This award-winning showstopper of a beach house called the Copper House on Stradbroke Island is on the market.
It was built 10 years ago for the family dynasty behind the online accommodation website Wotif.com.au which later sold to giant Expedia.
This well known piece of real estate at Point Lookout, won the 2012 Master Builders Award - Brisbane - Best Individual Home $2 million to $3 million build, after it’s completion for the Brice family.
This home at 9 Yarrong Rd, Point Lookout, was designed by Donovan Hill with Michael Hogg as project architect, and it’s now being marketed by elite agent Chris Ransley of Ray White North Stradbroke Island.
The materials used to build the house were chosen for their low maintenance, such as copper and weather protected Australian hardwoods.
Openings are oriented for ocean views and optimised for cross ventilation and sun shading.
Brisbane-based entrepreneur Will Brice, who owns the US and Australian car rental site imoova.com, said his parents bought the prime block of land 15 years ago.
“When mum and dad floated Wotif they decided to build a beach house to share with all four of us kids and it’s been a huge success to date. We all love Straddie but we have simply outgrown the house. We all have four kids each and when we all get together there’s 26 of us in our immediate family,” Mr Will Brice said.
“The copper house was built into pods and it’s huge but even now it’s too small for everyone plus our pets.
“So now Shaun Lockyer is going to design us five units on the island so we can all holiday together but with our own space.”
The Brice family were adamant they wanted their original beach house built using copper as it never rusts.
“We wanted the copper and it’s been great. For anyone who doesn’t know Straddie, it’s the best surf beach with clearest water in Australia. It’s so unspoilt and really untouched.”
Mr Ransley said the site contained a number of individually accessible spaces under two roofs, that could be used in a number of ways to suit the number of occupants and length of stay.
“A central landscape, which is largely covered, acts to link the individual buildings, while providing shaded outdoor space to retreat from the beachside sunshine,” he said.
A large spanning portal roof collects the individual buildings, linked on the upper level by a bridge-like kitchen.
The portal contains a large opening to the sky, below which a new pine tree was planted after construction. This new tree was trained towards the sunlight, and is already almost taller than the house and will become part of the collection of existing mature pine trees retained on site.
The upper level has polished timber floors and the kitchen is crafted in the "breezeway " linking the two buildings.
The kitchen completely opens via bi fold windows spanning the length of the room.
The property goes to auction on July 23 at Ray White Corporate at Level 26, 111 Eagle St, Brisbane.
