JUDY and Brian Jones consider themselves extremely lucky to have spent the past 40 years living in one of Orange's most unique houses, where the ceiling heights vary in many rooms and every room is a different shape.
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The couple's Maple Avenue house was built to be the family home of business man Tom Barrett, who had Sydney architectural firm Budden, Nangle and Michael draw up its plans in 1968.
Once the plans were finalised the house took a further four years to build to Tom's exacting specifications.
Today the house's interior fit-out, including its silky oak doors and its gold aluminium window frames, remain as monuments to his good taste.
As a bonus Tom left the couple two light fittings which sit on their staircase and are said to have arrived in Australia from England on the SS Arcadia in the 1950s.
According to Judy, years before he had the house built Tom had admired a similar house with uneven room sizes and ceiling heights while in California and decided to build his own version in Orange.
"When he tried to get the house designed he was told it couldn't be done, but he eventually found a company in North Sydney who agreed to design it," she said.
In the end Tom and his family only lived in the house for two years before they sold it to Judy and Brian, who had immediately fell in love with the property when agent Peter Fisher showed it to them.
"We looked at other houses and this just left them for dead," Judy said.
"When we saw it we thought it was quite amazing.
"Visitors all think it's amazing too and say they haven't see anything like it, with different ceiling heights, some are 16 foot high."
Over the years the architectural design of the house has remained timeless.
"It's so different that it doesn't date," Brian said.
He said the house has proved a very comfortable place to live, particularly in the warmer months.
"It's a marvellous Summer house. There's lots of window and doors to open and it gets a good cross breeze," he said.
"But it does take a lot of heating in the winter time, but we usually just heat a few places."
While it's hard for the couple to nominate their favourite area of the house Brian said he loves the lush back garden, as well as the house's striking entrance.
Over the years the couple and their five children have added their own stamp to the house, including the installation of a large pool in 1978.
Brian, a retired radiologist, said years ago he used to swim in it every day before work.
"Now it's just our water view," he laughed.
Despite suggestions that the couple should downsize from the 65-square house that sits on a 2300 square-metre block, Judy and Brian aren't keen to go anywhere.
"We feel like we're the lucky ones," Judy said.
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au