Revealed: Beach shack's big glow up
Its crisp apex roofline nods to the classic child's drawing of a house – but this striking new home is anything but basic.
A builder couple's reimagining of a tired Gold Coast shack, the property at 4 Alpha Ave, Currumbin is going under the hammer on June 14 with Coastal agents, Ed Cherry and Cooper McCormack.
Named Aeri, the home is the fourth local project from Mitchell and Rebecca Kekwick, and one of few new builds in a tightly held pocket close to the creek, schools and beach.
Its peaked roof and single-level layout are about all that remains from the original cottage, with the couple creating a four-bedroom floorplan around a landscaped internal courtyard.
'We had a decent settlement so we spent a lot of time planning. We wanted to keep the original apex shape as a bit of a homage to a home that you would draw as a kid — that being said, the existing apex was only 2.4m,' Ms Kekwick said.
Raked ceilings now soar to 5.3m, enhanced by skylights filling interiors with natural light.
Designed foremost as a functional family home for the Kekwicks and their two young children, the home's clean lines and neutral palette are softened by warm timber finishes, walnut joinery, and creamy Italian marble.
Large sliders open onto a covered alfresco barbecue terrace and pool zone, while inside features include a designer kitchen with high-end appliances and a butler's pantry, wet room-style bathroom, office space, and a media room.
Ms Kekwick, 31, was pregnant with her youngest when they took on the renovation, having spent more than a year scouting for the right site. Records show they paid $1.15m for the 569 sqm property in November 2023.
A former lawyer and self-described 'Type A' personality, Ms Kekwick traded corporate life for full-time renovating — managing the design, schedules and selections while raising two children under two.
MORE NEWS
Sky home with 'rock star vibes' on the market
Young richlisters drive luxury surge
Big blow for anyone who isn't a millionaire
'We'd settled on our last house 10 days before I was due with our daughter who is now two, so we were navigating becoming parents for the first time,' Ms Kekwick said.
'We had previously renovated a few houses and I loved working with my husband, so I saw it as a bit of an out from a career I didn't love.'
The couple pulled off their latest project just in time to move in together as a family of four – but not without overcoming a few major hurdles.
They were hit with a surprise $25,000 quote for asbestos removal partway through the build, and later told they could face a wait of up to three months to get power connected.
Then came the challenge of bringing the house in line with recently tightened building codes, adding complexity and cost to the already ambitious project.
Now, Ms Kekwick is enjoying the days she has left in the property she describes as a 'dream home'.
'The house is really unassuming from the street, but I think we have created a real wow factor with the ceiling height over the hallway,' she said.
'Nothing compares to someone coming into the house and saying, 'oh my gosh, I wasn't expecting that'.'
Currumbin's median house price rose 9 per cent over the past year to $1.69 million, according to PropTrack.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Our critic liked this local hangout in the leafy east so much, she visited it twice in one day
Where nearby restaurants are dress-up and splurgy, Central Park Cellars is come-as-you-are and stay-till-whenever. Previous SlideNext Slide It's not often I like a place so much that I visit twice in one day, but not every venue is Central Park Cellars. On this afternoon, I'm in the leafy east in need of tea and a chat with a friend. We planned a brisk stroll in nearby Central Park, but the weather's being unkind. With our backs to the wind, we're blown down Burke Road. A place with 'Cellars' in its name doesn't sound like cuppa territory but, 10 minutes later, we find ourselves ensconced in a charming window booth sipping cups of lemongrass-and-ginger tea. Down the back, a chef rolls pasta in a picturesque flour haze. Closer to us, shelves of high-quality independent wine are ready for drinking here or ferrying home. In the toilets, the wallpaper features line drawings of local dogs. At a sheltered table outside, a young family carves out 20 minutes: the parents sip prosecco and beer, the kids are brought to quiet stillness by hot chips. In the other window nook, a happy rambler receives crossword assistance from a glass of Musk Lane syrah. I'm eating out with friends later and now I know where. I want the pasta I saw being rolled, and I want some of that wine, too. So here I am, back again in the evening, in a den that gets fuller and louder as the minutes roll by: mates, dates, cross-table talk from parents who know one other from school drop-off, a book club that doesn't even pretend to open a tome. Waiters work gamely, teetering on the cresting wave of a busy weekend. 'A chef rolls pasta in a picturesque flour haze. I'm eating out with friends later and now I know where. I want the pasta I saw being rolled.' The building has been a licensed grocer since 1930. When the business came up for sale a few years ago, two couples decided to buy it, bringing skills from business, healthcare and marketing to their first foray into food. Mick and Paula Stephenson, Craig Buffham and Fiona Doyle have refined the wine offering (and promise they've tasted every wine they sell – well, they do say hospitality is tough), improved the menu and smartened up the interior, installing soundproofing, timber panelling and banquettes. There's music on Fridays and, where nearby restaurants Grazia and Riserva are dress-up and splurgy, the Cellars is come-as-you-are and stay-till-whenever. The menu was designed by Andrea Serreli, who left recently to take on the head chef gig at hatted Scopri in Carlton. His long-time protege, Mandeep Paudel, is now leading the kitchen under the guidance of the owners and with buy-in from regulars, who aren't shy of expressing opinions. There's pubby stuff, such as barramundi tacos, fried chicken, a shareable, 400-gram rib-eye and bloody good chips served with house-made chicken salt. I have more of this addictive salt on the rim of my Salted Hen cocktail, a margarita-adjacent walloper with mezcal and jalapeno syrup. An Italian thread to the menu explains the citrus-cured snapper, octopus with Sardinian walnut sauce, and lovingly made pasta and risotto, which are both available as $20 midweek specials. The food isn't faultless: the risotto's on the chalky side of al dente, although the pea and mascarpone combination is delicious. The beef-cheek ragu is a little thin, but the flavours are honest and the accompanying tagliatelle is supple and silky. Everything is offered in such warm spirit that it's easy to overlook the rough bits of the diamond. I'm a sucker for tiramisu and the one here is flawless, a delightful drawcard to get me back for visit number three.
The Age
9 hours ago
- The Age
Our critic liked this local hangout in the leafy east so much, she visited it twice in one day
Where nearby restaurants are dress-up and splurgy, Central Park Cellars is come-as-you-are and stay-till-whenever. Previous SlideNext Slide It's not often I like a place so much that I visit twice in one day, but not every venue is Central Park Cellars. On this afternoon, I'm in the leafy east in need of tea and a chat with a friend. We planned a brisk stroll in nearby Central Park, but the weather's being unkind. With our backs to the wind, we're blown down Burke Road. A place with 'Cellars' in its name doesn't sound like cuppa territory but, 10 minutes later, we find ourselves ensconced in a charming window booth sipping cups of lemongrass-and-ginger tea. Down the back, a chef rolls pasta in a picturesque flour haze. Closer to us, shelves of high-quality independent wine are ready for drinking here or ferrying home. In the toilets, the wallpaper features line drawings of local dogs. At a sheltered table outside, a young family carves out 20 minutes: the parents sip prosecco and beer, the kids are brought to quiet stillness by hot chips. In the other window nook, a happy rambler receives crossword assistance from a glass of Musk Lane syrah. I'm eating out with friends later and now I know where. I want the pasta I saw being rolled, and I want some of that wine, too. So here I am, back again in the evening, in a den that gets fuller and louder as the minutes roll by: mates, dates, cross-table talk from parents who know one other from school drop-off, a book club that doesn't even pretend to open a tome. Waiters work gamely, teetering on the cresting wave of a busy weekend. 'A chef rolls pasta in a picturesque flour haze. I'm eating out with friends later and now I know where. I want the pasta I saw being rolled.' The building has been a licensed grocer since 1930. When the business came up for sale a few years ago, two couples decided to buy it, bringing skills from business, healthcare and marketing to their first foray into food. Mick and Paula Stephenson, Craig Buffham and Fiona Doyle have refined the wine offering (and promise they've tasted every wine they sell – well, they do say hospitality is tough), improved the menu and smartened up the interior, installing soundproofing, timber panelling and banquettes. There's music on Fridays and, where nearby restaurants Grazia and Riserva are dress-up and splurgy, the Cellars is come-as-you-are and stay-till-whenever. The menu was designed by Andrea Serreli, who left recently to take on the head chef gig at hatted Scopri in Carlton. His long-time protege, Mandeep Paudel, is now leading the kitchen under the guidance of the owners and with buy-in from regulars, who aren't shy of expressing opinions. There's pubby stuff, such as barramundi tacos, fried chicken, a shareable, 400-gram rib-eye and bloody good chips served with house-made chicken salt. I have more of this addictive salt on the rim of my Salted Hen cocktail, a margarita-adjacent walloper with mezcal and jalapeno syrup. An Italian thread to the menu explains the citrus-cured snapper, octopus with Sardinian walnut sauce, and lovingly made pasta and risotto, which are both available as $20 midweek specials. The food isn't faultless: the risotto's on the chalky side of al dente, although the pea and mascarpone combination is delicious. The beef-cheek ragu is a little thin, but the flavours are honest and the accompanying tagliatelle is supple and silky. Everything is offered in such warm spirit that it's easy to overlook the rough bits of the diamond. I'm a sucker for tiramisu and the one here is flawless, a delightful drawcard to get me back for visit number three.
Courier-Mail
a day ago
- Courier-Mail
Revealed: Beach shack's big glow up
Its crisp apex roofline nods to the classic child's drawing of a house – but this striking new home is anything but basic. A builder couple's reimagining of a tired Gold Coast shack, the property at 4 Alpha Ave, Currumbin is going under the hammer on June 14 with Coastal agents, Ed Cherry and Cooper McCormack. Named Aeri, the home is the fourth local project from Mitchell and Rebecca Kekwick, and one of few new builds in a tightly held pocket close to the creek, schools and beach. Its peaked roof and single-level layout are about all that remains from the original cottage, with the couple creating a four-bedroom floorplan around a landscaped internal courtyard. 'We had a decent settlement so we spent a lot of time planning. We wanted to keep the original apex shape as a bit of a homage to a home that you would draw as a kid — that being said, the existing apex was only 2.4m,' Ms Kekwick said. Raked ceilings now soar to 5.3m, enhanced by skylights filling interiors with natural light. Designed foremost as a functional family home for the Kekwicks and their two young children, the home's clean lines and neutral palette are softened by warm timber finishes, walnut joinery, and creamy Italian marble. Large sliders open onto a covered alfresco barbecue terrace and pool zone, while inside features include a designer kitchen with high-end appliances and a butler's pantry, wet room-style bathroom, office space, and a media room. Ms Kekwick, 31, was pregnant with her youngest when they took on the renovation, having spent more than a year scouting for the right site. Records show they paid $1.15m for the 569 sqm property in November 2023. A former lawyer and self-described 'Type A' personality, Ms Kekwick traded corporate life for full-time renovating — managing the design, schedules and selections while raising two children under two. MORE NEWS Sky home with 'rock star vibes' on the market Young richlisters drive luxury surge Big blow for anyone who isn't a millionaire 'We'd settled on our last house 10 days before I was due with our daughter who is now two, so we were navigating becoming parents for the first time,' Ms Kekwick said. 'We had previously renovated a few houses and I loved working with my husband, so I saw it as a bit of an out from a career I didn't love.' The couple pulled off their latest project just in time to move in together as a family of four – but not without overcoming a few major hurdles. They were hit with a surprise $25,000 quote for asbestos removal partway through the build, and later told they could face a wait of up to three months to get power connected. Then came the challenge of bringing the house in line with recently tightened building codes, adding complexity and cost to the already ambitious project. Now, Ms Kekwick is enjoying the days she has left in the property she describes as a 'dream home'. 'The house is really unassuming from the street, but I think we have created a real wow factor with the ceiling height over the hallway,' she said. 'Nothing compares to someone coming into the house and saying, 'oh my gosh, I wasn't expecting that'.' Currumbin's median house price rose 9 per cent over the past year to $1.69 million, according to PropTrack.
