Tasmanian Couple Turn Bushland Into Dream Home

By Megan Collins 26/07/2026 2 min read 3 views

When Studio Steen’s clients bought this property in Eggs and Bacon Bay, the block featured nothing but bushland. The growth was so thick that it was almost impossible to walk through the block, forcing the team to engage with the raw, untamed reality of the terrain from day one. Simon and Helen, former winemakers from Victoria, approached the architect with a determination to create a self-sufficient holiday home they could visit until their retirement. They explicitly stated they did not want to rely on trucking in water, a common necessity for many properties in the area. They also wanted a home centred around their love for cooking, entertaining, and creative pursuits, but without creating a sprawling, oversized house for their daily lives.

A 300 square metre roofline structure was a necessity to create a substantial rainwater harvesting system, which feeds into huge tanks on site that service the property. To reconcile the massive roof requirement with the desire for a modest home, the design splits the footprint into two distinct wings separated by a central outdoor kitchen. The primary wing houses everything the couple needs for daily life — the kitchen, living space, master bedroom, and bathroom — keeping their everyday experience incredibly cosy. While the utilitarian corrugated iron roof is the home’s unsung hero, the exterior is clad in ironbark, a highly bushfire-rated timber coated in a black oil that allows the structure to recede into its natural setting.

Having originally envisioned a carport as part of the build, the clients fell so in love with the beautiful vantage point they decided it was better used as a dedicated ‘creative pavilion’ comprising a music studio for Simon and an art studio for Helen. Equipped with an en suite, the studio also hides a Murphy bed that pulls down from the wall, effortlessly transforming the space into a guest bedroom as required. Inside, the materiality shifts to create a soft cocoon. Every wall, ceiling, and joinery front is lined in local Tasmanian hardwood plywood, alongside bespoke blackbutt windows, while polished concrete floors provide thermal mass in line with passive solar principles.

The entire journey from the initial brief to handover took just under three years to complete. Despite their initial intention to use the house for holidays, Simon and Helen’s excitement grew as the project evolved. It inspired them to retire early and make the move to Tasmania, where they’ve happily adopted their next chapter of life immersed in nature. The project demonstrates how a strict functional brief can evolve into a life-changing decision, though the owners’ shift to full-time residency does raise questions about the long-term maintenance of such a remote, off-grid structure over decades.