Inside Bay Bunker, a bold concrete house design above Nelson Bay

In a recent property feature, the Newcastle Herald described Bay Bunker, a three-storey home high above Nelson Bay, as one of the region's boldest homes. The story follows how the home, made almost entirely from off-form concrete, took shape on a steep Port Stephens hillside. It's a striking example of concrete house design done with real commitment.

It's also a project close to home for us. Our Director, Adrian Sorensen, helped design the house for his daughter, Madi Sorensen, and her partner, James Marshall, who took on the build themselves as owner-builders.

Here's how the design came together, and what it shows anyone dreaming of a home on a demanding coastal site.

A family project shaped by design and local know-how

Bay Bunker brought together a rare mix of skills under one roof. Madi led the project's planning, while Adrian worked with the couple on the design. James brought deep concrete experience from his role as a project manager with one of the Hunter's largest privately owned concrete companies.

Local knowledge runs in the family on both sides. James's father, Peter Marshall, has built homes across Port Stephens for 55 years, and the couple drew on a close network of local trades and suppliers to bring the home to life. James described the job to the Herald as a commercial-style project in a residential setting, which helps explain the scale and ambition of the design.

Planning a concrete home on a steep, constrained block

The couple bought the vacant 1,146-square-metre block in May 2023. The site sits high on a cliffside, and carving a home into the slope posed serious engineering challenges. The reward was a sweeping outlook across Port Stephens that few sites in the area can match.

Steep blocks like this one reward careful thinking from the very first sketch. Good sloping block house design starts with understanding how the land falls and where the best views and light sit. We always begin with a detailed site analysis in building design, because the site shapes every decision that follows.

At Bay Bunker, the house sits into the hillside across three levels. On the lowest level, a custom wine cellar wraps around a natural rock boulder, turning a site feature into one of the home's most memorable spaces.

Why off-form concrete set the tone for every room

Concrete wasn't just the structure at Bay Bunker. It became the home's base colour palette and the starting point for every finish. Off-form concrete is cast against formwork and left exposed once the forms come off, so the texture of each pour becomes part of the finished surface.

The raw walls and ceilings needed warmer materials to balance them, and the design carefully layers these in. Highlights include:

• Merbau timber for the entry door and stairs
• Burnished concrete floors and bespoke joinery
• Custom-made reo bar balustrading
• Brushed bronze, copper and exposed timber finishes
• A 3.5 m black-dyed concrete island bench in the kitchen

The result reads as a brutalist house on the outside, with a warm, liveable interior once you step through the door. "We 100 per cent wanted to create a one-of-one for the area," James told the Newcastle Herald.

Designed to frame 270-degree views across Port Stephens

The layout is organised around the view. Multiple balconies take in a 270-degree panorama across the bay, stretching towards Newcastle and, after dark, the light from Seal Rocks Lighthouse.

Since moving in, the kitchen, living and dining area has become the couple's favourite space. Wide windows frame the water and bushland, while the balconies extend everyday living outdoors, a principle we explore in our guide to indoor-outdoor living design.

The four-bedroom layout also includes a powder room and three bathrooms, two of which have freestanding baths. Comfort features like underfloor heating and ducted air conditioning keep the concrete interiors warm and easy to live in year-round.

What Bay Bunker shows about concrete house design

Concrete homes aren't the right fit for every block or every brief. They suit people who want a robust, enduring structure and a bold, honest finish, and they need careful design and engineering input from day one. Bay Bunker offers a few useful lessons for anyone considering one:

• Let the site lead, since the slope and views will shape the structure
• Choose your hero material early, because it sets the palette for every finish
• Balance raw surfaces with timber and metal tones so the home feels warm
• Bring engineers and other specialists in from the start

On every project, we work with you through the design development process, shaping your vision into a practical, buildable solution. We coordinate with engineers and other consultants, and prepare the documentation council needs. Our 3D home designs also let you see textures, materials and finishes before construction begins.

Start planning your own concrete house design in Port Stephens

If Bay Bunker has sparked ideas for your own block, our team of accredited building designers would love to hear about it. We work with homeowners across Newcastle, Port Stephens and Nelson Bay, and we can recommend experienced, reliable builders and trades in the local area.

Whether you're working with a steep coastal site or a flat suburban lot, we'll help you turn early ideas into custom house plans that suit the way you live. Get in touch with our team to start the conversation.