01 White Shack.

Once the rural retreat and home of a former member of 80’s UK pop star outfit ‘The Thompson Twins’ and now well known Australian author ‘Michael White’ and family.

Now its the weekend surf shack and club house for a tyre chain entrepreneur come avid long-board cruiser and his beloved entourage of fellow surf compadres from the ‘Indian Ocean Longboard Club’ … and also, when she feels like rumblin’ in for a visit, it is home to ‘Grace’ a 1963 Thunderbird Landau Monaco Series convertible.

Both owners have highlighted the strengths of the shack’s passive solar design and how this has enriched their living experience through creating a comfortable living environment irrespective of the season and only needing to use the air-conditioning very minimally on extreme situations of heat or cold.

'Boom Shakalaka'

Site

Nestled in wine country, just a stones throw from the best wood-fired bread on the planet, this cleared acreage of ‘Down South Bliss’ amongst the Yallingup hinterland blessed us with the perfect setting. A slightly sloping lot of sandy soil, surrounded by woodland, a building envelope with perfect solar north orientation caressed by two large Marri trees at the east and west ends providing wind protection and shade – the ideal conditions for a solar passive shack.

Briefing

A family bursting with creative souls, this shack needed to be as stylish and as interesting as the people livin’ in it. Easy flowing functional spaces connecting the indoors with the outdoors along with separation for the big people to escape from the little people when sanity demanded. The ‘Play’ Zone would serve to record and archive all those important moments of inspiration of music and words for the well known Australian author (and former UK pop star), his wife and their budding ACDC loving rug rat.

Solution

We couldn’t have wished for better client. This is where the collaborative process of mishack. was born, client, architect and builder working together from the outset. Hence, the ultimate solution: Three minor kids’ bedrooms, a large fully pimped out bathroom, one master bedroom with luxurious ensuite and private deck, a spacious open plan living area flowing seamlessly onto an outdoor alfresco area to cook, eat, chill and grill; a versatile ‘Play’ Zone to serve a host of functions, including a recording studio and an after surf shower to wash off the salt.

Testimonial

“I don’t think there is anything I would change. The builder and the architect paid such close attention to detail…” I was part of the design process and gave the architect and builder a clear indication of the sort of house we wanted to build. The fantastic thing was that we were all on the same page from the start, even down to the landscaping. They were every clients’ dream…” Lisa White, First Owner