# Mosman (2020)

URL: https://www.varloch.com.au/construction/projects/mosman-2020
Location: Mosman, NSW
Last updated: October 2026

New build · Two-lot consolidation, mid-build takeover

Two adjoining Mosman lots, one home, and a previous builder's work already in the ground. Designed by Michael Bell Architects and built by Gabriel O'Shea Building, with Nick Varley — now Varloch's co-founder and head builder — as project manager: the DA consolidated, every prior structural element verified and the program re-sequenced to avoid rework.

## Credits

- Architect: Michael Bell Architects
- Builder: Gabriel O'Shea Building
- Project Manager: Nick Varley
- Year: 2020

## The engineering behind the design

This project unified two adjoining properties and took over a site mid-build. Approvals were already in motion and a previous builder's work was in the ground, so the first job was to establish exactly what had been built and to what standard.

## The plan

Nick Varley ran the project as project manager for Gabriel O'Shea Building, before co-founding Varloch. The DA was consolidated into a single home across the two formerly separate lots, every prior structural element was checked, and the program was re-sequenced to minimise rework. The key challenges were terrain transitions, material changes and reconciling two different original build standards.

## Building in Mosman

Mosman LEP 2012 and the Mosman Residential Development Control Plan are the governing documents. The DCP is detailed: FSR controls, height measured from natural ground level (not finished floor), strict setbacks, generous tree-retention provisions, and view-sharing principles applied unusually rigorously. Substantial residential DAs typically take 8–14 months — longer than most Sydney councils.

The land is Hawkesbury sandstone with cross-falls of 1-in-3 or steeper on the harbour-facing blocks, and heritage conservation areas (Mosman Bay, Beauty Point) cover a lot of the residential frontage. Tree-protection-zone breaches draw stop-work orders here and are taken seriously.