The country house that was destined to be built

There’s a sense of inevitably about this home in regional NSW, or, at least, destiny. When owners David and Pippa Beak, of Beak & Sons fame, decided to buy a property outside of Sydney, Pippa already had a place in mind. The Sydney couple were looking for a second home where they could entertain family and friends, as well as business contacts associated with their company, Mr Beak’s, who manufacture ready made meals, sausages and other meat products available through major supermarkets.

The locality of Kerrabee, equidistant between Mudgee, Muswellbrook and Rylstone, is prime farming land, ideal for raising top quality cattle. It also had a 1.2ha property Pippa was already familiar with.

“Pippa’s father attempted to buy this farm about 50 years ago and missed out,” says architect Michael Bell. “It turned out it was available, so they bought it.”

While the farmland was perfect for running Angus, a renowned carcass breed, the existing house was not the light-filled farmhouse the couple had envisaged. However, it did offer clues to the best position for a new home.

“When you’re working with a new site, you don’t always know the land well and you have to make sure to pick somewhere where it will not flood,” Bell says.

“The original site is a good place to start because the house had been there for a number of years (without incident).”

The old house would have to make way for the new, but instead of demolishing the existing three-bedroom dwelling, which was relatively new, it was relocated further up the hill to function as additional accommodation when guests come to stay.

For the main site, Bell designed a welcoming four-bedroom house in a classic farmhouse style that functions like a contemporary home. Key to creating the look and feel the owners desired was the corrugated steel pitched roof with deep wraparound verandas to offer protection from the summer heat while still allowing the sun to penetrate the house in winter.

“They wanted something that appeared established,” Bell says. “They liked the look of the large rooms and the wraparound verandas, but it was also important that the kitchen faced east to get that morning sun and they wanted to be able to look across the garden.”

Internally, 3.2m high ceilings in all the rooms create a sense of space, light and old world charm, while slightly wider French doors carry the theme through without interrupting the flow.

“Even though the language is that traditional style, we started with 3.2m high ceilings, and we have those large doors to get that open feel at the same time as maintaining the look of the old style house,” he says. “It’s traditional, warm and familiar but it is also open and light like a modern house.

“There’s also plenty of light and air which some people feel they will not get in a house like this.”

While it is often just the owners at the house, they regularly cater for guests, so the open plan kitchen needed to be suitable for managing larger groups as well as the couple’s day-to-day needs.

An expansive island bench with marble top and open shelving works in well with the Shaker-style profile to provide the entertainer’s kitchen David and Pippa required.

“Pippa is a keen cook and she has access to the best food,” Bell says. “A big part of David’s business is networking and they will often have up to 14 visitors at a time.”

The generous living area has the ability to be partially closed off when desired, which is especially useful in winter when the fire is in use, but internal French doors and a central ceiling fan ensure air flow is maintained.

In keeping with the focus on entertaining, design work on the property extended outdoors, with a fenced-in pool and classic cabana along with not one, but three outdoor cooking facilities.

“David grew up in Argentina so he wanted a Brazilian barbecue, along with a pizza oven and a standard barbecue,” Bell says. “They also have grown children and grandchildren so the house is serving that extended family.”

While the property is very much a working farm, Bell says there are some departures from the traditional layout.

“We put the house away from the sheds and up the valley a bit further. It’s a ‘city people’ thing to do,” he says. “Farmers are on the land all the time and they will have the house close to the sheds so they don’t have to walk.

“The main thing was to be able to hook up to the existing electricity otherwise you would have to put up new poles and wires. The house was a fraction too big to be completely off grid but it’s all solar with diesel back up.”

Although construction was completed during COVID lockdowns, the work schedule was relatively unaffected. Scone builder Darryl Rossington from Rossington Building Contractors was tasked with completing the construction of the house.

“Because we live in Kiama, we weren’t affected by the Sydney lockdowns while this was built. We got most of it done prior to the supply chain issues,” says Bell.   

Although Bell visited the site regularly, having a builder experienced in classic farmhouse-style buildings was essential.

“If you have builders who are used to doing our kind of work, using people like Darryl makes things easier,” Bell says.

“If a builder who is used to doing contemporary work is asking me about things like gutter profiles, it slows things down.

“With Darryl, I don’t have to talk about those things, and it’s important because you can’t get up there on site at the drop of a hat.

“You need to be able to rely on them.”