Why this house stands out from the residential crowd
2 min
Balmain put industrial heritage architecture on the map. But in a suburb known for its historic homes – mainly of the compact worker’s cottage variety – The Timber Mill stands out from the residential crowd.
What was once a humble but hardworking softwood mill on Beattie St is now a remarkable reimagined home thanks to the expertise of Carter Williamson Architects. Today the rustic warehouse is a freestanding three-storey house that is simultaneously an impressive gallery space, a secret sanctuary, and an architectural feat.
Listed with Cobden & Hayson duo Matthew Hayson and Rita Lopresti, the four-bedroom period property is expected to sell for around $6 million at its July 19 auction. According to Cotality records, the last time 106a Beattie St hit the market was in 2013 when it sold for $467,400, long before its monolithic transformation.
Sitting on a 255sq m block, the reimagined Balmain home has 245sq m of internal living space plus 131sq m of outdoor entertaining area.
The Timber Mill’s facade features a unique palette of steel, timber, and original brickwork that is an homage to the address’ industrial past. Throughout the home, there are more thoughtful nods to the building’s past such as the original industrial hopper that has been repurposed as a sculptural light fitting.
Tucked behind a cobblestone entry, the custom made timber pivot door opens to reveal an exceptional warehouse conversion.
A grand triple-height atrium makes a dramatic first impression, draws in oodles of natural light, while also highlighting the abundance of textures throughout; from reclaimed ironbark and polished concrete floors, to exposed beams and Corten steel surfaces.
Centre stage, anchoring the contemporary kitchen, there is a show-stopping 4m granite island bench, along with European appliances and a seamless flow through to the casual living and dining zone. This lower floor features a separate lounge room with seamless access to a private north-facing deck and established gardens. The lower level also houses a large family-friendly laundry and powder room.
Upstairs, there are four bedrooms including the primary suite with its lush treetop outlook, a wall of wardrobes, and a luxury ensuite inspired by a Turkish bathhouse. Both bathrooms and the powder room feature RogerSeller fixtures and mosaic floor to ceiling tiles.
Modern day additions that transplant the home into the 21st Century include underfloor heating, ducted and zoned air-conditioning, as well as a security system.
There is also rear lane access to a double garage and security.
On Beattie St, close to Ann Cashman Reserve, the rare residence is close to cafes, and is a short walk to bustling Darling St, its shopping and transport.
The Timber Mill at 106a Beattie St, Balmain will go to auction on July 19 with Cobden & Hayson agents, Matthew Hayson and Rita Lopresti.
Australian shares fell on Thursday as Wall Street weakness, rising oil and persistent rate concerns weighed on most of the market. The S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.72 per cent to 8,702. The All Ordinaries lost 0.66 per cent to finish at 8,897. Mining stocks were hit particularly hard, while real estate also dragged on the index. …
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Borrowers cannot control the Reserve Bank, but they can control how exposed their household budget is to its next decision. The RBA meets on 29 September with inflation concerns still elevated and major-bank economists increasingly bringing forward their rate-rise calls. Fixed mortgage rates have also been moving, reducing the value of waiting for perfect certainty. …
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A five-bedroom Palo Alto home designed by Steven Ehrlich is listed for $44 million, making it the city’s most expensive listing. Built around a dramatic concrete spine, the home features four courtyards and a pool.
3 min
For years, tech entrepreneur Asher Waldfogel and his wife, Helyn MacLean, dreamed of building a modern house in Palo Alto, Calif.
The couple, however, worried about clashing with the Mediterranean-style architecture typically associated with their neighborhood of Old Palo Alto.
So they tapped architect Steven Ehrlich to create a design that paid homage to its surroundings with stucco, mahogany and titanium zinc cladding. They spent $20 million over several years building the house, completed in 2005.
Now looking to be closer to their adult daughter on the East Coast, they are putting the five-bedroom home on the market for $44 million—the most expensive listing in Palo Alto.
Waldfogel is an angel investor who co-founded Redback Networks, a telecommunications-equipment company. MacLean previously had a career in fundraising.
The couple purchased the roughly 0.4-acre site for $7.1 million in 2000 and demolished a circa-1930s Spanish Colonial home. The house they built pinwheels around a central staircase. It has 7,900 square feet of livable space, with four distinct courtyards and a pool.
A key feature of the home is a cast-in-place concrete wall, or spine, that is two stories high and about 80 feet long. “There’s a little bit of controlled chaos in what comes out of the form,” unlike a perfectly uniform surface, Waldfogel said. “If you want that, you do it in plastic.”
Waldfogel said he and his wife are thinking about the next phase of life now that their daughter is grown, although they have not decided where they will move. They also have a home in Sun Valley, Idaho.
“Right now we’re just trying to emotionally let go and decide what to do next,” he said.
Palo Alto, an epicenter of venture capital and tech startups in Silicon Valley, is home to some of the country’s biggest tech titans. Sales volume and prices are rising, with a median sale price of $3.5 million for the three months ending in August, up 5.8% year-over-year, according to real-estate brokerage Redfin.
Arthur Sharif of Sotheby’s International Realty—San Francisco Brokerage has the listing.
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