We used to design whatever walked through the door. Then we built one big white gable at Mermaid Beach in 2011, and everyone who saw it wanted the same thing.
So we stopped pretending to do everything. Our drawings go further than most, because we have already worked out where a truss meets a post, how a white board ages by the sea, and what a south-west window does in July.
We take on three houses a year. We work out of an old boatshed with a workshop out the back, and everyone here has held a chisel, including the accountant.
White boards
Tongue and groove, painted by hand, then repainted every seven years. It is meant to be looked after.
Hoop pine
A pale, honey-coloured native softwood for the coast. It takes the sun and goes gold.
Spotted gum
Heavier and darker. We use it up in the hills, where the weather is wet and the rooms want warmth.
Studio
Mermaid Beach, QLD
By appointment
Small print
© 2026 Ridgeboard. A fictional practice made for this template. Images are illustrative.