Albany: Reflected glory

Views across the water are just one of the bonuses of an affordable modern home, writes Lucy Richmond.

69 Kittiwake Drive, Albany.

Builder Glen Holt always knows when it's a good day to take his jet ski for a spin.

"I can tell by looking at the water on Lucas Creek," he says. Checking out the creek is easy from the house he has built on Kittiwake Drive in Albany's Schnapper Rock development. The elevated property looks directly down to the water and across to Herald Island.

The day I visited the weather was wet and wildly windy, and it was fantastic to watch the white horses on the water from the comfort of the lounge, which, with its vast floor-to-ceiling windows, makes the most of the superb outlook.

From the front, the house resembles three boxes linked together with the large cedar front door slightly off-centre to the right.

The wide entrance opens to an even wider hallway, where a dark jarrah floor steps up to a T-junction.

Left leads to the living area, and right heads towards the bedrooms and main bathroom.

A stark white kitchen lines the back wall of the dining space. A Stonex benchtop incorporates the sink and waste disposal, a Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer and storage. Opposite, the Parmco oven and gas hob sits in the centre of the wall of cabinetry, which hides the fridge-freezer, pantry and microwave.

Glen's partner, Simone Roache, points to a row of floor-to-ceiling storage cupboards in the hallway. "That's for crockery and all the other stuff, like small appliances, you want to put away," she says.

The entire living area - complete with a Bose home theatre system - has a polished concrete floor, which is kept cosy with underfloor heating. A more formal sitting area off to the side is separated from the living area by a double-sided gas fireplace. This room shares that splendid view.

On to the master bedroom, which sits on top of the double garage and also gets to enjoy the vista through motorised louvres.

The other three bedrooms open to their own decks. Glen and Simone use one of these rooms as a study.

Outside, there's a combination of front lawn and concrete paved courtyards, pebbles, decks, olive trees and neat garden beds.

Glen built a polished concrete bench as a border around one of the beds as an alternative to garden furniture.

"It's nice to have somewhere to sit without the need for chairs," says Simone.

Glen believes a major plus for the place is its proximity to the city and the fact the buyer won't have to part with $2 million to secure it.

"There's everything to hand here - the city and all the shopping at Albany for starters," he says.

Having built this home, as well as the one behind it, Glen is seeking pastures new to embark on another building project.

"It would be nice to spend another summer here, though," says Simone. "We'll be sad to see it go."

Vital Statistics

BEDROOOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGE: 2

SIZE: Land 680sq m, house 241sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above $700,000. Auction November 5.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2-3pm, Weds 7-8pm.

CONTACT: Julie Couper, Harcourts Albany, ph 441 4200 or 0274 956 659.

FEATURES: Contemporary home built by the owner on an elevated site with views of Lucas Creek and Herald Island. The home has masses of large windows and sliding doors, polished concrete floors, modern fixtures and fittings and easy-care gardens and courtyards.