After years of crafting houses for others, this was a chance for the builder to create something for his own family. He drew on his depth of experience to choose the best materials and methods to suit the task at hand. For example, the exterior pits the rawness of concrete tilt panels against the warmth of vertical cedar. While starkly different, they work together beautifully. The floorplan of the 385sqm house is designed with the family’s lifestyle in mind. With two home-schooled children, much time is spent in the house. As a result, the design provides volume, light and seamless indoor-outdoor flow from main living areas and bedrooms. The kitchen, dining and living area is harmonious in timber, white and charcoal tones. Plywood panels and dark grey line the ceilings, and skylights let sunlight pour in. The hues are natural, but the combination is striking. You’ll find flourishes of colour elsewhere – in wallpaper in the bathrooms and powder room, and on the painted walls of the bedrooms. The plan is for this four-bedroom house to be the one the children grow up in, so there’s room for them as they mature into young adults. There is plenty of outdoor space for them, too, as well as for gardens to grow.