Building the ultimate holiday beach house on South Stradbroke Island posed a different set of challenges for Noosa locals, reports Helen Flanagan. Charlie Moore thrives on challenges. To him nothing is impossible - it's just another day in the building industry.
Some years ago Tania Hindmarsh put Charlie, who owns Charlatan Developments, to the test whenn she designed a house for herself at Elanora in Sydney's northern beaches. "Charlie, who had previously buit and renovated many upmarket homes in ritzy suburbs such a Palm Beach, Clontarf and Mosman, did a fabulous job," Tania saya. "He had great insight and never said it couldn't be done. We hit it off straight away and now work as a fantastic team."
The partners in business as well as life, made the sea change to Noosa about 4 years ago and built Namale (meaning "to live with passion"), a magnificent Balinese-inspired home and gardens near Eumundi. Afetr selling this property, their next project was using original Queenslanders on a large site on Panorama Drive in Doonan, which is now their home. The task was monumental and the result sensational. But there was always a dream to own the ultimate holiday beach house not far from Noosa that would suit Tania, Charie and three-year-old-son Brycen to a tee.
"We went to South Stradbroke Island in January 2005 and stayed in a great place but it wasn't quite us," Tania says. "We wanted something luxurious, right on the water and big enough for our friends - another family, without having to share kid's bathrooms or getting stuck with single beds. I wanted my own bedroom with an ensuite, just as the other couple would want, so you could have privacy, listen to music or watch a movie. With that in mind, plus lots of other criteria, I designed the 4 bedroom, 45.5-square metre home that we named "Istania" to sit on the 828-aquare metre block of land we bought on Stradbroke, which has an 18 metre water frontage, including a white sandy beach," Tania Explains.
"The biggest challenge of building on an Island was getting the materials over by barge or boat from the mainland. Plus the local builder, who erected the main structure before Charlie added his finishing touches, had to make lots of trips in his tinny ferrying tradesmen back and forth. Also it was too difficult to get a crane over, so the piers had to be dug by hand. Building materials such as weatherboard, ply cladding and colourbond are all lightweight, however the structural supports in the main living area are recycled pylons from Brisbane wharves so it took lots of manpower to manoeuvre them into place. The pool on the deck is a luxury on the island due to the challenges of getting someone to build it."
"Naturally, the focus of the house's design is on outdoor living. There are huge doors leading to an undercover entertainment area and glass louvres are placed strategically through the house to act as breezeways and alleviate the need to use an airconditioner all the time. The upstairs main bedroom has a full-size spa bath in thye ensuite plus a balcony overlooking the water. The Kitchenette is equipped with a microwave and bar fridge. The three batherooms all have double vanities set in stone benches.
The main lounge area has the latest European-design pebble fireplace by Pure Vision" Says Tania. "I just love knowing that in winter we can enjoy the beautiful sunny Queensland days and then at night snuggle up in front of the fire with a glass of wine. The Kitchen has all the latest European appliances plus there's a big built-in barbecue on the deck. It's the Australian way - outdoor living and eating, plus overlooking your own private pool and beach, watching the boats sail by. What more can you want? One year later and my dream of having the ultimate beach house has been fulfilled," Tania, who estimates that Isyania would sell for about $2.5 million says, "However, it's definitely not for sale".
