Beachside paradise

The Henley Beach House is the spectacular result of one owner’s quest to create an intuitively appealing family home without sacrificing luxury. Builder and owner Tessa Moorfield and Schüco Fabricator Robbi Burdett discuss why this show-stopper’s charms are far more than skin deep.

Tessa places enormous value on the professional advice and knowledge shared on the project. “Robbi from KR was introduced to us by the architect very early in the design stages,” she says. “Robbi was a driving force, primarily surrounding the stringent energy and acoustic requirements we wanted to achieve for the project. The Schuco systems and window suites enabled that, also complimenting the contemporary design.”

Renovating a Heritage Listed Beachside Paradise

The house’s beachside heritage setting was central to the planning process. “It sits in a residential character zone,” Tessa says. “Given the historical context, the design incorporated a single-storey pavilion to the streetscape with a pitched roof and natural sandstone walls.

“The home’s entry is positioned along the side and wrapped by a contemporary in situ concrete veranda and punctuated by a large pivot entry door,’ she adds. “Behind the front pavilion sits a two-storey pavilion which includes an open-plan kitchen, living, dining, and downstairs home office from which my husband and I both run our businesses. The main living spaces overlook a garden and pool and behind that is a four-car garage accessed by a rear lane.”

The floorplan cleverly keeps children’s and adults’ quarters separate yet integrated. ‘The kids’ bedrooms are at the front, with their own ensuites,” notes Tessa. “The master suite is upstairs as well as a second living room and guest bedroom.”

Schüco Sliding Doors and Windows

The carefully chosen glazing and framing elements contribute to the house’s unique feel. “Schuco framing was chosen for its minimalist, clean lines, excellent air sealing properties, efficiently excluding street noise, and thermally broken window profiles,” confirms Robbi.

Streamlined Framing

Aesthetics were also a key consideration. “We wanted narrow frames, which Schuco products delivered,” Tessa says. “The Schuco frames are streamlined with a simple profile, in character with the house’s overall contemporary design.”

The upstairs windows exemplify KR Installations’ technical flexibility. “Upstairs features a 100mm commercial double-glazed suite with awning windows,” says Robbi. “They’re electrically operated – removing those pesky chain winders really improves the system’s visual appeal.”

“We really admired Robbi’s work on those electrical operators,” Tessa confirms. “It’s very discreet, so you wouldn’t even know they’re there.”

Tilt and Turn Windows

The downstairs tilt-and-turn windows further highlight the home’s aesthetic, functionality and beachside security. “The Schüco AWS 65 Tilt and Turn windows proved important in satisfying the ventilation and access requirements, providing quick and secure ventilation while enabling easy egress for convenience or emergencies,” Robbi observes.

“The Tilt and Turn systems used in the front children’s bedrooms resemble French doors, an appropriate style, given the home’s heritage context,” Tessa adds.

“In addition to the visual appeal of the Tilt and Turn system, we were seeking the flexibility of a window suite that would allow us to easily move in and out through the doors while combining optimal air circulation with security,” she continues. “We wanted the windows in the children’s bedroom to be able to be fixed open for fresh air whilst being secure, making the Schüco Tilt and Turn windows ideal for our purposes.”

Pivot Doors

Another highlight of the Henley home is the Schüco front door system, an engineering marvel in its own right. “It’s a custom Schüco ADS 65 HD pivot door, 3000mm tall and 2000mm wide, designed and fabricated in-house at KR Installations,” Robbi explains. “Despite weighing in at around 200kg, the pivot mechanism makes it surprisingly easy to move.”

“The entry pivot door draws quite a deal of praise from visitors, as it makes a visual statement on arrival,” adds Tessa.

Colossal Sliding Doors From Schüco

The spectacular downstairs sliding doors are all Schüco ASS 39 PD.NI minimalist units, with the most extensive panels measuring a colossal 3.4 x 2.5m. “The Schüco ASS 70 FD bi-folds are capable of creating a substantial opening quickly and easily due to the bottom rolling system and simple two-panel folding configuration,” notes Robbi.

“Incorporating those panel sizes was a big ask (they were substantially above standard size), but we’re delighted with the results,” Tessa adds. “For such large doors, they roll effortlessly.’

Tessa is extremely pleased with the outcome. ‘It was a very successful project from the perspective of having a dedicated team of skilled, collaborative contractors,” she notes.

Creating The Ultimate Family Lifestyle

“The resulting house was designed and constructed to the highest of standards and a joy to work on.”

With immense care and consideration given to each door and window opening specification, the Henley Beach House triumphantly uses superior Schüco window framing technology to create the ultimate family lifestyle.