A LAKE Macquarie home that earned the Master Builders Association award for house of the year in 2012 is on the market.
The property at 222 Skye Point Road, Coal Point offers a rare opportunity to secure a waterfront home with its own boat ramp, private jetty and double boat shed.
Owner Chris Liddell is well-known in the Lake Macquarie community having spent part of his career working as the director at Lifeline Newcastle and now as a chairman of Lake Macquarie City's economic development company, Dantia.
Mr Liddell and his wife Cheryl have put the 1,420 square metre property on the market as they prepare to move north to live closer to their children and grandchildren in Queensland.
"It's a tough one because we moved to Lake Macquarie after living in Sydney and Melbourne, and other places, and we bought a beautiful block of land and built ourselves our dream home," Mr Liddell said.
"The fact is that the kids trump the beautiful house and this idyllic environment, so we are moving on because we want to be closer to them."
The couple fell in love with the view and the nor-east aspect when they purchased it in 2008 and undertook a three-year build that included transforming the original dilapidated cottage into a modern, self-contained space and the construction of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home architecturally designed by Seaside Cottages.
The result is a spacious and luxurious home, meticulously crafted with Tasmanian Oak vaulted ceilings, Blackbutt flooring and all rooms enjoying uninterrupted views across Lake Macquarie.
"The view from the bedroom is amazing," he said.
"The height of the window is set to the height of the bed so when you lay down you don't look out but when you sit up you look out to this magnificent view.
"It is very peaceful because you look across the lake and it's a beautiful way to wake up of a morning."
The cottage sits at the top level of the block alongside the main house, with landscaped gardens created by Octopus Garden Design that flow down to the waterfront, complete with a self-contained boatshed that houses a billiards table and woodfire stove.
The private jetty is the ideal place to enjoy the summer months fishing or swimming, or launching a boat from the ramp.
"It is an unusual waterfront property because it has a double boatshed which is quite rare, it has a jetty and also a slipway, so it is the combination of all those things that make it very rare," he said.
The home is an entertainer's dream, playing host to many gatherings over the years.
One of their favourite features is the giant pine tree on the waterfront which has timber seating built in around the base of the trunk and a deck that is the perfect place to spend a summer's day entertaining and cooking on the woodfired pizza oven.
"You can entertain down on the waterfront or around the house off the decks and there is a beautiful area just in front of the house which is quite protected from the wind and it has lovely views and a fire pit," he said.
"You can flow from the waterfront to the house and in between.
"If we have a lot of people here it means you can have some in the house, some on the deck and some down at the fire pit and some down the front in the boatshed area.
"People can congregate in different areas."
The home is listed with Paul Avery from Avery Property Professionals and an auction is set for October 8 with a guide of $3 million.
The house is open for inspection on Saturday at 11am.
