Stable House

The owner is an equestrian enthusiast and had recently purchased a semi-rural property in Diamond Creek.  Having already established an arena at the rear of site, the client approached our office to design a residence and stables.  The modest residence was to comprise two bedrooms plus study, whilst the stables required accommodation for two horses, feed room, tack room and wash bay. A carport and undercover parking with direct access to the stables was also required for the owner’s truck. 

The site offered serene views over the rolling hills to the north, but overhead powerlines and electrical towers detracted these beautiful outlooks.  The S.E.C.V. easement covered much of the site, leaving a restrictive and irregular shaped building envelope in the Northeast corner. The client’s desire was for a traditional styled residence and stables, but the steeply sloping site and irregular building envelope did not lend itself to such.  The resulting design solution embraced the owner’s traditionalist ideals whilst incorporating a touch of modernism and optimum liveability. The stables were positioned on the low side of the building envelope and featured a rustic timber cladding with raw zincalume corrugated roofing. Concrete tilt slab construction allowed an air lock between the stables and residence above. The steeply pitched roof extends and tapers to rest gently on the high side of the land, offering an undercover parking area for the truck before transitioning into the access stairway to the residence.  An opening is carved into the roof form creating the north-facing outdoor entertaining area, and featuring windows to the living space and master bedroom. Direct views of the overhead powerlines and electrical towers are shielded by the stable roof structure, providing the residence uninterrupted appreciation of the rolling hills and peaceful landscape.

The shackles of normality have been broken to meet this unique brief and challenging site conditions.  The unified structure of dual purpose provides optimum liveability for the occupants, with ample separation from the stables below.