Rita and Mark Horne built this incredible eco-friendly Inman Valley home on 315 Strangways Rd last year after finding it in a moment of pure serendipity.
“My husband Mark has designed several homes and he designed this one himself,” Mrs Horne says.
315 Strangways Rd, Inman Valley. Pic: supplied.
“We live at Middleton and have always lived by the sea and we went for a drive one day just to have a look at some rural properties, because we had recently stayed at Deep Creek and thought it would be nice to try and find a rural property. We drove up Strangways Rd and saw a private sale sign on a fence that had just gone up, and we called the owner and asked if they would let us look at the block. We drove in, stood right at the site where the house is now and just went, ‘this is incredible.’
315 Strangways Rd, Inman Valley. Pic: supplied.
315 Strangways Rd, Inman Valley. Pic: supplied
“We weren’t really seriously looking at buying but when we saw it we thought it was just too beautiful to not build on there. Our main aim was to showcase what you can do to build a green sustainable home using passive house principles and that suits Adelaide’s climate. Mark is incredibly talented in designing houses and we just wanted something that sat in the landscape and rose out of the ground almost. And it’s turned out perfectly.
315 Strangways Rd, Inman Valley. Supplied
“The views are sensational, and you can see The Bluff, Granite Island and Victor Harbor from every room.”
The home has four bedrooms – the master with an ensuite and walk-in robe – a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, several outdoor entertainment areas and quality fixtures and fittings throughout. It sits on a 26.68ha allotment.
315 Strangways Rd, Inman Valley. Pic: supplied.
“That master suite is just mind-blowing, and you never know what you’re going to see when you open those blinds,” Mrs Horne says.
“Some days the whole valley is under cloud and we’re sitting above it, and that massive tree in front of the lounge room window is amazing. There are eagles, kangaroos, foxes and deer out there – it’s like you’re in a David Attenborough show.”
315 Strangways Rd, Inman Valley. Pic: supplied.
As stunning as the off-grid home is, Mrs Horne says the couple are not ready to leave the coast just yet.
“We’re both beach people and my husband is out in the water every single day, so we’ve decided to stay in Middleton and let a family enjoy this spectacular view,” Mrs Horne says. “I’m so insanely proud of what Mark has achieved here. It’s stunning.”
Price: $3.25 million to $3.5 million.
Agent: Harcourts South Coast, Mark Forde 0417 833 296.
Land size: 26.68ha.
