Both houses are three stories high and have the living accommodation on the top floor to give incredible views of the beach, as well as sliding glass windows on the top floor that lead out to the terrace.
The properties are named Mavericks and Cloudbreak after well known surfers from California and Fiji, both referred to as The Line.
Winchelsea Beach is a shingle beach that looks across Rye & Winchelsea Nature reserve and Dungeness beyond. It is recognised as a highly protected SSSI from the vast range of migrating birds that it attracts with its unique shingle ridged wetlands. It sits alongside an abandoned medieval harbour that previously occupied Winchelsea Beach before it silted up and was lost, leading to extensive arachnological work to be carried out during construction.
The construction combines a braced steel frame with brick and timber infill, which was engineered to combat the extreme wind and weather brought from the open sea frontage. The materials used are grey Forum Smoked fair faced brickwork with Burned Charred larch cladding, and the structure is highly insulated which creates a very air tight and sealed building that reduces running costs to occupants.
Black cladding is a commonly used material on this stretch of coast line, used in fishing huts at Hastings and fisherman’s cottages in Dungeness. It was chosen so that the appearance is almost black but the natural wood grain becomes more visible, as well as being a very durable surface that lasts in the harsh environment on minimal maintenance.
The joinery kitchens and build are handmade and bespoke by a local joinery firm. A local steel fabricator was also used to create the stair cases from the combination of powder coated cut steel strings and cantilevered treads that create an open and light weight appearance rising through the building. Outside there are paved terrace spaces with rear gates and steps that lead right onto the beach.