SMALL HOUSE, BIG HEART

A labour of love by homeowners, Eloise and Matt, this small house is now a fully functioning family home with a fiery centre

- KARSHA GREEN

DETAILS

HOUSE Tamar Stepped House

LOCATION Deviot, Tas

INITIAL BUDGET $250,000

FINAL COST $260,000

DATE COMMENCED March 2016

DATE COMPLETED March 2020

eloise and Matthew Collins, a young married couple, were planning a somewhat uncertain future. In the middle of their IVF journey, they relocated to Tasmania where Eloise had family and friends, and land was much more affordable. No matter what fate had in store for them, Eloise and Matt wanted a house they could call “their” home.

Purchasing a “totally blank slate” in Tasmania’s rural town of Deviot, the sloping, clay soil block was daunting but from the top of the property, sprawling views of the Tamar River were spectacular. Matt is a builder by trade and Eloise has worked in an architectural firm, so the couple planned to work with an architect in the beginning to use the space effectively and achieve the design they wanted. However, beyond this, Matt and Eloise would live in a shed on the property for nearly four years, gradually building their forever home.

“We did not want a big house. We wanted it to be smart but simple, with plenty of storage. We also wanted to work with the landscape; it was important that the house worked with the block, not against it,” says Eloise. “We were in love with the Cheminees Philippe doublesided fireplace so that was to be a key feature of the house. We had also been on a trip to Japan and fell in love with the work of Tadao Ando, so we used that as an aesthetic reference.”