Sekisui House Is On Course For A Win

A unique and elevated lifestyle opportunity — one built around golf, space, smart design and opportunity — Norman Estates at Gledswood Hills is a seamless alignment that sees Sekisui House bring Greg Norman’s revered branded residences to Australia for the first time.

Situated just 45 minutes from the Sydney CBD, the new $300m development includes 190 expansive homes offering unmatched amenities — including resident-only clubhouse lounge, gymnasium, tennis court and resort-style pool — surrounded by idyllic green parklands and views across the adjoining Great Norman signature and Camden Lakeside golf courses.

We caught up with Sekisui House’s General Manager, Craig D’Costa, to learn more.

Robb Report: This is an exciting project and a real coup too – can we talk through how this partnership came to be?

Craig D’Costa: The partnership between Greg and Sekisui House started in 2015 through the engagement of Greg’s golf course design group to deliver a signature Par-3 nine hole course within our masterplanned community in Sydney’s south west. We saw the perfect opportunity to collaborate with Australia’s most iconic golfing legend who also happens to be a very successful business entrepreneur with a great eye for detail and luxury brands. With a natural synergy of business values and sustainability ethos, the partnership discussions soon matured beyond golf to exploring the possibility to introduce Greg Norman’s real estate brand to Australia; Norman Estates.

Sekisui House’s General Manager, Craig D’Costa.

RR: There is a synergy here between brands — one that is centrally grafted to notions of innovation.

CDC: Greg has always been aligned with innovation — be it with golf or any one of his other successful businesses within the Norman Group. And no better way to showcase Sekisui House’s innovation was to introduce Greg to our global head office based in Osaka, Japan. During this trip we also hosted him through an intimate tour of our premier R&D Centre and Housing Manufacturing Facility in Tokyo; where our innovations through design and construction of our SHAWOOD homes are expertly displayed — and he was onboard from the get go.

RR: What are some of the inclusions here — as standard — that speak to that innovation and sustainability that sets Sekisui House apart?

CDC: Norman Estates at Gledswood Hills is really at the pinnacle of our intensive R&D and testing of our design and construction methodology tailored for the Australian marketplace — the inclusions that are standard within these homes are substantial. And there are many ‘headline features’ that are considered well beyond the normal appointments of most newly constructed homes in metropolitan Sydney — each home will include rooftop electricity generation and battery storage as standard. There’s tech enabled lighting control via voice or smart phone, the front door has a unique proximity key, the garage doors themselves can be remotely controlled from anywhere in the world and provide notifications of its operations to all household members. And then there’s also highly efficient, intuitive air conditioning which can control itself to keep the temperatures regulated, or can be activated when you’re not at home, providing the ability for your desired temperature to be established upon your arrival.

RR: Talk to us about Greg Norman — we imagine him to be someone who is hands on, genuinely involved and invested?

CDC: He certainly doesn’t just slap his name and association on anything. Greg and his dedicated team have been very involved, working collaboratively with us on the overall development masterplan concepts as well as the detailed architectural design and finishes. He has high and exacting standards and trusts Sekisui House to deliver the collective project vision. We have been to Florida a few times for design sessions with Greg at his company headquarters and of course he and his team have come out to Australia numerous times too.

RR: In terms of delivery — where is the project currently at?

CDC: Civil works are complete, the golf course is complete and the private residential clubhouse, gymnasium, bar and lounge, resort pool and tennis court is under construction and due for completion later this year. The estate landscaping is also well underway and the first tranche of 20 homes are under construction too — we’re hoping to have the site open for inspections with the easing of restrictions early next year.

RR: What’s the additional appeal here for a prospective buyer — in regards to what this community and also the region offers?

CDC: People are seeing value in the area — it has everything you need – the open space coupled with the connectivity of the south west rail network. Then there’s the infrastructure that surrounds the future Western Sydney airport and the aerotropolis, core retail, recreation, dining and entertainment, quality private and public education, healthcare and employment opportunities… And it’s only a 45-minute drive to the picturesque beaches of the south coast.

normanestates.com.au; sekisuihouse.com.au

A perfectly-positioned harbourside residence, formerly the home of a late Melbourne Cup-winning horse owner, has come to market with $14 million price expectations for its February 22 auction.

Sitting in one of Sydney’s most coveted enclaves on Waiwera St in Lavender Bay, the duplex with never-to-be-built-out gunbarrell views of both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House was home to championship thoroughbred owner Michael Fergus Doyle. The Irish-born entrepreneur was part owner of Protectionist, the 2014 Melbourne Cup winner.

Bought by Doyle in April 2020, in an off-market deal totalling $11 million according to CoreLogic data, the two-storey Lavender Bay property is being sold by the racing legend’s family through Atlas Sydney & East Coast. Doyle, a prominent character in Sydney’s Irish community for more than 50 years after arriving down under in the 1960s with a 10 pound boat ticket, sadly passed away in November 2023 at the age of 77.

Doyle built his fortune by building a construction company from the ground up that eventually employed more than 300 people and had a contract with Sydney Water worth A$100 million a year. By 2009, Doyle sold the business to a company owned by the Singapore Government and breeding horses through Doyles Breeding & Racing became his next passion.

The contemporary four-bedroom three-bathroom property features 304sq m of internal living space with additional outdoor entertaining areas on both levels.

Beyond the impressive grand entrance foyer with a personalised floor medallion, the layout opens up to reveal a large everyday living level with a formal lounge room and casual sitting space featuring walls of windows to frame the Harbour City’s top icons. Thanks to a central skylight tower, this main living zone is also flooded with natural light.

A spacious chef-grade kitchen anchored by a long island bench is equipped with Gaggenau appliances, gas burners, dual ovens, and a grill plate. The adjoining dining area spills out onto a terrace with an integrated bar table plus a Luna Park and bridge backdrop. The entry level also houses a home office or guest bedroom with a Juliette balcony and integrated desks opposite a full bathroom.

In the main bedroom suite upstairs there is a deep full-width balcony with more landmark views, a vast walk-in wardrobe, plus a spa ensuite complete with twin vanities, heated floors and warming towel racks. Two more bedrooms on the upper level each have access via French doors to a shared street-facing terrace and built-ins with a common family-friendly bathroom.

Added extras include automatic awnings and privacy screens to the outdoor areas, marble floor tiles, and a double lock up garage with storage.

The designer duplex is located close to harbourside dining venues, foreshore parks such as Bob Gordon Reserve and Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Gardens, Kirribilli Markets and North Sydney’s bustling CBD.

Property 2 at 9-11 Waiwera St is on the market with Adrian Bridges and Daniel Chester of Atlas Sydney & East Coast with a price guide of $14 million. It is set to go under the hammer on February 22.

Sekisui House Is On Course For A Win

We explore Sekisui House’s unparalleled Norman Estates at Gledswood Hills.

His stallion once won the Melbourne Cup, now this late legendary horse owner’s thoroughbred harbourside home is on the market.