Currumbin Valley’s ‘Copper House’ turning heads

IT’S known as the Copper House and this bespoke home is expected to draw a crowd when it goes under the hammer.

Owners Greg and Pam Bews are behind the one-of-a-kind residence in Currumbin Valley’s Ecovillage — a sustainable community where residents are conscious of their environmental footprint.

The showstopper home at 2 Mumdjin Court packs a punch from the street with its sharp lines and bold copper cladding.

“Everyone just calls it The Copper House as the front facade is covered in copper sheeting,” Mr Bews said.

“It started as a bright copper colour but it’s weathered to this lovely mauve-rich-red colour and it will stay like that forever.

“It’s just a brilliant feature the house.”

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The couple were drawn to the Ecovillage from Brisbane’s northern suburbs in 2012.

“We had a love of the Gold Coast and in particular this area between Tallebudgera and Coolangatta,” Mr Bews said.

“The Ecovillage was just so appealing particularly with the sustainability aspects and eco conscious of it.”

They enlisted Will Collins, of Arco Designs, with the design and had Nick McDonald of Mactech Constructions’ bring their dream house to life.

The couple wanted the indoors and outdoors to blend and to take advantage of the high aspect and outlook of Currumbin Creek.

“We wanted a big enclosed outdoor space that we could access with no difficulty in any weather and that’s what we achieved with the U-build,” he said.

“We’ve also got a beautiful atrium in the middle which is very peaceful with the fish pond.”

The attention to detail is evident with a string of vintage materials paired with modern conveniences in the house.

“All of the internal timbers are recycled from Wynnum West State School in Brisbane,” Mr Bews said.

“The Government had a big updating program and were getting rid of all the school classrooms and buildings.

“A lot of the internal walls and external hardwood is all from those buildings.

“All of the big timber is from old piers in Brisbane.”

“We spent a long time de-nailing and cleaning the timber.”

Inside, high ceilings and large picture windows frame the bush surroundings and allow plenty of light to filter through.

Breezeways and cross ventilation keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter, which was high on the couple’s wishlist.

There is also hydronic underfloor heating — heating by water — in the living and master bedroom.

“We wanted to maximise the house’s sustainability and we’ve achieved that with the hydronic heating in the flooring,” Mr Bews said.

Designer Will Collins, who also lives in the Ecovillage, said he enjoyed working on the couple’s vision.

“Every block has a different aspect and this block had a sensational view so what they (Greg and Pam) wanted was to capture the outdoor views mainly for the living, outdoor entertaining area and master bedroom,” he said.

“With the copper, it’s designed to be no maintenance but also for the aesthetic appearance.”

“I like to use different materials — I’ve used copper before but not in the Ecovillage.”

Mr and Mrs Bews are planning to downsize with a move to the Fraser Coast in the pipeline.

“We are keen to make sure the house moves on to another deserving owner who will respect its environmental credentials and the easy living nature of it all,” Mr Bews said.

Ken Jacob of Ray White Tugun is taking the property to auction on May 31.

“I have personally done 117 sales in the Ecovillage over the past 13 years so know the estate well and this home is really special,” Mr Jacob said.