A home that has it all all year round.
Set within verdant landscaped surrounds overlooking farmland, only 4 minutes from the centre of Castlemaine, this is a home where style meets substance, with the comfort, ease and efficiency of passive solar design. Designed in consultation with Breathe Architecture, the light-filled home sits among softly waving grasses, native plantings, green lawns, raised veggie beds and an orchard. From the outset, the Scandinavian-inspired black Colorbond forms and twin gables evoke a sense of calm and attunement to their rural context while promising the ease of a low-maintenance lifestyle.
Sustainability and energy efficiency are at the forefront of the design, and the benefits are felt daily in a home that is better for the environment, cost-effective to run, and comfortable to live in. With a 7.1-star energy rating, the all-electric home runs on a battery-ready 3.6kW solar system, with no gas connection, meaning no gas bill. Oriented true north, double-glazed windows frame the garden views from every room.
Burnished concrete floors provide thermal mass, keeping the home warmer in winter and cooler in summer, while the deciduous grapevine shades the northern glass in summer and drops away in autumn to allow the winter sun to stream through. A Nectre wood heater keeps everything cosy on the coldest nights, and split system heating and cooling, hidden unobtrusively in a bulkhead and combined with a heat transfer system, quietly ensure comfort all year long. The rainwater tank is plumbed throughout the house as well as the garden taps and irrigation.
The welcoming cook's kitchen is the heart of the open-plan living space, with considered details at every turn. Solid oak shelving and island bench are paired with Japanese tiled splashbacks, and a fireclay sink, induction cooktop, undermount oven, dishwasher and a generous walk-in pantry make everyday cooking a pleasure. The adjoining dining space handles weeknight meals, long lunches and dinner parties with equal ease, featuring integrated shelving, walls to hang art and a focal pendant above the table. Then, the living room opens through full-height sliding glass to a north-facing deck where the grapevine, blazing scarlet in autumn and offering cool green shade in summer, canopies the outdoor dining. Beyond the deck, a lush lawn awaits relaxed afternoons in the sunshine.
The three bedrooms are havens of calm, with wool carpets, garden outlooks from every window and built-in robes offering plenty of storage. The main bedroom is served by a walk-in robe, split system and an elegant ensuite in Japanese mosaic tile, with a marble vessel basin, walk-in shower and brushed nickel fixtures. The main bathroom, tiled in the same considered palette, has both a luxurious bath and a walk-in shower, with another marble basin. A well-equipped laundry with external access, generous linen storage and a double carport connecting directly into the house all complete the meticulously planned home.
The professionally landscaped garden has been planted and tended with the same attention to detail as the house, and designed for ease of upkeep. Both the lawn and the layered selection of low-maintenance native and ornamental plantings are irrigated on a timer. The productive zone includes the orchard, custom-made Corten steel and sleeper raised veggie beds, and a fully enclosed chook pen with an automatic door. Cross the arched bridge over the seasonal creek, and you will find two sheds, the fire pit, and dual street access from Chapmans Road offering space for a caravan, trailer, boat or additional vehicles, along with further land that would lend itself to a studio, tiny house or further shedding.
Watson Street still feels unhurried and neighbourly, yet the town centre is only minutes by car, and the bushwalking tracks along the Castlemaine Rail Trail are a short stroll away. With room to spread out, gardens to while away an afternoon in, farmland across the road and all the benefits of a considered new build, this is a rare home that has it all and gives you the time to enjoy it, in every season.
