A suburban classic in reverse
The Jack family’s unorthodox dwelling in small-town Cambridge has just been named HOME magazine’s house of the year.
When Grant and Karen Jack planned their courtyard townhouse in 2013, they took risks. It paid off.
On Wednesday night, the Jacks’ Cambridge home – designed by Christopher Beer Architects – was revealed as HOME magazine’s 2017 Home Of The Year.
Dubbed a suburban house in reverse, the unorthodox dwelling weaves around three courtyards – two of which are internal spaces defined by a curved brick wall.
Affordability and a desire to be near family drew the former Auckland couple 150 kilometres down the North Island in 2013.
The pair bought a 315-squaremetre section in the centre of the Waikato township and began planning their abode.
The property’s front courtyard, which extends off Grant’s art studio, is the only space visible to the public.
Karen said the brick wall gave her family all the privacy they needed. ‘‘It doesn’t look like a house from the outside, but when you are inside eating and living, it’s home. We are loving it here and really enjoying ourselves.’’
The couple and 4-year-old daughter Sadie spent Thursday celebrating their good news with friends and relatives.
Architect Chris Beer said the biggest challenge with the Jack family’s home was its public location.
With traffic on all sides and the site’s proximity to the main street, the idea was to encase it with a wall and create a totally interior living space, Beer explained.
‘‘From the outside, it doesn’t have any windows because of the brick wall, but the courtyard is so much a part of the interior space it feels like you’re outside the whole time. This type of courtyard living is very common in Japan and Spain.’’
Beer said the home had been built using concrete, brick, cedar weatherboard and corrugated steel roofing. ‘‘Those materials are all used on the outside but also come inside the house, which reiterates the feeling of being outside.’’
The project’s cost was comparable with what someone would pay for a new house in a subdivision, he added.
It was a good alterative if you were after something a little more unconventional.
HOME editor Simon FarrellGreen dubbed it a suburban house turned inside out.
All six finalists in this year’s awards were extraordinary, but the way the Cambridge townhouse worked for the Jack family was amazing, Farrell-Green said.
‘‘Grant has his own studio space, which through the front courtyard opens up onto the street with a pop-up coffee hatch and Karen can walk to work.
‘‘Everything has been so carefully composed and considered. It is a delight to be in.
‘‘The way it meets the street and uses the entire site ... it’s been really beautifully thought out.’’
In an era of unaffordable housing you’ve got to make use of space and be really clever, FarrellGreen said. ‘‘We need to make our houses work hard, with clever planning and no wasted space.’’
He said a new generation of architects was now coming through, working for younger clients with less money. ‘‘The cost of building has got so high and the only way to control that is to make houses smaller.’’