Cornubia’s 24 Penelope Drive was designed and built to suit its sloped block and Queensland’s year-round warm climate, owner Rose Blair said.
“In summer, I rarely put an air conditioner on unless we have exceptionally horrible days,” Ms Blair said.
“But generally, it’s very airy, and being up high means you can take advantage of the view.”
Ms Blair and her family designed the home in 1991, raised on poles or stilts, specifically to suit the year-round warm Queensland environment and facilitate the flow of cool air under the house.
“This is the second pole home I’ve built,” Ms Blair said. “The first was in Newcastle, New South Wales, in the 80s, when there were hardly any pole homes in Newcastle.
“They originated in New Zealand, but they’re everywhere here in Queensland.”
Ms Blair didn’t have any experience designing property before these two homes, but knew she wanted open plan living and a unique home.
“We built the home to try and bring the outside in,” Ms Blair said. “We’ve got beautiful, sweeping views and windows everywhere.”
Stained glass windows, Ms Blair made herself, featuring koalas, gum leaves, and lorikeets that lead onto the back verandah, add an eclectic touch to the home.
“When we first moved in, back in the early 90s, there were koalas everywhere,” Ms Blair said.
“It was crazy, one night we got the spotlight out and counted 13 koalas.
“I just love putting my stamp on a property, and the only way to do that was to do my own thing with the windows, so I did a course on stained glass.”
Since the original build, Ms Blair has renovated the bathroom, re-finished the timber floors, and touched up the interior paint work.
But the home remains in pristine original condition.
“It’s going to be hard to find another place that I love as much,” Ms Blair said.
Ms Blair said she thinks the property is likely to attract interest from families or a young couple who would be well-suited to the space, stairs, outdoor living, and 2002sqm block space.
“There is so much that can be done with this property, even underneath it,” Ms Blair said.
“I’ve had plans drawn out to put a studio in.
“Or the block could be subdivided to put two or three properties on it.”
