Background/owner brief

After living in the area for some time, the owners were able to purchase the property as their first home – a modest two-bedroom dwelling located on a busy corner, a short stroll from the town centre.

Being sited on a sloping block, the rear of the home is elevated – allowing for a small garage below.

The kitchen space took up the key position over the garage, with northern orientation and treetop views.

The owners’ brief wasn’t elaborate – they simply wanted a well-designed home for their young family.

Asks for the renovation included an extra bedroom, a well-functioning bathroom and a new kitchen were desired.

Retaining a garage was also important – however, key for them was an improved living and dining space which allowed for a north facing entertaining deck, connected to the garden below.

Challenges

• Creating a functional family home within the small site and building footprint.
• Creating a building which was both bisected from the rear garden by the garage space and connected to it.
• Creating an appropriate response to the street presentation, with the home highly visible from all angles.
• Retaining the car space, which dissected the site, while allowing a connection from the home to the garden space.
• A difficult and time-consuming council process for a simple and modest proposal – this was approved with little to no changes – however, the extended time meant higher construction costs, almost derailing the process.

Design response

A new herringbone timber floor welcomes you to the home.

The front two bedrooms and sunroom have been retained and restored.

A new bathroom space completes the original retained footprint of the building.

From here, the rear of the house has been completely rebuilt.

A guest bathroom and the third bedroom were also added and carefully considered to blend seamlessly with the original architecture.

To the rear, a new kitchen opens to the living spaces, elevated slightly to allow space for a functional garage below.

A banquet-style dining area was designed to incorporate bookshelves, a window seat and living room joinery.

A beautifully detailed cathedral ceiling tricks the eye with a sense of space within the modest footprint.

A large, elevated timber deck extends the living areas, surrounded by treetops – providing a stunning outlook and privacy.

Externally, the building has an unassuming presence.

The original building takes precedence, seamlessly extended, and rebuilt allowing it to fit comfortably in its context.

Upon viewing from the side street, the rear extension becomes a perfect addition, with its black textured cladding forming a picture-perfect backdrop to the established street trees and canopy beyond.