Birrigai House

Located in Bundanoon with fantastic views over neighbouring farmland, Birrigai House was a tree change for our client. They were moving from a compact 50sqm unit in Sydney to a 4,000sqm block. While there is only the two of them, they wanted enough room for family and friends to come and stay and wanted the house to be able to handle some entertaining.

The brief was simple. Four bedrooms, a big kitchen/living space that takes advantage of the views and make it as energy efficient as possible. The site was a clean slate and has perfect orientation so it gets full access to northern sunlight, so we made it a priority to ensure that the winter sun heats the house on cold Southern Highlands days. This is a contemporary take on a farmhouse with its knotted pine black cladding, it has a refreshing Scandinavian twist. With a modest budget, compared to the brief, we think this house kicks well above its weight.

The name Birrigai comes from the Gungungurra language and means ‘laughter’ and since the clients have such a great time together and are always laughing about something it only made sense to call the house Birrigai House. Since moving in they’ve had plenty of laughs and the guest bedrooms are almost always full.