  deck via two sets of sliding doors, features above and under-bench cupboards on the back wall, a generous island with waterfall ends and accents of Laminex's warm-toned Honey Riven on the kickboard and lower cupboards. Essastone 's Fino Venato on the benchtop sets the tone for this very pleasant part of the home.

"It has glass sliding doors across two sides, opening it straight out on the deck for a seamless integration with the outdoor entertaining zone," Jaye says. "The veranda and decking features an outdoor kitchen and uses the back of the feature wall as a privacy screen for smaller urban blocks." The Hayborough 180 would also look good on a block with views, whether that's city, coastal or country and the wraparound deck can be configured to suit.

The 2.7m ceilings as displayed, extend the space even further and a raked ceiling reaches up toward the middle of the home. Particularly with wintertime in mind, this extra ceiling height would allow windows to be taller or placed higher up to take advantage of the lower sun. "The raked ceiling in the living/dining area opens the space and the defined entrance hallway creates a sense of arrival," she says.

"It creates space and visually opens the area, making it feel spacious and light." Jaye says the Hayborough 180 design will be perfect for families wanting defined spaces within an open plan layout. "The Hayborough 180 is a modern family home with uncluttered simplicity on the inside and considered articulation on the external walls providing interest and aesthetic appeal," she says.

21-Jun-2020 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

For more information about the house in this story please look at the Hayborough 180.