Patonga House sits at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River, overlooking Patonga Beach and settling quietly among a row of timber weatherboard houses. Designed by Casey Brown Architecture, the family beach home was built to wear in, not wear out, drawing on the weathered patina of a small coastal town. It evokes the summers of the client’s childhood, made to pass a love of this place on to their daughters.
The materials carry that idea. The primary structure, a system of heavy timber posts and beams, was salvaged from a disused bridge on the Clarence River, a mix of recycled wharf timbers in ironbark, blackbutt and grey gum, chosen to lower the home’s embodied energy and give it a sense of history and permanence. Left on display inside, the first floor structure reads overhead as a structural ceiling that brings a quiet calm to the rooms below. The home was, as the architect describes it, “intended to weather gracefully into the erosive coastal environment, rather than standing out.”
Recycled Timber, Inside and Out
At the heart of the plan, the kitchen island is crafted from recycled teak, repurposed from a former science laboratory and set beneath the salvaged frame. Spotted gum lines the walls and ceilings in solid boards and veneer, its complicated junctions and angles resolved seamlessly. A custom oval window by AHJ Architectural Hardwood Joinery tracks light into the kitchen, while above the lounge the master bedroom floats on tongue and groove spotted gum flooring. Internal doors are built from a mix of recycled Australian hardwoods.
Sustainability runs through the project. Patonga House is powered entirely by rooftop solar, and rainwater is harvested and recirculated through tanks along the property. Rough-sawn spotted gum weatherboards clad the exterior, fixed to battens that conceal each join and carry the aluminium shutters used to passively cool the house. Over time, that cladding will silver and grey, wearing in rather than out.
Patonga House was entered in the Residential Class 1 New Buildings category at the 2025 Australian Timber Design Awards. We celebrate timber projects of every scale, from family beach homes like this one through to landmark public buildings, and we would love to see yours among them. Entries for the 2026 Awards are open now and close on 3 July. To enter your project, visit timberdesignawards.com.au/how-to-enter/.