Project Overview
This home had the hallmarks of greatness for delightful outdoor living, but the original dwelling was showing deep signs of agism. There were cracks in the concrete, warps in the windows, and then a backyard space that was crying out for outdoor dining and entertaining to take centre stage.
Our owners called in our expertise as one of the leading Alfresco Builders in Melbourne, and pretty soon things began to take shape.
Matt Goodie, Managing Director of COL, held consultation meetings to ensure the design brief was being met, and that the practical building elements could be accommodated. Matt says, “Modifications to original design ideas are usually necessary to meet building codes, and to accommodate little extra value-adds that might not have been considered in the early stages.
As the designers and builders of this project, at Custom Outdoor Living, we’re able to make sure every box is ticked before works begin. That way you know what to expect of us in the pricing, you’re assured of quality materials, and you can easily visualise the end-result with our virtual design images.”
The flow of this new Alfresco in Wheelers Hill, and how it joins the original home, is incredibly natural. From the Dining Room, we removed a large bay window and its tile roofing, then removed another door, a large window and some brickwork from the Family Room. These were replaced with two triple slider doors with double glazing.
Three new pillars, a skillion roof with recessed skylights, and a covered, all-weather outdoor kitchen area were also added. The existing paved ground area was retained and cleaned, and drainage was either redirected or captured in new storm and waste-water run-offs.
The beauty of this build was the way in which the mature trees, grass and planters were able to be kept where they were, and we were able to work around them.
We installed a clever new doorway to hide an area for the washing line, LED lighting, a ceiling fan, two strip heaters – and the new custom kitchen (with Corian benchtops, a wine fridge, a sink, and bays for two types of barbeques) was the partridge in a pear tree!
We also allowed for the future installation of a rangehood by pre-preparing the necessary connections. Once the alfresco’s exterior framing and blue board was rendered and painted, everything just seemed to meld together perfectly.
With everything going to plan, keeping on budget, and looking the way it should, all that was left was to have the three automated screens fitted between the columns, so that our owners could utilise their alfresco come rail, hail or shine.
And with an end-result of picture-perfection, who wouldn’t want to celebrate with a glass or two of wine…
