Modern coastal luxury in Somerton Park
This newly renovated home boasts the luxury of space with six bedrooms, six car parks and a self-contained apartment.
Ben and Kim Mead moved out of their Somerton Park home nine months ago, with their three teenagers and two dogs, to make way for some major renovations.
They have since realised, with the kids getting older and soon planning to leave the nest, they don’t need as much space as they did when they moved in eight years ago.
“What we find now with a lot of the really modern homes is that the rooms just don’t have the big open spaces and the high ceilings like a lot of the older homes have got,” says Ben, who is the owner of Travel Auctions.
“This is a house of pretty grand proportions.
“The rooms are really, really big, the ceilings are nice and high.
“We’re spending less time needing a big house like that, so we’re going to downsize a little bit.”
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When they purchased the property in 2018, the home had been completely rebuilt and, nine months ago, Ben and Kim wanted to modernise it.
Using the same architect, John Vlachos, and builders who worked on the home eight years ago, Ben and Kim had the bathrooms redone, put in under floor heating, upgraded the indoor and outdoor living areas, and installed a gym and Pilates studio.
“It’s almost like a brand new house, to be honest,” Ben says.
“Our intention wasn’t to not move back into the house, but when you move out for a period of time, and you move all of your stuff out so you can do a major renovation, it made us realise that it’s a big house.”
The Somerton Park home has six bedrooms and space for up to six cars and a caravan or boat. It has built-in storage throughout the whole home and in the outdoor living area, and has a self-contained apartment, external to the house.
“It’s a home that you can absolutely grow into.”
Ben describes the open plan kitchen and dining as the “hub of the home”.
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“That area is absolutely the heart of the house, that then flows into the outdoor entertaining and dining area, which is where we’ve spent so much time – where we’ve had countless family meals, and family and friends over.”
Running a travel and tourism business, Ben and Kim Mead love living on the coast, and Ben says the house boasts more than just expansive ocean views.
“[We love] that coastal sort of holiday feel, which is what you get at Somerton, because we like being on holidays.
“It sits really high on the block and on the street as well, so one of the things we love is the coastal breezes and the views out to the ocean, but we’ve also – because we’re double storey and quite elevated – got beautiful views of the foothills and over the Adelaide plains.
“To have a house that looks east as well as west, and is elevated, that’s got that ocean [view] as well as the hills, is really nice.”
The lifestyle of Somerton and the close-knit community are something Ben is going to miss the most.
“The sense of community in Somerton Park is really nice because the reserve across the road is used for parties, exercise groups, pilates and yoga.
“Having that activity around us with the sailing club and the surf club has been really nice.
“That sense of community is really lovely.”
Ben and Kim are now in for tree change with their new farm at Ashbourne, and although they will still get their coastal fix from their property in far-north Queensland, they will miss the lifestyle of the coast, as well as the community and proximity of everything in Somerton Park.
“It’s a house that will make somebody very, very happy.”
The sale of 76 Whyte Street, Somerton Park, is being handled by Gena Nash and Bronte Manuel of Toop+Toop.
