The Lighthouse - 10 Wentworth St, Dover Heights - Architectural Masterpiece - But Is It Liveable ....

When the “Lighthouse” was first built and won the prestigious Wilkinson Award I was excited to learn that this home was in Dover Heights. I was keen to see exactly what property had won this award. I read all of the articles available at the time but I have had to wait until now when the house has been put on the market to actually see with my own eyes what all the fuss was about.

As I was not a potential buyer I told the agent that I just wanted to have a look and was able to do so just before the home was shown to a real prospect.

https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-dover+heights-137765994

The years of anticipation were well worth the wait.

The “Lighthouse” is the masterpiece of architect Peter Stutchbury. The house features an irregular squiggle space with two distinct light wells. One light-well projects natural light from the sky through the roof, through the master bathroom down to the oval pool below.

The second light-well projects onto the second level terrace. There also smaller light-wells which beam light into a variety of unexpected places.

The materials are mostly concrete, steel and natural woods along with bronze.

The first level is fully dedicated to the living, dining and kitchen flowing out to the patio and cliff while the second level is bedrooms bathrooms and decks.

What I really loved was the creativity the architecture. The curves are stunning and the light-well through the master bathroom is like having white rays of heaven beaming from above. The master bedroom has a stunning outlook and the second level living room is a contemporary wooden delight.

The house is truly one of kind and is cleverly integrated into its position overlooking the ocean.

However the question that remains is this - is this an architectural jewel or a liveable home?

Here are my observations:

1 - The materials are stunning but very high maintenance. Using so much natural wood next to the ocean is problematic. All the door frames and window frames are wood. While it looks lovely I know for a fact that the wood fades, expands, contacts and deteriorates very quickly next to the ocean. With constant maintenance these issues can be mitigated that fact remains that all of this extra maintenance is a lot of extra time, money and hassle.

2 - The balustrades on the cliff as well as the balustrades on the balconies are made of bronze which has become patina green. While the it is a lovely material and colour, the fact remains that clear glass gives you a better see though view of the ocean and glass does not deteriorate and corrode over time due to the salt water air.

3 - The master bedroom has an incredible view but not a single door at either of the two entry points. Let me repeat - the master bedroom has no doors. This leads me to believe this home was designed for a single couple. A new owner either has to add doors or be happy with a complete lack of privacy.

4 - Bed 3 and Bed 4 / retreat also has no doors. There is a single entry point to these two rooms and there is no door on entry and no door between the 2 small spaces. Again this means any guests or family members living in these additional rooms have zero privacy.

5 - The entire second level with the bedrooms and living rooms features a single bathroom. The bathroom is super spacious but I don’t imagine that it would be ideal having a one bathroom between the master, any other family members and guests.

In my opinion this house was designed for a single couple that does not have additional family or frequent guests and is comfortable with having very little privacy.

I had the opportunity when it last sold to view the property next door at 8 Wentworth. While this home does not feature the incredible architecture of 10 Wentworth it is a much larger home with much larger spaces, aluminium framed windows and sliders, glass balustrades and more conventional bedrooms and bathrooms. The views and position are the same and for a conventional family or couple with children or guests who visit often this home is much more spacious and liveable.

At the time of my visit the price guide was 12 million. I don’t want to say this is a good value or not. It is always difficult to value something so completely unique. However I do think this property has a relatively narrow appeal. It is not really a family home or a conventional trophy home. Rather it is a stunning architectural jewel that seems ideal for a single person or couple.