This week Property Watch looks at two very different properties aesthetically but which do have some surprising similarities.
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One is a high-end home in Austinmer surrounded by lush forest and sweeping views, while the other is a Farmborough Heights abode looking for love – someone to restore its rooftop bar back to like it was in its “hey day”.
Both have been specifically designed to meet the needs of its owners and to suit the landscape in which they sit, and are on large blocks of land with very unique designs.
Along Farmborough Road some Illawarra residents might be familiar with the “quirky” home at number 177 with a large circular turret attached to its roof.
The property, called Taniwha, has passed through three generations – originally designed by Webber Architects and built in the 1960s for a family who liked to entertain.
“It’ll just take the right person who can come in with the vision to go ‘wow, I could do something special with this shag pile carpet and velvet wallpaper’,” said selling agent Jason Stevenson of Peter Fitzgerald Real Estate.
“I look at it and I think ‘wow, what a fantastic property’, you could go in there and refurbish it and return it to how it was in its hey day.”
To keep with the circular theme, the four-bedroom home with two-bathrooms has a round tiled balcony with “outstanding” views of Kembla Grange Racecourse, Lake Illawarra and the escarpment.
“It does certainly suit someone with a bit of a quirky taste,” Mr Stevenson said.
“It’s just got that funny vibe ... the stories that house would hold.”
Another unique property is at 3B Hill Street in Austinmer listed by Peter Armstrong of The Agency Illawarra.
The property has been created by building designer David Walker who said it’s nice to have a “challenge”.
Built around seven years ago, the property sits on environmentally zoned land meaning the construction had to meet certain criteria set by Wollongong City Council.
Mr Walker said most of his business draws work from up through the escarpment on land with steep angles.
“We do mainly split-level complicated sites, that sort of thing, that no-one else wants to look at,” he said.
“[It’s difficult because] we’ve got to work with the client’s budget and also the problems that may be evolving with cutting the site … and the council requirements.”
The result was a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home near the Sublime Point walking track, with views stretching from the escarpment to the ocean and around to Saddleback Mountain.
Mr Walker said the idea for his design was to “captivate the views down to the water. It ended in a very light-filled house, he said, despite properties close to the escarpment often losing sunlight in the afternoon.
Both houses are on the market for private sale through their respective agents.
If you have a stunning or quirky property, let us know by emailing COS@illawarramercury.com.au