A Dream Home Built on the Edge of a Cliff (House Tour)

Connected to both the natural and suburban environments, Perch House is a dream home built to provide dramatic views and private interiors. Embodying the philosophy of pH+ Architects on a unique site, the home celebrates indoor-outdoor living.

Located in the residential suburb of Castlecrag, Perch House is a dream home built to reflect the local context. The layout of the suburb is designed to follow the contours of the land and thus promotes a respectful approach to the natural surrounds. “The site is really special … it’s really dramatic topography,” says Drew Hamilton, co-founder of PH+ Architects. “Midway through the site, there's a 10-metre sandstone cliff that cuts east-west. Below that you have the Castlecrag northern escarpment, which is pretty wild bushland and that runs all the way down to the water about 80 metres below.” The historic garden suburb is visible to the south and mediates the two contrasting areas.

pH+ Architects elevates the dream home built to capture the best views by adding a northern terrace that cantilevers four metres over the cliff. The main living space is then oriented towards the escarpment. On the other side of the home, a series of ramps offer step-free access to the roof terrace while defining a buffer zone between the house and public domain. “We then have elected to veil that buffer zone with a floating Corten screen,” says Hamilton. “This is made up of a series of fins; each one is configured individually to strike an appropriate balance between privacy for the residence and engagement with the streetscape.” Set across three sides of the house, the screen also frames northern views.

Inside the home, a dramatic hallway is naturally lit using clerestory glazing. At the end of the hallway sits the main living space running from the front of the house to the back, capturing views to both the north and south. Upstairs, a bespoke office, primary bedroom and ensuite look out to the escarpment, while the lower level includes a garage, wine-storage room, laundry room and three bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms are north-facing; the other is a tranquil space facing the buffer zone. Outside, the swimming pool projects from underneath the cantilever, offering water-to-water views.

To encourage indoor-outdoor living, pH+ Architects crafts a dream home built to foster a sense of spatial continuity. Glazing and flush thresholds dissolve the visual boundaries between spaces while materials continue from the outside of the home into the interiors. In addition to planting, exposed concrete and sandstone are consistent elements of the project that relate to the outdoors. “The house is really all about allowing the client to celebrate and enjoy this dramatic sight,” says Hamilton. “So the detailing feeds into that, where it's clean, calm, decluttered – basically not drawing attention to itself deliberately – to try and leave enough space to focus the attention to the exterior wherever possible.”

Following the example of the layout of Castlecrag, pH+ Architects ensures that the design of Perch House is sympathetic to the natural landscape. The residence is a dream home built to sit comfortably between escarpment and suburb, allowing residents to enjoy the remarkable location.

00:00 - Introduction to the Dream Home
00:59 - The Client Brief
01:39 - The Responsive Design
02:01 - A Functional and Engaging Layout
03:07 - A Walkthrough of the Home
04:18 - The Material Palette
05:01 - Celebratory Details and Moments

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For more from The Local Production:


Photography by Tom Ferguson.
Architecture and interior design by pH+ Architects.
Build by Newmark Constructions.
Styling by Tess Thyregod.
Engineering by Structure Consulting Engineers.
Joinery by Interex Custom Joinery.
Filmed by The Local Production.
Edited by HN Media.
Production by The Local Production.

Location: Castlecrag, New South Wales, Australia

The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

#Dream #Home #Built

[by.pritchard]

The glass floor shot at 1:00 was trippy. Very cool & unique detail. Beautiful setting. Beautiful home. Great work, & job well done!

[dimadunduk]

Something unbelievable in proprtions and textures. Nice!

[Throneproperty_th]

The attention to detail in every corner is impressive—truly a dream home!

[janelte]

It is so nice to see the sandstone used in this way - it instantly reminded me of Sydney's more historic buildings and acts like a built bridge between the ancient rock and the modern concrete. It is hard to celebrate the design skill and ingenuity when it is available to so few - I am a lifelong renter and feel lucky even to have a home - but I do appreciate the efforts to bring nature on to the roof and to preserve the crag as much as possible. It would be so wonderful if these projects were scaled for sustainability and available to us all.

[manioso]

I’ve had many dream of homes like this, I can’t make it up. But few who hold this perspective hold a special place in my heart. Mainly because I dream to become an architect and I have held that dream for 28 years

[briancanbefound]

A clear vision and purpose. Beautifully designed.

[BenitaEnriquez-jh]

Nice to live higher ground over looking beauty😊

[daveb]

Some aspects were nice but I really didn't like the ramps. It felt cold like a government or industrial building

[DavidJMann]

Stunning design and what wonderful views! ❤

[aldenrivers]

Great video as usual. Love The Local Project: Book 10. Impressed with the brand you're building

[mardine]

At last an architect who does not feel the need to do the extremely hypocritical but recently ubiquitous land acknowledgement. Thanks for that!

[lukecarroll]

1.5k likes and ZERO dislikes is insane! People can't find a reason to dislike your content.

[markverhoeven]

Amazing and lovely architect. House is stunning. I don’t think the video captures what it would really feel like being in it

[OuchMyNardz]

Needed more trees and nature. Ditch the red paneling and the gold accents on the interior.

[mrvk]

I would've liked to see the original modernist house and its interiors before all the renovations

[fastandcurious]

There is a lot to like with this house. The views, the interior arrangement and design, the unusual swimming pool placement. Though I can't get over what to me looks over-complicated "privacy" elements towords the street and neighbours. I think an even narrower placement and wood as a primary "cladding" would have produced a more natural calming look from the street as well as out of the house - especially if mixed with garden / plant elements.
This ramp up to the roof top maybe technically needed or wanted, but the very light coloured yet heavy construction material emphasizes this feature too much. To me it looks like a maze of "gangways" that serves an apartment house of 5 floors.
Overall everything seems slightly oversized, the way up, the privacy protection, and the sea front.

[whoami]

It looks impressive as a building. As a home, it feels like it missed the mark. The building became an entity of its own, somewhat obnoxious, ostentatious, and full of itself.

❤

[poerava]

Such honourable and respectful design on the stolen land of that area.

[douglasdennett]

This would be the place to see a private showing of Ms. Angelina Jordan's new Jazzy song "Bad Valentine" Piano Diaries OMG!

[christianemeiners]

The tennis court next to it would kill it for me. How do people deal with that?