Weekends away at this Mornington Peninsula property are much less squeezy with the new wing
When the Cooper clan get together at the beach in Victoria, they now have a home to fit everyone
When architect Sarah Cooper married her husband William, she also gained an extended family.
“As well as his parents, Chris and Liz, he has three sisters,” Sarah says. “So I married not only William, but his large and loving family, too. They’re all amazing.”
Another bonus was being introduced to Chris and Liz’s beach house in Portsea, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, which the older couple bought back in 1997. Set in a secluded cul-de-sac surrounded by ancient Moonah trees and with views over a nearby golf course and coastal bushland beyond, the location is stunning.
“It’s heavily vegetated with no sense that there are neighbours on either side. The site slopes away from the trees and when you’re staying there you can relax completely, because it really feels like you’ve left your daily life behind,” says Sarah.
But while the holiday house was much-loved and well-used, the brick ‘spec’ home that sat on the 2210-square-metre site left a little to be desired. Not to mention the fact that as the Cooper clan had grown, with partners now added to the mix, the house was proving to be a tight squeeze.
“Chris and Liz really encourage us all to use the house, but as the family was evolving, it just wasn’t big enough. They felt it was time to add more space,” explains Sarah.
dream it.
Initially, Chris and Liz planned to demolish the existing house and start from scratch. Built in the 1980s, the brick structure was dark and dated, with myriad boxy rooms – including a tiny kitchen and excessively large laundry – and no real connection to the beautiful landscape outside. “The house didn’t address the site, it was closed off from the views, and they just couldn’t see a way of solving those problems and adding more space without knocking it down,” Sarah recalls.
As Sarah spent more time in the house with William and her new in-laws, she developed a real affection for it. “I saw how they lived in it and how much they loved it. And there were all these corners of the house that were beautiful at different times of the day. So I came up with a few ideas of how we could renovate the house sympathetically, and they were very quickly on board with the idea of keeping it.”
design it.
One of the major problems with the original house was the lack of windows on the western side, which obscured the view. Sarah’s solution was to extend the existing lounge out to the north, creating a spacious living/kitchen/dining area with sliding doors that opened up to an elevated deck. The skillion roof has also been extended across the new kitchen and living area, which, combined with the clerestory windows, allows much more light.
“Chris and Liz really wanted to push that grand feeling of light and openness so you could really relax into the space,” says Sarah. “And they needed a connection to the outside and the weather, mainly because they wanted to be able to see what time of day it was, and which season.”
That link to the landscape, not to mention the sloping roof, pine-clad ceiling and existing brickwork, also contributed to the mid-century feel that Liz craved (she grew up in a modernist house in the bayside Melbourne suburb of Beaumaris).
“Simplicity and honesty of materials is another principle of mid-century homes, and that was something we put into practice here,” Sarah explains. “It’s not a fancy house and the shell itself is quite modest, but we put more money towards things we interact with, such as beautiful taps and the gorgeous marble on the kitchen’s island bench.”
Sarah also added a second living area, a fifth bedroom and an additional bathroom, and converted the existing carport into a retreat for Chris and Liz. “We now have 14 beds in the house, but the sleeping spaces are quite small and worked around really generous living areas so the house actually brings the whole family together,” says Sarah.
do it.
While Sarah admits that designing a new, improved beach house for her in-laws was “a bit nerve-wracking”, she felt it was the right thing to do. “I wanted to do this because I thought I could do a really good job for them. We were on the same page when it came to the renovation and I was also really transparent the entire way through, especially with the design. I explained everything we were doing, so there were no surprises,” she says.
From the tender stage onwards, Sarah also collaborated with Jean Graham from Winter Architecture, who helped with the contract administration, paperwork and financial side of things as well as liaising with the builder, Glenn Diamond.
And despite the steep site causing some issues (the water would race down the site, bringing dirt and sand with it), the build was completed in a speedy 10 months, allowing the family to enjoy their holiday retreat again the following year.
“I just think, what amazing parents-in-law I have. They’ve created this space so we can all co-exist without any tension.
This house is a really robust backdrop for fun, family life – whether that’s experienced individually or as a whole family.” Architecture by Sarah Cooper in collaboration with Winter Architecture; winterarchitecture.com.au. The builder was Glenn Diamond of Diamond Building Services; 0400 102 231. The engineer was James Jonathon from Tebbs Engineering; instagram.com/tebbsengineering