Felix House, Great Ocean Road

A husband and wife team have unveiled their self-built home, which features timber cladding made from Accoya® – a world-leading high-performance wood.

Rebecca and Damien Leijer, an interior designer and builder respectively, set out to build their own cabin-style home in 2018. Inspired by the emergence of timber cabins in Australian architecture, the couple have now completed their dream property in the seaside town of Torquay, which uses wood both inside and out.

Named Felix House, the three-bedroom family home is built on a 405m2 site on the Great Ocean Road.

Its large kitchen and living area, which features sliding doors to the garden, is the heart of the property and boasts a timber-lined raked ceiling using western cedarwood. The floor boards, kitchen bench tops and bathroom vanities are made using Victorian ash.

Its 6mm grooved shiplap cladding is made of Accoya, a modified timber that can withstand the harshest of climates whilst requiring minimal maintenance. Its superior properties mean that it’s not susceptible to rotting, warping, shrinking or swelling, which allows for a 50-year guarantee above ground. The Accoya was supplied by Britton Timbers.

Homeowner Damien Leijer, who is a carpenter by trade, said: “The dimensional stability, workability and durability of Accoya® can’t be beaten, so this was a major factor in choosing the product, especially given our home’s proximity to the seaside. Aesthetically, it was exactly what we were looking for – we love the grey patina that it develops over time, which will perfectly complement the pink tones of our interior design.”

Accoya® is sourced from FSCâ certified forests and is Certified Cradle to Cradle™ (C2C) Gold in recognition of its sustainability credentials making it an environmentally sound choice.

To see a list of distributors, please visit www.accoya.com/where-to-buy/.