“We love our home, but the court and house don’t work together, we are thinking of selling and buying on a level block. What’s best?”
We looked at financial costs for our clients, selling and paying all the fees and charges required to move, or renovating and making the property work. After running costs on each option - to sell or stay - the most cost-effective option was to stay and renovate with less upheaval and stress for the owners.
A Total Concept Landscape Architects, an established award-winning design and management practice, proposed to make the tennis court more appealing by designing a cabana for entertaining and developing and creating a better link between the home and court.
When the existing tennis court was built the excavated sandstone rock was stacked to create the surrounding retaining walls. The access between home and court was a narrow precarious goat track with little appeal to be used. A decision was made to widen the track and construct nice broad steps to link the two areas. To ensure an understated finish was achieved, the steps and path were paved using sandstone flagging which helped to create a soft garden solution rather than a new stark architectural one.
The court had no drainage an acted as a giant dam, discolouring the court and collecting leaves and debris. We designed a drainage system with a debris collection pit so to rectify this issue ensuring the court could be used in all weather and stayed in pristine condition.
The sandstone flagging used on the steps and path contrasts beautifully with the green of the tennis court and surrounding gardens and complement the selected porcelain tile of the cabana.
The tennis cabana is made into a destination and incorporates two entertaining spaces, the internal space with large comfortable lounges and a wall mounted LCD television adding further value for relaxing and enjoying the football on a Saturday afternoon away from the house. The second area is an undercover outdoor entertaining area for drinks and lunches after a game of tennis.
Within the cabana, fans keep temperatures cool in summer and incorporates speakers and ceiling gimble lighting. Simple construction techniques and cost-effective material selection such as Colorbond roofing and FC sheet timber stud walls ensures that the build was undertaken as economically as possible, and with a simple chic design!
The owners are great entertainers and a small room adjacent to the lounge area incorporates a basic kitchenette with fridges for drinks plus oven and microwave for heating meals previously prepared in the main kitchen of the home. A dishwasher allows all glass and cutlery to be cleaned and kept in the cabana to save carrying everything back and forwards.
A small bathroom beautifully detailed by A Total Concept with toilet, basin and shower also saves the commute to the main house after tennis or after enjoying a few drinks.
At nighttime the pathway between court and home is well lit with energy efficient LED lights and the tennis court itself is lit enough to play but not with too much light as to disturb the neighbours.
A quality sound system and all other electrical components such as lights, irrigation, swimming pool equipment and cabana lights are all linked to the properties smart electrical switching system for ease of use.
The surrounding sandstone rock retaining walls originally appeared stark and posed an inhospitable environment for planting, we added soils and incorporated low water use, rockery style plants which has flourished due to sunshine being available through most of the day.
This overall project was designed and managed by A Total Concept Landscape Architects, who specialise in integrating the home and external areas seamlessly to create spaces that allows the feeling of a holiday at home for family entertaining. A private retreat for escaping the stresses of work at the end of the day.
The design by A Total Concept Landscape Architects very much with economics in mind enabled the owners to remain in their home and renovate for substantially less than it would have cost to move to a new home.
