This luxury home among the rolling hills of Mosman
Nestled beneath a raised pool and patio, an area that was once forgotten, uneven, and perceived as too daunting to develop, has undergone a spectacular transformation through expert landscaping construction. In close collaboration with our clients, we identified their desired additions, and in this project highlight, we’ll spotlight the magnificent home gym and sauna we meticulously crafted.
The challenge was that under the raised pool lay an under-utilised space that presented a topographical puzzle. It was too steep and tight for machinery to be used and a lot of what you stood upon was rock, so the question became how to excavate the earth in order to bring out the blank slate we needed to build upon.Â
Once we had narrowed down with our clients what spaces they wanted to have built under the pool we got to working out how we would move the dirt and rock from the space. Our team dug out by hand the dirt and rock and we used a system of conveyer belts to move the excess earth up and away from the space. From the blank slate we built up creating a large space for the home gym and an area outside of the gym for outdoor seating and a fire pit.
The gym itself became a little bit of a passion project for our team because it gave us the opportunity to showcase our true level of craftsmanship we’re capable of building. We used Tasmanian oak wood battens to line every inch of the gym walls, pillars and ceiling. The exposed sandstone rock at the back of the gym is the original rock that we could not move or excavate so instead we kept it exposed as a feature to the space. The different levels you see in the gym space are a product of the terrain underneath the space and when we couldn’t move anymore rock we pivoted and found a way to make it work.
During the construction of the home gym we spent a lot of time and care around ensuring the drainage and waterproofing was absolute. Given the space is downhill and quite a steep descent, naturally we found more water was present and in need of diversion.
The space started to take shape and once completed really stood out as a focal point to the property. Its uniqueness brings an element of luxury to the home and allows our clients a fully functional space.
Upon completion of the home gym we discussed with our clients the unused space between the outside walls of the gym and their boundary fence line. Another unused pocket we saw potential in and from this, the vision for the sauna was born.
The same sandstone rock was present here and we again chose to keep it as a feature inside the space. We used cedar to line the walls, ceiling and bench seat inside which gave the space the authentic sauna feel and wonderful cedar aroma. We also installed a Huum stone heater; its round beehive design softens and livens up the angular interior of the sauna. The double doors to the sauna ensure the heat is kept inside when in use and give extra protection from the outside elements. The addition of the sauna not only added significant value to the property, it added another highly functional space in an otherwise unused corner of their land.
From an unusable space to a spectacular transformation with added luxuries for the home
This project highlights our team’s ability to work with a challenging landscape and design functional, highly crafted outdoor spaces without compromising on detail.
