Project Of The Week
Architecture
Renovating
A Humble, Edwardian Home Full of Hidden Surprises
A tired, three-bedroom, one-bathroom period home was given a new lease on life with a cleverly concealed rear extension
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation or extension each week. Here, architect Paul Porjazoski reveals how he transformed a three-bedroom, one-bathroom period home on a narrow site into an airy, light-filled four-bedroom, two-bathroom stunner fit for a growing family.
What was the house like originally?
A semi-detached Edwardian family home in good condition with three bedrooms, one bathroom, and an outdated and poorly conceived addition at the rear.
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A semi-detached Edwardian family home in good condition with three bedrooms, one bathroom, and an outdated and poorly conceived addition at the rear.
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What was the clients’ brief?
The clients wanted to create a home that delivered the space and functionality their growing family needed. They wanted generous, light-filled living, kitchen and dining areas that had a strong connection to the backyard.
They also wanted to include those little touches that would streamline their busy lives, such as a handy laundry chute in the new ensuite.
The clients wanted to create a home that delivered the space and functionality their growing family needed. They wanted generous, light-filled living, kitchen and dining areas that had a strong connection to the backyard.
They also wanted to include those little touches that would streamline their busy lives, such as a handy laundry chute in the new ensuite.
What problem did this project address?
The site was narrow and was made to feel narrower still by having double-storey properties on both sides that were either close or on the boundary line.
One of our key design challenges was to overcome the visual bulk and overshadowing of the neighbouring properties to give the clients the expansive and light-filled spaces they wanted.
The site was narrow and was made to feel narrower still by having double-storey properties on both sides that were either close or on the boundary line.
One of our key design challenges was to overcome the visual bulk and overshadowing of the neighbouring properties to give the clients the expansive and light-filled spaces they wanted.
How does the new design address these problems?
The new work is sited to align with the neighbouring properties, thereby ensuring that the main sightlines from the new living areas are to the garden and not the double-storey sheer walls on the adjacent boundaries.
Large glazed doors and windows create a fluid connection between internal and external spaces. A courtyard at the junction of the old and new parts of the house ensures that daylight infiltrates deep into all parts of the home.
The double-storey void adjacent to the stair and the ceiling over the dining area offer dramatic shifts in height, generating expansive, generous internal volumes despite the site’s constrained width.
The new work is sited to align with the neighbouring properties, thereby ensuring that the main sightlines from the new living areas are to the garden and not the double-storey sheer walls on the adjacent boundaries.
Large glazed doors and windows create a fluid connection between internal and external spaces. A courtyard at the junction of the old and new parts of the house ensures that daylight infiltrates deep into all parts of the home.
The double-storey void adjacent to the stair and the ceiling over the dining area offer dramatic shifts in height, generating expansive, generous internal volumes despite the site’s constrained width.
What exactly did you do?
We demolished an outdated addition at the rear of the house to make way for a new, generously proportioned two-level extension that captured the profuse amount of natural light offered by the site’s northerly aspect.
The new extension includes a kitchen, dining and living areas, laundry and study on the ground floor. The upper level features a new master bedroom with a walk-in robe and ensuite, plus a study.
We also remodelled the original house. The original kitchen was turned into a bedroom so that one of the existing bedrooms at the front of the house could be converted into a second living area.
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We demolished an outdated addition at the rear of the house to make way for a new, generously proportioned two-level extension that captured the profuse amount of natural light offered by the site’s northerly aspect.
The new extension includes a kitchen, dining and living areas, laundry and study on the ground floor. The upper level features a new master bedroom with a walk-in robe and ensuite, plus a study.
We also remodelled the original house. The original kitchen was turned into a bedroom so that one of the existing bedrooms at the front of the house could be converted into a second living area.
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How does the new addition co-exist with the original home?
The renovation is a contemporary extension to a period home, and it is unapologetic in its distinction between old and new. The transition between the original and new work is expressed internally through a dramatic shift in scale, materiality and light, enhanced by the courtyard, which provides a clear break between old and new.
The renovation is a contemporary extension to a period home, and it is unapologetic in its distinction between old and new. The transition between the original and new work is expressed internally through a dramatic shift in scale, materiality and light, enhanced by the courtyard, which provides a clear break between old and new.
The new work has been well set back from the street and the existing roofline so that it has minimal impact on the heritage streetscape – in fact, the new extension is barely visible.
Are there any features you wish to highlight?
The project demonstrates a firm commitment to passive, environmentally sustainable design. Double-glazed windows and doors have been planned and located to maximise natural light and facilitate cross-flow ventilation through the living spaces.
Meanwhile, eaves and pergolas provide shade from the harsh summer sun while enabling solar access in winter. The concrete floor provides thermal mass to store and release heat in the cooler months.
Employing these principles has resulted in a home that offers healthier spaces with minimal need for mechanical heating and cooling.
The project demonstrates a firm commitment to passive, environmentally sustainable design. Double-glazed windows and doors have been planned and located to maximise natural light and facilitate cross-flow ventilation through the living spaces.
Meanwhile, eaves and pergolas provide shade from the harsh summer sun while enabling solar access in winter. The concrete floor provides thermal mass to store and release heat in the cooler months.
Employing these principles has resulted in a home that offers healthier spaces with minimal need for mechanical heating and cooling.
Where did most of the budget go?
The budget was moderate so care was taken to ensure that we achieved the core principals of the design. The generous and dynamic spatial volumes and extensive floor-to-ceiling windows and doors in the new extension were a priority.
The budget was then managed by taking a balanced approach to material expression. Well-considered materials and careful detailing were employed where they would have maximum impact and would elevate the experience of each space.
The budget was moderate so care was taken to ensure that we achieved the core principals of the design. The generous and dynamic spatial volumes and extensive floor-to-ceiling windows and doors in the new extension were a priority.
The budget was then managed by taking a balanced approach to material expression. Well-considered materials and careful detailing were employed where they would have maximum impact and would elevate the experience of each space.
What challenges did you work around?
There are always challenges in integrating old and new work, especially on a narrow site. The neighbouring double-storey properties also had a significant impact on the amenity of the site.
We worked around these challenges by developing a linear design that focused views to the rear yard and the northerly aspect. The courtyard was an important feature in creating a distinction between the old and new parts of the house, and ensuring that all new and existing spaces received plenty of natural light.
There are always challenges in integrating old and new work, especially on a narrow site. The neighbouring double-storey properties also had a significant impact on the amenity of the site.
We worked around these challenges by developing a linear design that focused views to the rear yard and the northerly aspect. The courtyard was an important feature in creating a distinction between the old and new parts of the house, and ensuring that all new and existing spaces received plenty of natural light.
Key features
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- An internal courtyard that signals your arrival in the new part of the house and fills the home with natural light.
- A warm, natural materials palette.
- Concrete benches that tie in with the concrete floor.
- Concealed built-in storage.
- Full-height, double-glazed doors and windows that create a seamless flow between the internal and external spaces.
- Louvred windows that facilitate cross-flow ventilation.
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Materials palette
- Polished concrete floors.
- Urban Salvage recycled- blackbutt wall lining to the ground floor, master bedroom and ensuite.
- Finewood Ventech blackbutt timber veneer joinery in the kitchen.
- Finewood Ventech liquid amber timber veneer on the kitchen island.
- CDK Stone Classtone Estatuario kitchen benchtop.
- Bench in living area is custom-formed in polished concrete by Rusto Concreting.
- All plasterwork, external cladding, eaves and lining are painted in Dulux Whisper White.
- All dark-painted lining boards, external cladding, fascia, eaves and lining are painted in a custom Dulux shade that was colour matched to Colorbond’s Monument steel.
Why do you think this project works?
All spaces are expansive yet clearly articulated, and they are enhanced by the warmth of a natural material palette and abundant natural light. The result is a home that delights with its surprising spatial volumes and dynamic textural compositions.
All spaces are expansive yet clearly articulated, and they are enhanced by the warmth of a natural material palette and abundant natural light. The result is a home that delights with its surprising spatial volumes and dynamic textural compositions.
Tell us
Do you love this addition as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments. And remember to save your favourite images, like the story, and join the conversation.
More
Enjoyed this story? See last week’s Project of the Week: A Gloomy 1920s Bungalow Gets a Bright and Luxurious Makeover
Do you love this addition as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments. And remember to save your favourite images, like the story, and join the conversation.
More
Enjoyed this story? See last week’s Project of the Week: A Gloomy 1920s Bungalow Gets a Bright and Luxurious Makeover
Answers by Paul Porjazoski, architect and director at BENT Architecture
Who lives here: A professional couple with three children
Location: Fitzroy North, Victoria
Original size: 98 square metres
Size after extension: 244 square metres (the new extension measures 92 square metres on the ground floor and 54 square metres on the first floor)
Gained: A new extension housing a kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry and study nook on the ground floor, and a new master bedroom, ensuite and study on the first floor
Builder: Greg Scott Constructions
Structural engineer: Keith Long & Associates
Landscaping: Ben Scott Garden Design