News Corp Australia
First published 11 Nov 2022, 1:13pm
News Corp Australia Network
11 Martin Circuit, Driver
A former Darwin builder has listed his home and former display house for sale, after turning the residence from drab to fab.
And the transformation is jawdropping.
Ray and Rhonda Somerville have given 11 Martin Court, Driver, the Cinderella treatment, taking it from dowdy blockwork home to Top End stunner.
Sitting on the Palmerston Golf Course, the property was built in 1987 as a single-storey house.
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BEFORE: 11 Martin Ct, Driver, in 2014
“It originally had four bedrooms, two tiny living areas and no aspect of the golf course,” Mr Somerville said.
The couple bought the property in 2007 and renovated it between 2013 and 2014.As an architectural draftsman and builder with almost 30 years of experience working in Darwin, Mr Somerville knew he wanted a home designed for tropical living and entertaining that made the most of the golf course views and 810sq m.
The front facade now
It also needed to double as a builder’s display house to demonstrate what a smart Top End home design could look like.
The pool area before its transformation
The result was a modern Balinese longhouse-inspired home with 531sq m under roof, high ceilings, indoor-outdoor flow and a 55,000l swimming pool overlooking the 18th.
“We pushed the external wall out to give an open-plan kitchen area, created an extension upstairs, which has a rumpus room and a second master suite and extended the balcony upstairs with a cantilevered point over the pool,” Mr Somerville said.
“Standing on that point is like being at the front of the Titanic.”
And the pool area now
The renovations also took the Top End climate into account.
“From midday onwards the backyard and pool are in shade,” Mr Somerville said.
“You can also be on the back deck in full monsoon rains and the deck doesn’t get wet, and all windows have awnings off them too.”
The living areas now
On the ground floor there is a living area, three bedrooms, with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe to the master, a bathroom, a laundry and an open-plan kitchen and dining space opening to the poolside entertaining area. The kitchen has a 3.6m island bench, a 900mm freestanding oven and a walk-in pantry.
Upstairs, the second master suite, with built-in wardrobe and ensuite, and the rumpus room, open to the balcony overlooking the swimming pool and golf course.
The property includes irrigated low-maintenance landscaping, a double carport, a buggy garage with direct green access and solar hot water.
“The neighbourhood is great, the neighbours are fantastic and the house is in a great spot in a cul-de-sac,” Mr Somerville said.
“And the golf course is your backyard.
“You walk out the back door and you’re 140m from the golf club, which is undergoing a $8.5m renovation.”
