The suburb of Strathfield once used to be known for its rows of historic houses set upon large blocks on beautiful tree-lined streets. While some of those gems remain, the area has slowly reinvented itself with a broad range of styles, from the modest to the ultra-modern.

HIA member Joe Hanna of JPH Built and his 20-strong team are experienced in large-scale developments and architecturally designed residential projects, operating predominantly across Sydney’s inner-west. They are behind some of these newer high-end builds popping up with increasing regularity, including their proudest accomplishment to date: a magnetic multi-million-dollar family home in the heart of Strathfield.

‘The structure has an amazing look. It has a solid presence on the street,’ says Joe, CEO. ‘We had people stopping in front of the job just to take photos. They were stunned by how it was being built.’

The Strathfield home’s exterior is an arresting blend of chiseled lines and layered materials. Across three levels, the choice of granite stone, class one off-form concrete and black patterned zinc gives the home an achromatic quality that is relieved by a lustrous copper front door and lush landscaping.

Vision Group Architects spent approximately a year designing a home that was not only elegant and refined but suited to everyday family life. Joe says that the builder’s brief from the architects and design firm, Inside Touch Interiors, was simple: do not deviate from the plans.

‘The scope of the project was to build the house according to the renders,’ Joe says. ‘As the builder, we had to find solutions that didn’t compromise the design. If you were to look at the renders, you would see the house is an exact replica inside and out.’

Detailed planning, regular consultation with the architects and problem solving became the order of the day over the next two years as construction got underway at the end of 2019. While excavation on the 1000-square-metre block was pleasantly straightforward, the building site however was disrupted by unforeseen COVID lockdowns – a problem that was then compounded by material shortages.

Joe says they were lucky to have only lost around two or so months from the project’s timeline overall.

‘The building challenges came more from the structure,’ he adds. ‘This house has a layered roof system of five different roof lines so there was a lot of thought that had to go into making it work. It was doable – but it took time to get the structure up.’

Expense no barrier, everything that would make the home comfortable, functional and enjoyable for the homeowners was incorporated. A lift from the basement (complete with an impressive car display, cinema and gym) up to the first floor’s bedrooms and master suite provides ease of access between the various levels. On the ground floor, a sumptuous office and library enjoys access to a peaceful external courtyard, while the sophisticated open-plan kitchen and living area (including a ‘walk-in’ cool room and freezer adjoining the butler’s pantry) seamlessly connects to the outdoor facilities.

‘The breezeway in the centre of the house is about six metres high and the ceiling height in the living room is 4.7 metres, giving it this really open feel,’ Joe explains. ‘Big glass doors slide all the way back to lead out to the alfresco area that includes a cabana, pool, pizza oven and bar tap for entertaining.’

The beauty of the Strathfield property is in the countless details that form a cohesive canvas throughout the public and private rooms. For example, rich mahogany timber wall panelling pairs with herringbone flooring; brass accents surround the living room fireplace and pop up again in kickboards, fixtures and fittings; and classic grey marble in the kitchen island and splashback is replicated in the master bedroom.

Despite the high-end finishes, Joe says the effect is subtle. ‘The style of the home offers an elegant backdrop for the furniture and artwork to act as a major feature internally. It all comes together really well.’

For such a detailed project, it’s unsurprising then that special attention was also given to the landscaping all around the property. Bates Landscape was commissioned for the gardens which included a couple of unusual requests. A mature olive tree from a family member was imported for the backyard, two-metre-high hedges were brought in from Queensland and a tall established dragon tree was sourced to serve as a feature in front of the house.

‘We had road closures and cranes set up just to get the trees in,’ Joe says. ‘From the day of handover, we had full growth landscaping. It was amazing.’

Since construction wrapped up at the end of 2021, the JPH Built team has felt the impact of their superb workmanship and have been busy fielding enquiries from interested homeowners and architects looking for a quality builder.

‘This is currently our flagship project, which has gained us a lot of work,’ Joe says. ‘We have another project in council in the same street starting up soon, which has a similar concept.’

A member of two years, JPH Built is getting to know which services and support HIA can best offer their growing business, with Joe now eyeing the HIA Awards for the chance to showcase his best work. With projects of this calibre being produced, we look forward to seeing what comes next.

Materials:

• Exterior: class one off-form concrete, Form Group; zinc, TopSmith; granite stone, Artedomus
• Internal walls: feature timber panels, Bespoke Joinery
• Flooring: large-format porcelain tiles, Artedomus; herringbone, Havwoods
• Kitchen: benchtops/splashback Artedomus stone; Polytec STECCAWOOD by Bespoke Joinery
• Fixtures and fittings: Astrawalker
• Front door: custom-made copper door, TopSmith.

First published on 17 May 2023