Wongawilli — The Home That Looked Like One Storey and Lived Like Two

What the street told you and what the home delivered

From the street, the Wongawilli project looked like a single storey home. Clean roofline, considered facade, nothing about the exterior that suggested what waited inside. That was a deliberate design decision — and it is one of the things that made this project one of Evolution Building Group's most referenced completed homes.

Inside the roofline, EBG had designed an entire upper level — a master retreat of genuine scale that occupied the roof space in a way that only a custom design developed specifically for the block could achieve. Vaulted raked ceilings with skylights pulling natural light deep into the space. A bedroom of real proportion. A walk-in robe that functioned as a dressing room. An ensuite finished to a standard consistent with the rest of the home.

Below it, a home that would have been exceptional on its own terms — four bedrooms, one with ensuite, all with high raked ceilings. Three living areas. A kitchen with butler's pantry. A fireplace. A main bathroom and separate powder room. A double garage. An alfresco with built-in BBQ and cabinetry. All on a single level that read, from outside, as a composed and restrained street presence.

The design approach — using the roofline as liveable space

The hidden upper level

The roofline pitch on this block created an opportunity that a standard single-storey design would have left as dead space. EBG's in-house drafting team used that volume to create the master suite — positioning it within the roof space in a way that separated it entirely from the four bedrooms below. The vaulted ceilings and skylights made the space feel expansive rather than compressed. The result was a five-bedroom home that presented as a single storey from the street and functioned as a genuine two-level home for the family inside it.

Raked ceilings throughout

Raked ceilings run through the main living areas and the upper master suite — giving every primary space a sense of volume that flat ceilings cannot replicate. Combined with the skylights in the upper level, the home is filled with natural light in a way that standard ceiling heights would have prevented.

Three living areas — functional separation within an open plan

Three distinct living areas give the home flexibility that a single open-plan space cannot. The design structured these three areas so they flowed naturally from one to the next without feeling disconnected — giving the family the ability to have the main kitchen, dining, and living area operating at full volume while a separate sitting room or study space remains quiet.

Kitchen with butler's pantry and alfresco connection

The kitchen functions as the social centre of the home — generous in proportion, connected to the living and dining areas, and supported by a full butler's pantry that keeps the main kitchen surface clean and uncluttered when the home is entertaining. The alfresco connection, with its built-in BBQ and cabinetry, extends the kitchen's functional reach to the outdoor space.

The full specification

• 5 bedrooms total — master suite with WIR and ensuite in the upper level, 4 bedrooms on the ground level including one with ensuite
• Vaulted raked ceilings throughout living areas and upper master suite
• Skylights in the upper master level bringing natural light into the roof space
• 3 living areas providing functional separation across the home
• Kitchen with butler's pantry — generous proportions, connected to living and dining
• Main bathroom and separate powder room
• Fireplace in the main living area
• Double garage
• Alfresco with built-in BBQ and full cabinetry
• High raked ceilings on ground-level bedrooms

Experience the Wongawilli home — 3D Matterport walkthrough

The Wongawilli project was captured in full by a Matterport 3D virtual walkthrough — giving anyone who did not visit the home in person the ability to move through every space as if they were standing inside it.

What the Wongawilli project means for your build

The Wongawilli home is EBG's first custom-designed display home — a project where the design started with the specific block and worked outward from there rather than starting from a catalogue and adapting it to the site. That philosophy is not exclusive to showcase projects. It is the approach EBG takes on every custom home it builds.

EBG's second custom-designed display home — the Tallowwood at Cascadia, Calderwood — continues this approach. A single storey split-level design developed specifically for a block with lake and escarpment views. Coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

Where was the Evolution Building Group display home in Wongawilli?

Evolution Building Group's original display home was located in Wongawilli in the southern Illawarra. The home has since been sold and is no longer open to the public. EBG's next display home — the Tallowwood — is currently under development at Cascadia Estate, Calderwood. Photography and a 3D Matterport walkthrough of the Wongawilli home remain available on this page.

What is EBG's next display home?

Evolution Building Group's next display home is the Tallowwood — a single storey split-level custom design developed specifically for a lake and escarpment-facing block at Cascadia Estate, Calderwood in the southern Illawarra. The Tallowwood is currently under development. Register your interest or contact Jaison Grassato on 0413 717 823 for updates on the opening date.

See EBG's work — book a $990 Design Your Happy Place session

evolutionbuildinggroup.com.au/design-your-happy-place

Jaison Grassato — 0413 717 823