Sydney’s Northern Beaches area is justifiably famous for its spectacular sandy coastline, but locals know that the real beauty lies in the protected bay of Pittwater. Here, houses of every vintage crowd together on long, steep blocks facing the water, almost unseen from the winding roads behind walls of garages.
When the owners of Trilogy House purchased the waterfront property, they were drawn to its northern aspect, the water access and the magnificent views. A modestly sized house, built in 1961, occupied the back half of the steep site (which has a gradient of 1 in 2). Over time, neighbours’ newer houses had been built much closer to the water, thereby reducing this house’s wider water view to a narrow tunnel between two very ordinary side facades. So, the new…