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Modern Coastal renovation in Sapphire Beach using Hardie Fine Texture Cladding.

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Learn everything about the planning of some of James Hardie's renovations and collaboration with few partners to execute those plans and come up with the best results.


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Discover design ideas for your renovations and new builds on James Hardie's blog. Read articles, browse our gallery, and partner with us for your dream exterior.

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A well-planned deck
Turning your traditional patio or verandah into an exciting entertainment space is the perfect way to extend your indoor living space into the outdoors. You’ll want to ensure any materials you use are hard-wearing to stand up against repeated use and the elements (from heavy rain to harsh sunshine), and the renovation itself shouldn’t break the bank. Choosing a product like HardieDeck™ means you get all the elegance of a sleek and sturdy deck without the drawbacks of traditional timber. Made from James Hardie’s™ premium fibre cement, the HardieDeck is a stylish addition to any outdoor space. It works just as well for your exterior dining area as it does around the edges of your pool. Outdoor kitchen for entertaining There’s nothing quite like firing up the barbie and inviting friends and family over for a meal out in the sunshine. A kitchen outside is a great way to use your outdoor space, but you need to ensure the materials around it will be able to withstand the hot summer days and rainy weather, and won’t get stained from spills and dropped food. Linea Weatherboard is the ideal choice for an outdoor kitchen – not only is it modern, durable and easy to install, but it’s resistant to shrinking, swelling and cracking. One last thing to remember for any outdoor kitchen: if you plan to install a barbecue on your deck, make sure the flooring is heat resistant and strong enough to support the extra weight of large appliances.

Hardie™ Flex Sheet - Read about the Blogs on Hardie™ Flex Sheet by James Hardie. Know how to give modern look to your with James Hardie's Hardie™ Flex Sheet.

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A contemporary home designed for flexibility and longevity

Disguised by elegant white walls and sliding sash windows are some radical ideas about the future of the Australian home. Brisbane architect, <a href="https://www.jellway.com/">John Ellway</a> designed the place he calls, Three House to satisfy the needs of a couple whose visiting family stay for long periods. But through the design process, he realised that most family units will expand and contract over the course of a lifetime and that flexibility is something that everyone should be thinking about when designing a home - built to last. 
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/7KkGVB2URqILCaapzD8TRx/aed26b4151a8e452586e6c9546a6b015/JE_ThreeHouse25308-__TobyScott__1_.webp" alt="JE_ThreeHouse25308-__TobyScott__1_" />
<blockquote>
 “It was important for me that this house could have a future beyond what it is now,” Ellway says. “That’s the three house idea; it could operate as two houses as it does now or it could become three houses or even a single larger dwelling.” 
</blockquote>
A connecting bridge, designed to be constructed at a later stage would connect the two independent dwellings and facilitate a large, interconnected home. At any point in time, the house could be easily adapted by future generations or owners of different sizes and make-ups. 
Responding to the material language of the Brisbane suburb of Paddington, the house uses a lightweight timber structure and envelope consisting largely of <a href="https://www.jameshardie.com.au/productrange/hardieflex-sheet">Hardie™ Flex Sheet</a>. “Fibre cement sheeting is a simple building material that allows you to do many things, very economically,” Ellway says. “The reason I use this type of cladding is that it is very easy to construct and I can create the details I want around them.”  
The elegant, white facade appears straightforward but is carefully thought-through. “We wanted to design the house so that two builders could lift the sheets and hammer them in without having to cut anything,” Ellway explains. “There was a lot of thinking and testing put into the design to simplify and expedite the construction process.” Each room is set out on a 3.6m x 3.6m grid with timber studs set at 450mm. This building’s rigorous structural grid ensures building materials and constructions costs are minimised. 
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/2bv30FT3HTjjkCUrC106Fr/94a15caa975f27f7849e6343c9629334/JE_ThreeHouse25291A-__TobyScott__1_.webp" alt="JE_ThreeHouse25291A-__TobyScott__1_" />
Bespoke architectural elements are introduced to bring visual interest and rhythm to the facade. Hardwood mullions are employed instead of cover battens, traditionally used to weather-seal panels. “We’ve used a deeper mullion so you get a stronger play of shadows cast on the facade,” Ellway says. “The windows use the same mullions which allow enough depth to accommodate the sash windows on spiral balances.” When closed, bedrooms draw light inside via fixed panels of frosted glass. When open, the sash windows become a balustrade and handrail to the wall, creating a verandah-like edge to the room. From the street, the pattern created by windows at various heights, animate the facade. 
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/3Oo4ZjyeP43qByZXPYtF9T/9c88b8607ebdc66c28b56138a13fe451/JE_ThreeHouseCF027073-__TobyScott__2_.webp" alt="JE_ThreeHouseCF027073-__TobyScott__2_" />
The lightweight building envelope complements the pyramid roofs which echo the traditional pitched roof forms of the Queenslander and Workers’ Cottages of the neighbourhood. This clever response ensures the contemporary buildings feel like they ‘belong’ to the historic suburb. The idea to create three discreet building forms also helps to break up the visual mass of the house. “The design is deliberate in creating three small cottages as opposed to one large house,” Ellway explains. Private spaces sit beneath the pyramid roods and in-between are the living areas, stepping down to the landscape and yard. 
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/Mbon8MooiCGgAA49We7Pa/8ab0ef26e73b8b0823cb4ee99d79fc1c/JE_ThreeHouse25229A-__TobyScott__2_.webp" alt="JE_ThreeHouse25229A-__TobyScott__2_" />
A kitchen and sitting room create a bridge connecting the two main bedroom pavilions. Bringing drama to these social spaces is a dark and moody material palette. Warm timbers and charcoalcoloured ceilings stand in contrast to the bright white exterior. “These darker spaces bring a sense of calm,” Ellway says. “From the kitchen, your eye goes straight out to the tree canopy and it feels like the landscape is drawn inside.”
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/1ttYaxc3D254C9rzoOehwd/24beefabbc50da094acfe846fe24fd2d/JE_ThreeHouse25276A-__TobyScott__2_.webp" alt="JE_ThreeHouse25276A-__TobyScott__2_" />
Three House won the 2021 Houses Awards for House of the Year. 
Words by <a href="http://michellebailey.com.au/">Michelle Bailey</a>

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Brisbane architect, John Ellway designed the place he calls, Three House to satisfy the needs of a couple whose visiting family stay for long periods. But through the design process, he realised that most family units will expand and contract over the course of a lifetime and that flexibility is something that everyone should be thinking about when designing a home - built to last.

Three House

Discover about contemporary home designed for flexibility & longevity using Hardie™ Flex Sheet that act as connecting bridge which would join the two separate residences.

Contemporary Home Designed for Flexibility | James Hardie Blogs

Upgrading While Downsizing: A Modern Australian Masterpiece: 

When Renata Brodecky decided to downsize from her five-bedroom, <a href="https://www.jameshardie.com.au/projects/double-storey-new-homes">double-storey house</a> in Bentleigh, she never anticipated she’d be able to build her dream home on the same plot of land.
Having spent 45 years in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb, all of Renata’s friends and family were close by. She didn’t want to move to a different area, but no nearby properties suited her taste or needs.
<h2 id="improvingthestandardofurbaninfill">IMPROVING THE STANDARD OF URBAN INFILL</h2>
That’s when she decided to build her ideal home on the same plot. But Renata was adamant she didn’t want to demolish her original home.
“I feel proud that we didn’t demolish the existing home,” Renata says. “I built that home 30 years ago and still today it is a great house. It would have been wasteful to demolish the existing house when it still has many good years left in it.”
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Renata sought out skillful professionals who could bring this dream to life. In working with Atlas Architects, Renata was able to design a space so that her lifestyle would shine, while also future-proofing the home – by securing her master bedroom and ensuite were downstairs.
“The easy option would have been to demolish the existing house and build two new homes. However, Atlas Architects were able to come up with a concept that retained the existing house while accommodating everything I wanted in my design brief.”
<h2 id="agrandvisionofmodernaustralianarchitecture">A GRAND VISION OF MODERN AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE</h2>
This brief was for a <a href="https://www.jameshardie.com.au/looks/hamptons/contemporary-hamptons">contemporary architectural style</a> that included several key features: courtyard, entertaining deck, balcony to optimise city views, a dining table that could seat at least 12 people (for entertaining), gas fireplace, reconstituted stone benches, and more.
In order to achieve this minimalist yet modern Australian build, <a href="https://www.jameshardie.com.au/productrange/categories/cladding/scyon-axon-cladding">Axon™ Cladding </a>from the Scyon Walls range by James Hardie was used to provide a look of clean, uninterrupted lines. The use of cladding also highlighted the different angles and depths of the external walls
Aaron Neighbour, Director at Atlas Architects, describes how certain details in the design brought Renata’s grand vision to life.
“The contrast between natural timber cladding and black <a href="https://www.jameshardie.com.au/productrange/categories/cladding/scyon-axon-cladding">Axon Cladding</a> highlights the porch entry, which creates a focal point,” he says. “The pergola cantilevers over the deck area, defining the outdoor room without impeding on the circulation and function of the space.
“The facade has large open windows to capture the city views. This creates a sense of openness from the internal spaces as well as from the street. The deep steel window box detail on the ground floor and deep window reveal on the first floor add depth and shadow to the façade.”
<h2 id="notjustavisualspectaclefunctionalandpractical">NOT JUST A VISUAL SPECTACLE – FUNCTIONAL AND PRACTICAL</h2>
Despite a strong design vision for her new home, Renata also focused on the practical elements – such as deciding that certain amenities would stay on the ground floor
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/2HsINPiITfecjjBp6OnRe4/4bd90e4bbab136ff286cde35c01a67d2/a-image-7.webp" alt="a-image-7" />
It’s also a home for all seasons and all types of living. Whether Renata is staying at home alone or entertaining for her large family over Christmas, the house is able to adapt and provide a functional space where everything simply works. This includes light, airy spaces thanks to large windows, and sliding doors for easy access to outdoors.
“The dining area can expand to the outdoor deck, creating a larger entertaining space,” she says. “The outdoor barbecue area connects directly to the indoor kitchen through a window servicing the two spaces. Upstairs there is a guest suite with a private bedroom and bathroom. There is also an upstairs living room that opens onto a balcony and has city views, perfect for enjoying the New Year’s Eve fireworks display
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/3cD85JPQEtHOU7jBdx7pcs/be4eee1118527b644f0fcfa34d2b9acd/aa-image-1.webp" alt="aa-image-1" />
Then there’s the garden area. For this, Renata employed her son Martin’s landscape design firm, Ironbark Designs, to deliver her vision. The result was a low-maintenance, practical garden with everything she needs.
“I love my little garden,” Renata says. “It’s easy to manage and it provides the perfect amount of greenery, which I can see from inside. The garden is low maintenance with astroturf to the rear yard. I also have plenty of internal plants and succulents which bring greenery into the house.
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/7zwZxnTdFjMl5YkY2mZOki/bdbb1077caa2e24a6b1fddf1a840dce7/aa-image-9.webp" alt="aa-image-9" />
<h2 id="buildingafirmfoundationwiththerightpeople">BUILDING A FIRM FOUNDATION WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE</h2>
In addition to aligning herself with architects who made the design and planning phases run smoothly, Renata needed a builder with high-quality project management skills to ensure an efficient build.
Secon Constructions fit the bill perfectly and worked in tandem with Atlas Architects to help realise Renata’s dream. But creating a new home from scratch on a block of land with Renata’s original home didn’t come without its challenges.
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/IzAheHe9yrfDQ1v3qzQLX/446646f2bdded72c114b60d94633b3b6/aa-image-8.webp" alt="aa-image-8" />
<blockquote>
 "Council’s initial response was not supportive of the development, so we had to make additional effort to articulate the building façade and volume,” says Ton Vu, Director at Atlas Architects. “The design outcome and expression were to minimise any impact on the neighbour’s amenities, while still achieving the architectural vision. We worked closely with a town planning consultant to address every aspect of the ResCode and local council concerns.”
</blockquote>
And because the build location and design were tight, Peter Considine, Director at Secon Constructions, needed a solution that would allow them to work efficiently while aligning with residential development standards.
<a href="https://www.jameshardie.com.au/productrange/categories/cladding/scyon-axon-cladding">“Axon Cladding</a> enabled us to store and install the sheets off the scaffolding we had erected, instead of having a workstation on the ground and trying to pass up each sheet individually. It only took two men to install, whereas other systems – such as foam and render – consist of other trades and more materials. Also being a sheet-product installation, the job was completed in a much shorter timeframe.”
<h2 id="anewleaseonlife">A NEW LEASE ON LIFE</h2>
With everything singing in harmony – design, build and landscape – it wasn’t long before Renata found herself in her new standalone home. While smaller, it’s a much more practical space that affords Renata her solitude while also meeting all her lifestyle needs, and being next door to her original five-bedroom home.
“I am so happy with the end result,” she says. “It is exactly what I wanted. I love that my new standalone home is detached from the existing house. There is no body corporate and I have my own little property that has everything I need. I managed to stay in the area, close to my children and friends, in a home better than I could have imagined.”

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Discover how architects built a dream home by upgrading while downsizing. See how Axon™ cladding and roofing helped create this modern Australian masterpiece.

A Modern Australian Masterpiece: Upgrading While Downsizing

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Dream Homes: Industrial Chic on Queensland’s Bundaberg Coastline

<h2 id="themodernlook">THE MODERN LOOK</h2>
A dream home can encapsulate many things for different people. For Natalie and Darren Hunt, their dream home was a modern industrial design overlooking Queensland’s Bundaberg coastline, a dream they achieved with the help of outstanding building materials.
<h2 id="aforeverfamilyhome">A FOREVER FAMILY HOME</h2>
As a residential builder himself, Darren and his wife Natalie had always envisioned designing and building their forever family home to share with their two kids. When they spotted a darling cottage just a stone’s throw away from the ocean along Woongarra Scenic Drive in Bargara, they knew they had found the ideal location to lay down roots and mingle their love of the sea with their love of modern designs.
After four years of planning and one year of building, Darren and Natalie’s dream home came to life. A marvel of modern industrial design, their <a href="https://www.jameshardie.com.au/projects/double-storey-new-homes">two-storey family home</a> is not only pleasing on the eye but also an impressive showcase of how advanced building materials can be used to endure harsh weather conditions without sacrificing on style.
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/rg5y8r6t6cjr/3tr2c9HVALzGSkoc8Mz7MU/ab1359b8fb37eccb34cddc75acc80a42/z5LqdPKw-1600x1480__1_.webp" alt="z5LqdPKw-1600x1480" />
<h2 id="coastalmeetsindustrial">COASTAL MEETS INDUSTRIAL</h2>
North Queensland’s climate can be harsh at the best of times, so building a durable home on the doorstep of the ocean makes strong winds and salt corrosion your biggest liabilities. For Darren, with his experiences building in the area as well as his knowledge of advancements in building materials and design trends, choosing Axon Cladding for this build was an easy choice.
Designed to create a strong visual impact with dramatic line and form, Axon Cladding produced that modern and industrial look that Darren and Natalie were aiming for, as well as safeguarding their family home from coastal conditions.
<blockquote>
 “We wanted to create a strong visual impact that provided contrast, but still had the industrial style we had our hearts set on”, explains Darren. “We both love textures and wanted different materials to achieve the modern look and feel – Axon Cladding by Scyon Walls was the perfect choice to accomplish this.”
</blockquote>
<h2 id="mixingmodernmaterials">MIXING MODERN MATERIALS</h2>
When constructing a home in a coastal climate, choosing the right materials is a critical part of the design process, especially if you have your heart set on a specific design theme. For Darren and Natalie, their vision of creating a modern statement home with industrial and commercial undertones, but also one that would fit in with the surrounding landscape and be able to weather extreme coastal conditions was the ultimate challenge.
The cement composite technology of the Axon Cladding makes it the perfect match for harsh weather conditions including salt corrosion and strong winds, giving Darren and Natalie extra peace of mind living so close to the ocean.
<blockquote>
 “We wanted to live as close as we could to the ocean. Choosing Axon means that our home will retain its good looks for longer” – Darren Hunt
</blockquote>
To complement the Axon cladding and HardieFlex sheet, Darren and Natalie incorporated Axent trim for edge treatments and finishes in harmonising colours. These additions gave Darren and Natalie an opportunity to play around with complementary colours, layering of textures and adding an extra layer of protection and exterior appeal to the house.
> “Layering of textures and mixing external materials like cladding will create a modern, unique look and when combined with colour choices – the result will be the ultimate individual statement,” says Darren.
<h2 id="homesweethome">HOME SWEET HOME</h2>
What started out as a humble sketch of an idyllic home has transformed into a contemporary family design that still garners admiration and interest from the community and passers-by.
> “There’s always someone having a look, and it makes you feel like what you’ve done is something different and they appreciate it” – Natalie Hunt

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Here's how an industrial chic style was given to a dream home on Queensland's Bundaberg Coastline, using Axon™ Cladding & Hardie™ Flex Sheet for durability and style.

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