If you’ve been to Lake Kaniere then you’ll be aware it’s a special place. Designing a home destined to be the focal point of family times for our client’s family now as well as generations to come was significant, and indeed special to us.
“I’d experimented with a few architecturally designed homes which ended up being a little.. grandiose.. I’d actually had Monni (Fraemohs – founder, Fraemohs Homes) as a medical patient many years ago and liked him a lot, and the product had really good wraps. I drove past one of Fraemohs’ bespoke homes and thought ‘well maybe if we put that on stilts to improve the view..’ and that’s what I did. And then I started making tweaks and revisions… and more revisions.. so it’s been a long journey but it’s worked out really well. It’s been a good journey. It’s a relief but it’s exciting – to see the nuances of angle, and light. The ambiences with the lake seem to have worked out as we intended. Of course there are always things you think ‘ooh maybe I would have done this differently’ but overall we’re really happy – we love it and our kids love it. There’ll be lots of good family times here. ”
– Ian, Lake Kaniere
Design
The guiding objective when designing the home was really capturing as much of the ever changing landscape as we could, regardless of the weather, or time of day. Extensive decking on 2 sides of the home for morning and evening sun and views, complemented by living spaces featuring a marvellous uninterrupted gaze over the picturesque lake provide just this.
A feeling of being in separate spaces in the adjoining living and dining areas is created by having varied ceiling heights.
As Ian mentions there were quite a few changes made to the design during the build process. Generally, this isn’t ideal because of the inherent costs and delays which go with changes. But in reality, sometimes you’re better to just take the hit and call a temporary time out. Particularly in a unique environment like Lake Kaniere where the subtleties of light and weather can only be realised through time on site.
The build
Some special attention was required during the engineering phase as a result of the ground conditions and being in a high wind zone.
We engaged our regular local builders for West Coast projects, with Amanda (General Manager, Fraemohs) as Project Manager.
Design changes meant the build time was longer than originally anticipated. This of course goes part and parcel with veering from the original plan when building a home, so it was simply accepted and managed. Handover was in late 2018 and was a really satisfying time for everyone involved.
“Others’ architectural plans were either too expensive or otherwise inappropriate… the ambience re the lake views and proximity to the water and future bush landscape have worked out just as intended.”
– Ian, Lake Kaniere
Below: 6 bed bunk room for the kids.
This is a custom designed, 310 square metre family home with a spacious over height double garage.
If you like this you might want to browse our Timbermode range of homes. They can be built straight from the plan, customised to suit your own needs, or even 100% custom designed like this one.
Downloadable buyer guides and a full list of inclusions are available on all house design pages. And if you see something you like, simply enquire and we’ll send you further information including prices.
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