{"id":1454,"date":"2025-04-30T17:39:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T17:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.camperscorner.net\/?p=1454"},"modified":"2025-05-02T18:07:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T18:07:42","slug":"budget-breakdown-an-aussie-architect-builds-a-beach-house-with-million-dollar-views-for-270k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.camperscorner.net\/index.php\/2025\/04\/30\/budget-breakdown-an-aussie-architect-builds-a-beach-house-with-million-dollar-views-for-270k\/","title":{"rendered":"Budget Breakdown: An Aussie Architect Builds a Beach House With Million-Dollar Views for $270K"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After spending about $247K on land, Matt Goodman saved on square footage and splurged on glazing to build a minimalist getaway on stilts that feels like it\u2019s floating.<\/p>\n

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Matt Goodman had been keeping an eye out for vacant blocks along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, for years.<\/p>\n

The architect and his wife, Corrie, hail from Wollongong on Australia\u2019s east coast, although they\u2019re based in Melbourne and they often holidayed in the  small nearby towns of Separation Creek and Wye River, drawn to their simple lifestyle and similarity to the coastline where they grew up. Building their own beach house in the region was a long-held dream.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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In the Australian town of Separation Creek, architect Matt Goodman built a compact beach house for about $270,000 USD. The cabin hovers over the site on stilts, giving it a floating effect.<\/p>\n

Photo by Jack Lovel<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Such was their connection to the locale that in December 2015, when a wildfire tore through the area, Matt felt compelled to step up. He put word out through local businesses, offering to help residents who had lost their homes rebuild. “It was around the same time that I started my office and I didn\u2019t have a lot of work\u2014and then instantly I had three pro bono jobs,” he recalls. “I was busy, but still not making much money.” <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The custom kitchen counter and dining table set the couple back $5,600 ($3,350 USD), but Matt says it\u2019s now the hub of the home. They installed the wall shelf after moving in at an additional cost of $2,600 ($1,550 USD). It had initially been scrapped to save money, but they quickly realized the extra storage it offered was essential after all.<\/p>\n

Photo by Jack Lovel<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The silver lining was that the pro bono work gave Matt valuable insight into the landscape. When vacant blocks popped up for sale, “I was able to weed out whether a site was good, or too difficult, or too expensive,” he says. “I had knowledge that I could put into our own build, so that we could try to do it for a song.”<\/p>\n

In 2018 they secured a “perfect” site on a hill overlooking the ocean, but their budget for the build was just $400,000 ($250,000 USD). “We knew the house needed to be compact and simple and cost-effective,” Matt says, “but we also wanted it to be a beautiful space where the experience of being down there, surrounded by nature, was really intense.” <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The cabin\u2019s corrugated iron cladding (Colorbond steel in Windspray) riffs on the quintessential Aussie beach shack\u2019s fiber cement sheeting, but is far more fireproof. When not in use, the cabin can be completely closed off with a sliding gate.<\/p>\n

Photo by Jack Lovel<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: An Aussie Architect Builds a Beach House With Million-Dollar Views for $270K<\/a><\/b>
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