The Esplanade

Sometimes the right projects just click from the very beginning.

T and Z first reached out to us during the final week of work before Christmas 2024 after being recommended by family. We caught up on site before the break, walked through the plans together and by early 2025 the project was already moving quickly. With much of the planning already completed and a building permit ready to go, demolition commenced in late March before a slab pour in early April and construction hit the ground running.

The Esplanade is a two storey knockdown rebuild positioned on the waterfront in St Leonards, designed to fit their lifestyle and make the most of the incredible outlook across Port Phillip Bay. The full width front balcony quickly became one of the standout features of the home. The perfect place to sit with a morning coffee and watch the sunrise over the bay, finished off with a steel balustrade that is an absolute winner.

Feature tiling throughout the home was selected based on fragments of coloured tile rubble uncovered beneath the original house during demolition, helping tie parts of the old home into the new build in a subtle but meaningful way. Aluminium privacy screens, a soaring two storey void above the entry and warm timber finishes throughout all helped shape the relaxed coastal feel of the home without overcomplicating the design.

One of the standout parts of this build was the relationship formed throughout the process. T and Z spent a lot of time staying in a caravan at the rear of the property during construction, which meant they were heavily involved throughout the build and our team worked closely with them day to day as the project evolved. Communication flowed well, decisions were made quickly and the collaboration between clients, trades and our team made for an incredibly enjoyable project from start to finish.

From our very first face to face meeting through to handover of the completed home was exactly one year to the day. A pretty special milestone for a build we’re all incredibly proud of.