A hinterland retreat of extensive timber handcrafting by Charlton Homes took out two awards at the Queensland Master Builder’s 2008 State Awards and Annual Dinner in Brisbane in October for Best use of Timber and Best Housing for Sloping Sites over $2.5 million.
The 1000sqm home in Mapleton, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland, was entirely post-and-beam constructed by David Charlton from a massive supply of Hyne Timber for termite-protected framing, beams and rafters, floor joists, cladding and flooring.
The site, on the side of a 140m drop to the valley presented some significant logistical issues for Charlton, who had a tower crane on site for 10 months to place each rafter individually, due to their weight.
Charlton specified Hyne Truebeams that are made from the locally-grown dense hardwood Spotted Gum for their fire retardant attributes. This single species was used for all external cladding and battens, decking as well as the interior timberwork, which was completely handcrafted from solid timber without using veneers.
The largest single beam was a Hyne Beam 21C weighing 2 tonnes, and at 15.5m long was the main hip-rafter through the lounge.
Charlton Homes will now go on to compete at a national level in the 2008 MBA Housing & Construction Awards in the categories in which they won in Queensland.
