Berkers Building

Ocean Splendour

Flagship “Climate-Specific”

Home on the Turquoise Coast

This exceptional home in the Jurien Bay Heights development almost seemed destined to be built by Piet Berkers. When Piet moved to Western Australia in 2007 with his wife Anita, he brought with him an outstanding skills set that – 14 years later – would prove decisive in meeting the challenge of building an industry-pacesetting home on the windswept Turquoise Coast.

THE TEAM

BERKERS BUILDING

With decades of experience building in the more extreme climates of Europe, specifically the Netherlands, the award-winning builder was ideally placed and prepared to construct the coastal area’s first “climate-specific” home – with no expense spared.

The block of land was chosen because of its commanding views over natural bushland towards the town of Jurien Bay. Located five kilometres from the Indian Ocean, the plot also provided a high level of protection from both easterly and south/south-westerly winds.

However, the construction project still required meticulous planning, and an innovative approach forged over several decades in his family’s building business back in the Netherlands, to ensure the home could cope with Jurien Bay’s high winds and require minimal maintenance in the future.

As Piet explains, “We tried to build in a way that there would always be an area around the house that is wind-free (almost anyway) and the home would be attractive and pleasant to enjoy outdoors. The acoustic insulation and double glazing make it a very comfortable house to live in, and it is also well-protected from outside noise, especially the wind. I believe we ended up achieving this and fully accomplishing our objectives.”

The “we” also includes building design and architectural drafting company Design Synergy, who worked with Piet’s Berkers Building company on the Jurien Bay property’s “Grand Design”.

State-of-the-Art Home Features The home comprises five bedrooms and three bathrooms, divided between a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home and an expansive one-bedroom, one-bathroom granny flat with an open-plan kitchen, dining and lounge area.

On entry to the main residence, you are greeted by an open-plan kitchen, dining and family area, with a two-storey raked ceiling that offers superior air-flow when combined with double-glazed, double-locking French doors on both sides of the living area.

Once you have taken in the sheer bold simplicity of the living area’s design, you then move out to the patio area and its picture-perfect vista across natural bushland to the nearby town and Indian Ocean.

The master bedroom features a walk-in robe and en-suite, with all the other bedrooms completed with built-in robes and doubleglazed multiple opening tilt and turn windows. The bathroom serving the other three bedrooms has a separate water closet and plenty of storage space for family members and guests.

“The acoustic insulation and double glazing make it a very comfortable house to live in, and it is also well-protected from outside noise”

As noted above, one of the priorities was to make the home as comfortable as possible. This was achieved by using top-quality insulation, thicker than normal external walls, and outside cladding with a higher mass to reduce heat and noise.

The double glazing is also extra-thick, which has a significant positive effect on noise reduction (especially wind), one of the two glass panels incorporates a laminate film to make it stronger, and the roof sheets have added thickness. “All these factors create an indoor climate that is both comfortable and nice to live in, even without air-conditioning,” notes Piet.

Specifically, key design features include: ■ External walls 140x45 millimetres, giving greater insulation from wind and adverse temperatures. ■ Roof finished using 0.48-millimetre colorbond sheeting and additional screwing. ■ Internal and external walls insulated with acoustic batts, providing enhanced sound absorption and overall comfort. ■ External wall cladding using BGC’s NuLine Plus, which is thicker and stronger and has a higher fire rating. ■ Windows and door frames all made in Germany, double-glazed 6.38-millimetre (laminated) with 10-millimetre spacing creating huge noise reduction and higher insulation quality. ■ Windows European tilt/turn style, with multiple locking systems for the external doors. ■ Both kitchens equipped with a gas cooktop, oven, microwave, dishwasher and fridge freezer. ■ Main brand used – Bosch. ■ LED lights and fans installed throughout the home.

weeks to clear the building site and an area for the septic system and leach drains, and also to create a trench to connect power to the house.

Piet is also strongly committed to sustainability as a builder, so the building was constructed to guarantee its longevity. Most of the materials used were either re-usable or recyclable and, in the event of not being re-usable, they were chosen to prevent or at least minimise any threat to the environment.

“Building energy-efficient homes is extremely important back in the Netherlands. It is a much cooler climate there but the same principles apply for this warmer climate in Western Australia.”

Family Background in Europe Piet Berkers has a venerable building pedigree. There are records of the family business having been set up in the Netherlands as far back as 1870, with Piet’s grandfather taking it over from two brothers (without successors) in 1928. He in turn handed over the reins to his son in 1958, and Piet helped out as a youngster on weekends before eventually succeeding his father in 1988.

Piet and Anita sold the business in 2001, and it is now integrated into a larger company. He continued working as a builder for several years before they emigrated to Australia in 2007, and immediately established Berkers Building. As the Berkers are semi-retired, it is just a “one-person” company, with Piet buying a block of land and developing a house on it, and hiring contractors for the construction work.

His projects have included building the Bindoon Bakehaus and Cafe, and the Berkers’ own farmhouse in Bindoon (currently for sale).

And their reasons for emigrating from the Netherlands? “We do love Australia and we think Western Australia is beautiful. Also we felt quite cramped in the Netherlands, which is very densely populated. A change of life at that stage in our lives was important and we love it here in Australia.”