Terrigal's "The Glasshouse at Riviera" listed for $1.79 million
When music producer extraordinaire Tim Dalton and his wife, sustainability executive Dr Rebecca Koss, picked up the keys to their NSW Central Coast home during the pandemic in 2020, it came with a note from the agent that summed up the situation they faced.
“[The agent] had left the keys along with the Post-It note that said ‘good luck’. We put the key in the door and opened it, and we said, ‘Oh my goodness, what on earth have we bought?’” Dalton recalls.
Five years on, the now stylish, four-level coastal showpiece at 136 Riviera Avenue, Terrigal, is listed with a guide of $1.79 million. The auction is scheduled for November 29, through agent Baraka Leporte of Leporte Property Group.
The couple had taken on a major renovation project, bought unseen, during a COVID lockdown while they were based in Melbourne. The elderly former owners had started the makeover, but not gotten far.
Dr Koss, a trained marine biologist, works for Paspaley pearls, and Dalton has been an audio engineer and producer for some of the world’s biggest artists, including the Beastie Boys, Simple Minds, Faith No More, and Run DMC. He was also the A&R (Artist & Repertoire) manager at Sony in London, finding “up-and-coming bands in smoky little rooms” and making their albums.
“This house was a little bit like that,” Dalton says. “It was like finding that pub with a band playing in the corner on beer crates and thinking, ‘You know what? This has potential, this could be great’.”
For the first few nights the couple slept on rolled-out yoga mats and cooked on a camp stove, waiting for materials to be delivered so the task could get underway.
“It was pretty much a shell – there were various wires and bits of plumbing sticking out the walls,” Dalton says. “Rebecca’s a scientist and I come from a creative background, so she basically said to me, ‘knock yourself out’. I got some good old-fashioned blue painter’s tape, and started to mark things out. Eventually, I came up with this design.”
Today, the sun-drenched, five-bedroom home is officially known as The Glasshouse at Riviera, a reference to its floor-to-ceiling windows and deep, curved balconies off the three living and bedroom levels, capturing bush and district views.
The contemporary home’s command of the hillside has inspired a nickname. “My wife says, ‘it’s like James Bond living in a crater’,” Dalton says. “We refer to it as ‘The Crater’, and all the neighbours look at us like we’re a bit mad, but the funny thing is, they’ve now adopted ‘The Crater’, too.
It’s a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the curvy design and high position, in the tree tops of a private and peaceful pocket. “One of the reasons we did an evening open house party recently was to show off the lights and the neighbourhood, and what it looks like. Without stretching it, it’s quite magical,” Dalton says.
The first floor contains a living room and bedrooms; above are two main-sized bedrooms, both with en suites and one with a walk-in wardrobe. A spacious kitchen and family zone crowns the flexible floor plan. Voids and skylights illuminate the interior, and king parrots visit the terraced gardens.
The address is the best of both worlds – tucked in paradise, but 90 minutes from Sydney and near enough to the regional centre of Gosford for major shopping. “We’re about 800 metres from the beach, and you don’t have to use your car but can still get everywhere,” Dalton says.
Leporte says the quiet street and private outdoor areas are among the selling points. “You can easily walk to the beach, town and all the cafes, but you’re not in the bustle where all the tourists go, so it’s really nice,” he says. “Tim calls it the ‘Hollywood Hills of Terrigal’. It’s got a really lovely connection to nature, and the vendors are often feeding the birds that visit them.”
The renovation was approached with great attention to detail, including the smart kitchen, which Leporte says is the result of a $100,000 investment in Liebherr and Miele appliances, and a huge benchtop that was craned in.
The home’s statement curves capture a style from decades past. “Although it is a 20-year-old building, in many ways it is reminiscent of the architectural gems of the ’50s and ’60s,” Leporte says.
Houses for sale right now on the NSW Central Coast
This property is on a highly desired, waterfront street and captures bay views. Unfolding over three levels, the floor plan features a brand-new kitchen and a versatile, lower-level studio. The crisp interior allows the water vista to sparkle.
Named Melody Park, this property is a haven thanks to an interior makeover by Novari. The brief was “exceptional quality, warmth and elegance”, and the buyer will find this in abundance, from exposed timber ceilings to a stone fireplace and vine-draped verandahs.
This renovated showstopper features Tasmanian oak throughout, from floors to vanities and the kitchen. The texture and warmth are matched by fluted glass, stone and marble, resulting in a magazine-worthy finish. The property is 250 metres from the beach, with the option to move in before Christmas.
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