Sophisticated, refined and timeless, ‘Dalkeith’ is a home worthy of its enviable location on the shores of Perth’s Swan River. But this wasn’t always the case. Just a few years ago, it was tired and outdated, with faux-Mediterranean styling and a notable disconnect between the interiors and the breathtaking water views.

‘Our clients wanted to achieve a few outcomes with this renovation but the key things were opening it up, brightening it up and engaging it a lot more with the river,’ explains James Zorzi, Design Project Manager at Zorzi Builders.

Established around 70 years ago in Perth, WA, Zorzi Builders offers a turnkey design and build service, working at the uppermost end of the housing market, and often with repeat clients.

For this project, the client – who Zorzi had worked with previously – called on their expertise prior to purchasing the property. ‘We looked at two different scenarios – a renovation or demolish-and-rebuild,’ James explains.

‘The home had solid bones but given the location and planning regulations, if you were to knock it down you wouldn’t be able to re-build it again. It was over-height, overshadowing, over the setbacks that are currently in place now. So that was the main determinant to go down the renovation path.’ 

The new design was completed before the clients settled on the property. Using a 3D model of the home, Zorzi’s in-house architects, Rietveld Architects, worked within the existing ‘chassis’ of the building, gently reconfiguring the interiors to create larger spaces and a more intuitive flow. 

‘We opened the whole home up with floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows to all the river-facing areas,’ James says. ‘We also completely opened up the basement level and employed bifold doors to create a seamless indoor-outdoor, and alfresco entertaining space opening into the pool. We made the most of the views from both the main living areas as well as the bedrooms.’

The Zorzi team got to work onsite as soon as the clients took ownership and, as is often the case with renovations, the initial deconstruction phase uncovered a few surprises. 

‘It was a bit of a Frankenstein. We realised there were slabs that weren’t joined together properly. The pipework in some of the areas underground had deteriorated to nothing, and so there were all these gremlins that popped up that we had to deal with as we uncovered them.’

Working on a battleaxe block fronting the river did create complications throughout the 18-month build, mostly in terms of site access. ‘Getting materials in there was tricky. There were several instances where we had to crane large panes of glass over the neighbouring house, just to name one,’ James says. COVID lockdowns also caused supply issues and slowed progress on site.

While the renovation preserved the basic footprint, everything else has been completely transformed. The 900-square-metre home unfurls effortlessly towards the water over three bold, glass-fronted levels.

The exterior and interior are unified through the carefully curated mix of materials: tactile feature stonework offsets the drama of the vertical steel shade screen; expanses of walnut joinery add warmth to the honed travertine flooring. Panels of polished plaster in ‘Tuftex Concrete Pearl’ deliver an elegant take on the robust, contemporary appeal of off-form concrete. 

Zorzi Builders has a formidable reputation for quality and this home is a brilliant showcase of their meticulous, uncompromising approach to both the large-scale elements of construction and those all-important tiny details. The HIA judges describe it as a ‘refined example of quality and luxury’, where ‘every finish is thoughtfully connected to create a truly world class finished home.’ 

‘We were proud of it all,’ James says. ‘It’s the workmanship; being able to deliver such a fantastic outcome for the clients. You see the before-and-after and see what you can actually achieve. This is such a big transformation through clever design and making the most of its unique location.’ 

Despite this stellar track record with an array of state wins, James says the team was surprised, as well as ‘very proud and very humbled’ to win the 2024 HIA Australian Renovation of the Year.

He adds that the fact that the HIA awards are judged by other builders – their industry peers – makes the wins all the more meaningful and valuable. ‘That adds to the prestige and the satisfaction of it. It's a knowing eye that's looking over your work and judging you the best,’ he says. 

‘Winning HIA awards is very good for our brand, for reiterating that we do quality work. Whilst we have won a number of national awards over the years, you never take them for granted because it's difficult to get that achievement.’

Award

HIA-CSR Australian Housing Awards - 2024 HIA Australian Renovation / Addition Project

Partner

Colorbond

Materials:

• General render : Dulux AcraTex Coventry Coarse; Dulux White Exchange 100%
• Feature render : Dulux AcraTex Coventry Coarse; Dulux Grey Cabin 100%
• Roof finish : Colorbond Ultra Wallaby
• Stone cladding : Piedra natural stone walling (dry laid) from Mataka
• Riverstones : Natural black from Landscape Elements
• Pool tile : Glazed porcelain in Mass Mosaics Bali Grey, 75x75mm from Ceramic Tile Supplies
• Garage door : Applied metal finish panels in Burnt Bronze from Metalcote

First published on 20 September 2024