Ken Boddie

7 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Blue Mountains Millions

Blue Mountains Millions

. ellen! ol 8 ga Rl -

This site, located in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, has million dollar views and some great concepts, as critiqued by Jenny Xie in her article published in Apple News: 

Invisible house is up for sale 

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This house can be yours for a lazy 9 mill (i.e. Aus $9,000,000.00) give or take a few million in US, European or Asian currencies, depending upon the exchange rate.  But, I guess, if you have that sort of money to throw around, what's a few mill between friends? Just think, you can get one beautiful house and magnificent views, for the cost of 5 to 10 houses elsewhere.

According to Xie, this beauty has won "numerous awards, including Australian House of the Year and a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award for International Excellence". It is referred as the 'Invisible House' due to a water feature on the roof which, when switched on, apparently reflects the sky and reportedly results in the structure being 'hidden'.

The pics below (more are featured in the link above) show a blend of "concrete, Mudgee stack stone, steel, hoop pine plywood, and raw brass and copper" selected by the 'acclaimed' Australian architect Peter Stutchbury ..... but the first of these, the concrete, is where the main problem lies, at least for this prospective purchaser (I wish).

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Why, in such an award winning facility, does nobody appear to notice the ugly concrete which is featured on the walls and ceilings, still variously wet stained and with the associated remnant markings of the formwork erected prior to pouring? The overbearing presence of so much bare and un-rendered (nor otherwise beautified) concrete far outweighs the beautifully crafted Mudgee stacked stone walls and feature plywood panels. 

For me, while recognising that aesthetics are subjective and personal, the overall effect is cold and featureless, more reminiscent of a library or information centre building than a family home in such a unique and breathtaking setting. 

For such a price tag, I, for one, would expect more thought to be given to the internal cladding and finish.   

How about you, guys? Hot 👍 or not 👎 ?

This Blue Mountains mansion forms such a stark contrast to the immaculate Meera Sky Garden House in Singapore, featured in @Claire Cardwell's recent buzz:

 https://www.bebee.com/content/1038773/976478

All photos above by: Michael Nicholson, for Sydney Sotheby's International Realty

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213b903c.jpgWhen not researching the weird or the wonderful, the comical or the cultured, the sinful or the serious, I chase my creative side, the results of which can be seen as selected photographs of my travels on my website at:

http://ken-boddie.squarespace.com

The author of the above, Ken Boddie, besides being a sometime poet and occasional writer, is an enthusiastic photographer, rarely leisure-travelling without his Canon, and loves to interact with other like-minded people with diverse interests.

Ken's three day work week (part time commitment) as a consulting engineer allows him to follow his photography interests, and to plan trips to an ever increasing list of countries and places of scenic beauty and cultural diversity.


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#Blue Mountains #Sydney #Jenny Xie #Mudgee #Blue Mountains Millions
Comments

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #28

Last I heard, Todd, it was off the market and under negotiation. Sounds like someone agrees with you about the view and decided to invest in something more substantial than a tent. Must remember your 'bunker-esque'. Sums it up quite nicely.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #27

#31
The owner's agent has asked me to thank you for your bid to provide batik blinds for the windows, Paul. If you throw in a few traditional lukisan Bali, as a sweetener, to soften those stark walls, you may very well have a supply contract.

Paul Walters

7 years ago #26

Ken Boddie h forgot to mention...Indonesian rupiah

Paul Walters

7 years ago #25

Ken Boddie 10 mill and thats my absolute final offer!!!

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #24

#27
I'd rather face the real estate sharks in the Blue Mountains, Dean-san, than the sharks lurking offshore alone the Ballina coast. There again, it's tempting to have a long stretch of shoreline on which to build you very own sand castle. 🤔

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #23

#24
Perfect place for weekend band practise, Kev, for the discerning introverted guitar player and his groupies that is. No neighbours to complain about loud music, or any other shenanigans, or to throw back ... mmh? ... whatever you eventually decide you may want to throw when you live in this house. A mere steal for a man of your means. 😉

Dean Owen

7 years ago #22

Wouldn't it be better to buy this beach and spend the rest building your own designed beach house?http://www.realestate.com.au/news/a-nsw-beach-stretching-22-acres-is-on-the-market-for-2-million-2/?rsf=ps%3Afacebook%3Anatrei

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #21

#25
Plus throw in a Harry Balafonte vinyl, DLE, and you may have enough for the deposit. But don't wait too long. Daylight come! 😊

Kevin Pashuk

7 years ago #20

People who live in concrete and Mudgee stack stone should not..... Er.... should not... ummm... At a loss here. Not sure what you shouldn't do in this house. Perfect for a rich introvert. Great for pondering and you clan cloak yourself with invisibility at the flick of a switch.

Gert Scholtz

7 years ago #19

#16
Ken Boddie I politely stand back - this is a place for our Caribbean Queen.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #18

#20
I don't get any kick backs, Nick, but I sure get a kick out of some of these comments! 😃

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #17

#18
Can't tempt you away from Nobby's Beach, Aleta, for the occasional long weekend putting out bush fires? The bidding's almost finished.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #16

#14
$9 mill can sure buy a lot of 'lavish', Mohd, and a lot of solitude. 😩

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #15

#12
Sorry, DLE, but you're up against Gert Scholtz #1 who's bidding at the asking price. Going once ..... Going twice .....

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #14

#13
And if she spends all her money buying it and getting there, Pascal, 'she'll be left there!' 😭

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #13

Lavish location for solitary person who dreams to relish life! :)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #12

stunning location and impressive modern mansion she ll be right there :-)

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #11

#10
You make a good point, Lada, but stunning views in the Blue Mountains tend to be ten a penny rather than ten a million. 😂

Lada 🏡 Prkic

7 years ago #10

#9
You’re right about the wet stains. Contrary of the ugly concrete on the ceiling I like the part of the house with ceiling of sinuous plywood slats. About the price, obviously there is a buyer for every house. Perhaps the location and the stunning view are worth the half of its price. :)

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #9

#8
Agreed, Lada. $9 mill for concrete expanses with shutter timber imprints and wet staining (zoom in on photos 2 and 3) it seems to me that someone's pulling the buyer's leg?

Lada 🏡 Prkic

7 years ago #8

The architectural style of brutalism has its aficionados and opponents. I belong to the later when it comes to private houses or apartments. But there are many examples of public buildings where the use of raw concrete looks really nice. Ken, this house looks cold for my taste.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #7

#6
Is there a market yet for bottled Dong tea, or is it just a case of two Dongs don't make a Lafite? 😂

Dean Owen

7 years ago #6

#4
Too many fake Lafites in China. I heard there is a market for original empty bottles of Lafitte so they can fill them with plonk (most likely Great Wall wine) and sell them as real. Nobody seems to have been faking Penfold's Grange as yet....

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #5

I forgot to tag you @Claire Cardwell as I've mentioned your Meera Sky Garden House in this buzz.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #4

You obviously get less Bang for your Buck, or Reach for your Renminbi, in the Middle Kingdom, Dean-san. But there again, what value can you put on all those bottles of Penfolds Grange, or are they Château Lafite Rothschild, in the Suzhou cellar?

Dean Owen

7 years ago #3

I love it! A relative steal compared to this: http://www.curbed.com/2016/7/5/12097998/most-expensive-house-china Can you get pizza delivery? Does need a woman's touch. A bit lacking in fabrics.....

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #2

#1
Thanks for the bid, Gert. Now, is there any advance on $9 million? Going ..... going ..... 🔨

Gert Scholtz

7 years ago #1

Ken Boddie Yip- the internal finishes a bit sparse and too much concrete for my taste - but what a view and what a unique place! Going for a "lazy" AUD 9 M :)

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