Barestone answers the call for an elegant, easy to maintain home for life

Having done several projects with the same architect and builder previously, they knew they had the right team to handle it.

As a ‘trying to retire’ couple, they wanted a ‘rest of their lives’ type home built on one level, easy to live in and easy to maintain, where they could showcase their artwork and sculpture collection throughout the property. The architect, the late John Simpson, designed a north facing pavilion style building with high ceilings, set into the sloping land. The bedrooms are at one end and living space at the other, anchored by a stone clad, double height entry tower.

“We found that really interesting”, says the owners. Barestone was always their first choice for the façade, and they played around with many different materials for the tower to find the perfect combination and, ultimately, match.

Further to that, the team chose the fixed riveting method, rather than screws, to attach the cladding. The rivets are flush and colour coded to blend in, so your eye is drawn to the façade rather than the rivet. From a construction perspective, using Barestone means having only one trade for installation, which eliminates scheduling bricklayers, renderers and painters.

The owners and the builder have also been pleasantly surprised by how the texture and subtle colour variations of the Barestone have become more pronounced over time. “The more they age and weather, the better they look. The movement, the pattern tends to darken a little bit. The full potential isn’t seen when they are first put onto the frame.”