Four years of searching paid off for Wendy Brennan when she found the perfect building site -- a tarsealed carpark in Freemans Bay.
"It took a long time finding the site because I wanted to build something that was totally secure and private where we could build walls right to the boundary," she says.
And that's what she and partner Bruce Holdsworth have done, unhindered by height-to-boundary rules that apply to many sites. Within those four, almost blank, concrete walls lies an elegant three-level home that wraps around a spectacular internal courtyard dominated by a Mexican elder tree that is reaching for the open air above.
The contrast is dramatic between the industrial looking exterior and the refined interiors, which have subtle lighting backed up by ambient lighting from skylights and the double-height internal courtyard, which has glazed walls on three sides.
"We don't have an ego at all so we wanted something that was quite a mystery," says Wendy. "And it certainly gives guests a big surprise."
Wendy and Bruce had sketched out their plans for the site before handing them to architect Lawrence Sumich for his input and refinement.
"I've worked with Lawrence in the past," says Bruce, a builder and property developer, "and his sense of proportion is what he excels at. This is a large property but everything sits comfortably because it is the right scale."
From the street, No35 looks like a commercial premises with its solid facade interrupted only by a high slot window and double-height louvred window.
A seemingly blank steel wall at street level conceals a large pivoting front door alongside a garage door.
From this level a wide staircase invites you up to the main living level or you can go straight ahead to the gym and on to the wine cellar, hand-crafted by Bruce with his workmanship highlighted by subtle, concealed lighting.
Further on is a big storage room that Wendy says could be turned into a home theatre or used for art storage.
Image 1 of 9: Large industrial walls hide a stylish, private oasis. Photos / Ted Baghurst
On the other side of this level is four-car garaging with a dog bath for the couple's two retriever poodles so they can be washed down before entering the house. Climbing the stairs to the mid-level reveals the magic of this home's design with living spaces either side of and opening into the double-height courtyard. Here, the elder tree sits in the middle of an outdoor area paved with ceramic tiles and featuring a backlit waterfall tumbling into a plunge pool.
"The tree's like a big umbrella really," says Bruce.
"It can be 30 degrees outside but it is nice and cool in here and it provides a beautiful dappled light."
Wendy says: "It looks even better at night with the up lighting on the tree and the paintings -- it feels quite romantic."
On the western side of the courtyard, lies the main open plan living space with kitchen that Wendy calls the "summer lounge".
This space has a gas fire and a 6.5m stud with large windows that have electric shutters placed vertically to regulate light and opaque blinds that also can be controlled by a remote.
The kitchen has been designed so that it is easy for more than one person to work in, with sinks at either end of the island bench, two dish drawers, and clever cabinetry and drawers.
The sandstone floors on this level give way to carpet in the "winter lounge" on the other side of the courtyard. Here, there is an office nook, an open fire, and seamless cabinetry that conceals a TV and bookcase, as well as other storage options.
On the top level, a gallery with a skylight overhead runs along the northern side of the courtyard and has huge sliders opening out to it. At the western end are two bedrooms that share an en suite, one of them having a balcony overlooking the courtyard.
The master suite has its own wing overlooking the courtyard on the opposite side with a large walk-through wardrobe hidden behind the bulkead of the bed and a luxurious en suite behind opaque doors.
"The great thing is you wake up to birdsong in the morning with the birds sitting out in the tree," says Wendy.
It's a lifestyle that the couple has enjoyed for the past 13 years.
"What you've got is the best of apartment living but without the cost of a body corp or anybody telling you what you can and can't do," says Bruce. "You could lock and leave it for three months and all you would have to worry about is maybe a pile of leaves in the courtyard."
