Grass Tree House
Set within a rare clearing in the Barringo Valley of Victoria’s Macedon Ranges, Grass Tree House is designed to sit gently within a remarkable bush landscape defined by sweeping valley views and an extraordinary proliferation of grass trees (Xanthorrhoea). These slow-growing plants give the site a timeless character, and the house is carefully positioned within the existing clearing so it feels embedded in the landscape rather than imposed upon it.
Originally cleared for deer farming, the paddock created a unique opportunity to build within a landscape that would be extremely difficult to clear under current planning controls. Designing the house required careful navigation of Rural Conservation zoning, landscape overlays and BAL-29 bushfire requirements.
The home stretches along an east–west axis so that every bedroom and the main living areas enjoy northern sunlight and views toward Mount Macedon and Mount Towrong. Four children’s bedrooms occupy one end of the house while the parents’ retreat sits at the other, connected by a long internal spine that frames views of the surrounding landscape at either end. At the centre, the kitchen, dining and living spaces open directly to outdoor dining, lawn and pool, supporting the family’s love of gathering and entertaining.
A butterfly roof lifts the northern edge of the building to capture distant views while collecting rainwater into a central box gutter that feeds tanks at each end of the house. Designed for the Macedon Ranges’ cold climate, the home combines passive solar orientation, high-performance timber double glazing and thermal mass in the concrete slab to maintain comfortable temperatures throughout the year.
A robust palette of charred timber, standing seam metal and stone grounds the building in its bush setting. Granite boulders integrated into the landscape form entry steps and retaining walls, while a substantial stone fireplace anchors the living space and becomes the heart of the home during winter.
Location Barringo Valley, VIC
Interiors Studio Tom
Builder Hardwick Build Co
Engineer FMG Engineering
Photography Marnie Hawson
Aboriginal Nation Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung
Type New house