RiverStone started another design and build project in City Beach last week. Having completed the design and documentation, received the building licence and demolished the old house; It was time to start excavation and footings. A 3 metre excavation was required on the site boundary, complicating the excavation was a 2m brick screen wall located on the boundary. Chemical shoring was required to hold the existing wall while the exacvation and new construction takes place. All was completed succesfully ready for the constrcution of the 300 square metre under croft.

Excavation on boundary

RiverStone dug a hole

Huge boundary footing

Setting up steel for footings

RiverStone celebrated the opening of their new display, The Palais, with a small cocktail party. Attended by staff, past and current clients. It was a relaxed and enjoyable evening. Those who had not seen the home the home before were amazed at the many features on display. From the multi function shower, through the stunning entertainment room and the super practical mud room, there are lots of new ideas are on display.

Palais Opening

Palais Opening

Managing Director, Mark Stratfold says “this is definitely the most exciting luxury home RiverStone has ever built for display. The best aspect of opening a display is that it really does involve the whole company in the design and build process. It is a home we all worked on together and one we can all be proud of. “

Palais Opening

Palais Opening

“Despite this being an absolute luxury home we still had to keep to a reasonable budget” says Emily LeCras the company’s in house Interior Designer. “Getting the right look and feel while keeping the costs real is a big challenge. But in the end that is what every client we work with needs. No one has an unlimited budget, so we always have to work within constraints and that is one of our greatest strengths as a company.”

Palais Opening

Palais Opening

PREPARE to fall in love with the Palais, RiverStone’s new flagship display home, now open in Mosman Park. A riverside stunner arranged over three levels on an awkward corner block, it’s 580sq m of custom-designed luxury and wow-factor features.

The Palais, 56 Mathieson Ave

RiverStone’s biggest – and arguably its most impressive – display home yet, the Palais is an ‘upside down’ residence that takes in glorious river views from the upper-level living area.

The Perth-based luxury homebuilder has mixed the everyday practical with a host of show-stopping details to create a four-bedroom, three-bathroom family home with a price tag of just over $2 million.

As well as showcasing comfortable family living at its best, the creative geniuses at RiverStone have been let loose with a host of cutting-edge ideas and products.

Bedroom at The Palais

From the sparkling ‘night sky’ and geometric bulkhead design in the entertainment room, to the Kohler computer-controlled six-jet walk-in shower in the ensuite off the master bedroom, the RiverStone team has left no detail overlooked.

An underwater scene that has been custom printed onto glass panels greets visitors as they step into the glass-sided lift on the lower floor, while the outdoor fish pond that stretches across the back of the entertainment room can be enjoyed through a long low window.

More than two years in planning and construction, the Palais may be packed with detail but nothing feels over done or pushed too far. It’s been more about exploring the natural materials and finishes that RiverStone loves to work with.

The result is a look that is classy, clean-cut and very upmarket.

Ensuite at The Palais

Vast slabs of cleverly lit translucent onyx have been turned into a backdrop for the freestanding spa bath in the bathroom off the master suite, while the natural stone that has been used to clad each riser of the staircase is the perfect foil for the spotted gum used on the treads.

Hundreds of small cedar blocks have been individually laid on the ceiling of the temperature-controlled walk-in wine cellar to create a visual treat. Even the scent of the cedar creates an extra sensory experience.

In the study, a custom-built criss-cross bookcase makes a fabulous design statement, yet the 12 built-in filing drawers have been neatly concealed in the wall cavity, making them all but invisible.

There are talking-point features wherever you go in this home, yet RiverStone has been careful to make sure that the Palais is still comfortable and easy to live in.

On the lower level there is a four-car garage, the wine cellar and an American-style ‘mud room’ with individual storage lockers for everything from sports gear to the dog’s lead.

The middle level features an imposing entry foyer and three bedrooms, one with an ensuite bathroom, plus the dedicated entertainment room.

Cellar at The Palais

Not only does this ultimate ‘man cave’ include a fully equipped kitchenette and twin big-screen televisions set against a custom-made printed glass panel, but it also opens out to a sunny courtyard with a day bed on one side and to a quiet conversation area with a fire pit on the other.

But it’s upstairs, on the third level, where the Palais really shines.

At the top of the stairs, a short passageway leads off to the indulgent master suite on the left, while to the right a bridge leads to the kitchen and main living area with its stunning river views.

Like the rest of the house, this all-important everyday area is bright and airy and flooded with natural light.

Thermally broken double-glazing has been used in the windows and doors, ensuring the space is kept cool and cocooned from any outdoor noise.

Anchoring the main living area is the magnificent kitchen, where the RiverStone team has deliberately shied away from any of the obvious design trends.

There are commercial-style stainless benchtops and splashbacks, white glass cabinet doors with super-slim aluminium frames and a stunning three-piece island bench consisting of a cooktop set in a stainless steel surround, a stone-topped storage unit with a double wine cooler, and a cantilevered breakfast bar featuring spotted gum veneer.

Kitchen, dining, living & outdoor space at The Palais

Leading off the kitchen is a huge scullery with practical open shelves and numerous pull-out wire storage baskets beneath a long stretch of benchtop.

The large terrace leading off the kitchen and living area can instantly become part of the outdoors or the indoors thanks to barely-there walls of glass that glide to one side.

One set of stacker doors literally disappears into the wall cavity, once again proving that the smallest of details can make a big difference. After all, RiverStone wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Palais, 56 Mathieson Avenue, Mosman Park, is open 2pm-5pm Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Quality is one of those concept’s which we all think we know, but can we write a definition? The truth is it is different things to different people. What you mean by quality will be a function of your personality, your life experience, your social environment and your wealth.

Your level of wealth is probably the strongest influence on your assessment of quality. What is your definition of a quality car? Is it a Golf, an Audi, or a Rolls Royce? Which definition you choose is likely to be a reflection of your wealth not the actual quality standard of construction. In fact sometimes what we perceive as quality does not in fact have quality construction. Again to use cars as our example a Ferrari is the ultimate quality car for many people, but they are widely famous amongst professional motoring writers for their poor build quality. Yet each car is a quality product within its own market segment. The same is true of your home.

Your personality will influence what you think is important in the home and what needs to be of the highest quality versus material or finishes that you do not consider important. Some people say the kitchen appliances need to be of the highest quality.  While at the same time they may not consider the material in the structure of the walls as being important. It is perfectly reasonable for you make a quality assessment based on your own needs and wants.

Life experience will also impact these considerations. How and where you were brought up will often define for life the way you see quality in housing. If you lived in a simple beach house, but your childhood was fun, you may not see the quality in a glass and marble monolith behind high walls.

Lastly our society will define what is considered quality. In Perth for example we all perceive brick walls and concrete floors as the highest of quality. This is probably not the view in other parts of Australia and is certainly not the view in say the USA. In those places timber stud framing and plasterboards sheeting are the normal quality construction.

So when you consider quality home building in Perth how do you decide which builder will give you a quality product? First you need to set your budget. Then you have to do some legwork. Visit displays, search the internet, read newspapers and magazines. When comparing builders always ensure you are looking at comparable standards of building. The builder’s standard specification will usually give you a guide. Remember there are no magic formulas in building. If something is cheaper it will be for a good reason. Try and narrow your search down to 2 or 3 potential builders and do a more in depth analysis of how they operate what experience they have and if possible talk to some previous clients.

You should always buy the best quality product you can afford. Some 200 years ago Benjamin Franklin said:

• “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”.

And lastly a quote from William A Foster:

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”

So take the time to make a wise choice of a quality builder. The benefits remain long after the home is finished.

AS a little girl, Emily Marshall was always rearranging her room and persuading her Dad, RiverStone managing director Paul Marshall, to redecorate it for her.

“Poor Dad had to paint my room about once a year because I kept wanting to change the colour,” says Emily, now RiverStone’s talented in-house interior designer.

Emily in the RiverStone selections room

“I’ve always been drawn to interior design and always thought it would be a hard job to do well in; that there would be limited opportunities. But I just decided to go for it.”

Emily’s passion and persistence paid off. Work experience with the family business during school holidays led to TAFE studies and a full-time job at RiverStone after high school, working as an assistant to respected Perth interior designer Kate Barakovska.

Now it’s Emily, with her unerring eye for detail and creative flair, who RiverStone clients turn to for advice on everything from colours and curtains, to carpets and the comfiest chair.

It’s the talented Emily whose brains they pick to nail just the look they’re after, whether it’s classic Hamptons or contemporary elegance.

“I always start by getting a guide from the client about the styles that they’re drawn to and the looks that they like,” she says.

“But then I always remind them that it’s their home and they don’t have to stick to one style. Most of our clients want a nice, timeless, classy, elegant home that’s going to last.”

Emily also has the enviable task of designing the interiors for RiverStone’s stunning displays and her most recent work can be seen in the builder’s new luxury Minim Cove showcase, the Palais.

Natural products often feature prominently in Emily’s designs, with lots of stone, timber and glass teamed with textural elements and neutral colour palettes.

Example of some of Emily's work

Emily says she is inspired by American interiors that are comfortable and homely, and by the work of her favourite English designer, Kelly Hoppen.

“Kelly merges a lot of old and modern; more classic shapes and styles but in a modern way. I think it’s the perfect mix, really,” Emily says.

While clients building a luxury RiverStone home often have a corresponding budget for interiors, Emily recognises that a budget is still a budget.

“It’s about getting quality at a good price. It’s about value for money. I’m not just here to spend!” she says.

At RiverStone, there are no cookie-cutter designs or stock-standard selections. No two homes are ever the same and no two interiors are ever the same.

The homes that Emily works on are often sizeable properties that demand a hefty specification so product selection is broken down into manageable tasks over a series of weekly meetings.

Example of some of Emily's work

“Most of our clients are time poor and the idea is that they tell me what they want or they show me a picture of what they like and I go out and find it for them,” she says. “I do the shopping and running around.”

This includes accessing products from the global market via Emily’s network of contacts in design hot spots such as Melbourne and Europe or working with local suppliers to get just the right look or finish.

“We try to make it painless, easy and stress-free for clients because it can be pretty daunting. We want them to enjoy the experience,” Emily says.

While help with selections is built into the RiverStone service, clients also have access to extra advice from Emily, from picking window treatments and carpets, to specifying and ordering custom-made furniture.

There’s even a “turn key” service where everything down to the cushions, cutlery and crockery is bought so that the house is ready to move into.

“I love the variety of my work,” Emily says. “I’ve always got new jobs and new people to work with and it’s so rewarding when you see the client in their new house and they’re just over the moon.”

Example of some of Emily's work

Emily’s top tips:

• Always bring in magazines, photos and cuttings – even if you can’t say why you like the rooms.
• Always keep in mind your key areas. For some, it’s the kitchen or the ensuite. For others, it’s the alfresco.
• Always decide from the get-go whether there are any ‘must keep’ pieces, such as a favourite chair or antique bookcase, that need to be incorporated.

BUILDING YOUR BUDGET:

The simple fact is that building costs do not ever come down. Sometimes they stay constant for a time, but they never actually come down. It is also true that building extra rooms as part of a new build will always be much cheaper than adding a room later. So you should build a home to suit you now and for the foreseeable future. But you also need to ensure you don’t over extend yourself. The home should become a millstone around your neck.

So the first step is to set your upper limit. That is what is the maximum spend you can afford or want to make.

Now the total spend is not the budget you have for the home. There are a large number of other items to be included, or deliberately left out, but you need to consider all the elements that go into a home and not be left unhappy because you have run out of money.

Items to be considered are :

1. Site survey
2. Design fees
3. Planning Approval, Building license.
4. Site access and storage facilities.
5. Demolition and site preparation.
6. Siteworks, including retaining walls, dewatering, removal of rock.
7. Building Contract.
8. Interior Design fees.
9. Floor coverings.
10. Light Fittings.
11. Landscaping, reticulation and paving.
12. Children’s play equipment.
13. Fencing.
14. Sporting fixtures e.g. basketball net and backboard.
15. Window treatments.
16. Home entertainment systems.
17. Computer infrastructure.
18. Furniture.
19. Artwork.
20. House warming party.

Now you can easily decide some of the items listed are not required in your budget. If you are dealing with a full service builder many of the items listed will be included in the Building Contract. So once you have decided what you do need to include, and you have defined what will be in the builder’s contract you then need to put monetary allowance against the remaining items. The total of those will be offset against your upper limit with the balance being the maximum amount that can be expended on the Building Contract.

It’s the silence that speaks volumes about luxury builder RiverStone’s new display home now taking shape in the prestigious Minim Cove estate in Mosman Park.

All building sites are, naturally, noisy affairs, and with only a few weeks to go before the anticipated opening, the 580sqm three-bedroom, two-storey home located on a snug corner block in Mathieson Ave is no exception. An army of trades is in full swing on the site, from plasterers to carpenters to electricians but go upstairs to the yet-to-be fully finished main dining and lounge rooms and it is like stepping into an oasis of serenity.

Kitchen being installed

The reason? A swathe of double-glazed glass (more than 200 sq m in total) that reduces outside noise to a mere whisper. Quite an achievement considering the hammering, grinding and general building bedlam that is going on all around. But even for a custom builder with such a prestigious record in luxury homes, this home will set new standards for RiverStone. As well as smart design – occupants can enter the home via a basement level “mud room” before ascending to the upper areas in a glass lift – there’ll be some cutting-edge technology on display which will take “wow factor” to a new level.

Upstairs, an electronically controlled custom-made Kohler shower, which will be down lit by LED lighting, is one spectacular feature. And there’s no chance of anyone peeking in while anyone’s in the shower; the windows in the room are made of “on-off” glass which can automatically turn opaque.

Tile fascia to void

The home theatre/entertainment room – featuring a stunning mural – will be finished to the highest five-star nightclub standards, with a bar and sound and vision system second to none.

To make the most use of Perth’s great weather, there’s an alfresco dining/entertaining area (with sliding access doors that seamlessly retract into a wall cavity) branching off the main dining/living area which has views of the Swan River.
Overlooking a central, sheltered courtyard, the alfresco provides the perfect sheltered niche for entertaining.
The state-of-the-art custom-made kitchen, too, will have some nifty functionality, including a range hood that at the touch of a button can be discreetly stored away.

RiverStone director Mark Stratfold, who is overseeing the home’s completion, says the level of detail externally and internally in the home is exceptional and once finished it will be a testament to the team effort and quality of RiverStone’s staff and trades.
“We’ll have an opening for the staff and it will be a real sense of achievement for everyone,” he says.

Bulkhead feature downstairs

Afterwards the public will get their chance to set their eyes – and ears – on what will be the jewel in RiverStone’s extensive crown of luxury properties.

CONTRACT:

The completed working drawings and specification are checked and if approved submission for planning approval proceeds. Here the process will differ if you are working with an architect or builder. With the architect you are now ready to put the job out to tender, or to commence negotiations with builders. If you working with a builder on the other hand you usually have a firm quote at this point so a full contract can be signed.

While waiting for approvals it is normal to now complete the selections process. That requires a decision on each and every item to be included in the contract to be specifically chosen for colour and style. On large, complex individual homes you should not under estimate the time required to complete this task. It is common at the top end for this process to be completed in conjunction with an Interior Designer.

CONSTRUCTION:

Once selections are completed and all approvals obtained work commences on site.

As you go along it is not uncommon for you to want to make some changes. Most builders are happy to accommodate you with changes, but please bear in mind it is always difficult for the builder to make changes. Costs for changes often seem high, but do reflect the disruption and administrative complexity of changes being communicated to everyone involved in building the home. Sometimes as many as 12 subcontractors can be involved in a change.

ENJOY THE PROCESS:

Building an individual design home is always an exciting adventure. Most people you work with are anxious to ensure you get the outcome you want. But remember a large complex home involves a very great number of individual components that go into the construction. Anyone of these can cause a problem. Sometimes what you think you asked for is not what the designer or builder thought you wanted. So it is vital you work with people you feel confident with and to then commit to working with those people as a team to help each other create the best possible outcome for you and your family. Most importantly have fun and enjoy the process.

RiverStone has committed to supporting the Tabitha Foundation in Cambodia with a promise of a house for a house. Over the course of this financial year the company will donate the cost of building one house in Cambodia for every house we sell here in Perth. So far the company has donated over $15,000 to the Foundation and we have seen the results in new homes for poor Cambodian families. All RiverStone clients should be aware that these donations come from profits and are not added to selling prices.

The beginning of a House for a House

The Cambodian people have suffered extraordinary hardship over the last 50 years with war, social upheaval, the killing fields and the other activities of the Kmer Rouge. The country is very poor and under developed. The people need the very basics of life to survive and a plan for development into the future. Housing is a fundamental start to developing social infrastructure and is vitally important if the people are to build a better future for their children.

The staff at RiverStone strongly believe that everyone is entitled to safe housing for their families. As noted above this basic need goes widely unmet in Cambodia and the Tabitha Foundation do a remarkable job in providing new, but simple homes for families. With the security of a stable home and the assistance of Tabitha Foundation with a Financial management plan families are able to provide a secure environment to raise children and encourage education. Photos attached to this article show some recently completed homes. For more information please go to the Foundation website and see the extensive work done by many volunteers. Tabitha also have a range of other projects and activities they are pursuing in Cambodia.

Donating is simple and you can contribute yourself if you wish either via our project through the above link, or you can make a separate individual donation. Go to the home page at this link

Tabitha Foundation Australia

A House for a House

We are proud to support the Tabitha Foundation along with many other generous donors and look forward to seeing many more homes built with our donations.

RiverStone also support a number of other charitable organisations on a regular basis. These include Bush Heritage Australia, Medicins Sans Frontierres, Kidney Foundation and Australian Conservation Foundation. Additionally the company makes donations to local sporting organisations and specific fundraising activities on an ad hoc basis.