Beams mean Hyne

For Peter Tregaskis of Hyne Wholesale on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, a recently completed home in nearby Mapleton through Melco Timber & Hardware was the biggest supply challenge he’s ever faced.

Peter prides himself on getting the job done and while Hyne has been processing and supplying timber in the region for 125 years, this particular site - on the side of a 140 metre drop to the valley - presented some significant logistical issues.

The 108 square house was entirely post-and-beam constructed by David Charlton of Charlton Homes in Mooloolaba.

The handwork involved, says Peter, was phenomenal. "David prides himself on exceptional craftsmanship, building quality homes on an individual basis. Two years in the making, this spectacular home in the hinterland showcases David’s magical abilities with timber."

Placing a high value on their peaceful surrounds, the owners specified only a two-metre buffer around the property and extensive timber handcrafting both inside and out. The result is an idyllic house in the trees, which captures exceptional views.

David said the house was originally sited on 100 acres, the owner decided to subdivide into three 30 acre sections, with a 10 acre public easement.

He said he specified Hyne Truebeams made from the locally-grown dense hardwood Spotted Gum for its high fire retardant attributes. This single species was used for all external cladding and battens, decking as well as interior timberwork - which was completely handcrafted from the solid timber, with no use of veneers.

"The house was built to cyclone codes due to its high wind location in the hinterland, which meant Hyne’s T2 Blue framing was MGP15-graded to withstand wind speeds of 82m per second or 293km per hour."

"Access was also a bit of a nightmare, with only one site location suitable to both unload and store materials. This presented a few problems due to the sheer volume of laminated hardwood beams required."

"We had a tower crane onsite for 10 months. Every rafter had to be placed by the crane due to its weight. The largest single beam came in at 2 tonnes. At 15.5 metres long, this was the main hip-rafter through the lounge."

There are no prefab trusses in the house – the whole thing was hand pitched so there was no need for nailplates. According to Peter, specific joints were created to further enhance the aesthetics of the interacting beams.

At one stage, David had 18 carpenters and two or three painters on site daily.

"Everything on this job had to be sanded, prepped and protected - with more than six coats of Intergrain DWD on some parts," he said.

"Then we had to use a high volume low pressure gun to get rid of the brush lines. It took longer than we thought, but the end result is fantastic."

Picture of internal fireplace featuring beamed ceiling and wooden floors

David has worked with Hyne’s timber products since he established his business 15 years ago at the tender age of 23.

“The team from Hyne Wholesale have always been exceptionally reliable and this job was no different – despite the extra demands. They’ve been really great to deal with. They produced the beams to our requirements when no-one else in Australia could get hold of one for nearly 4 months.

"It was a complicated project that was protracted further because the owners lived overseas. After all the intense planning – which went on for two years – it was a relief to me to have hassle-free supply in the quantities that we needed," said David.