A Pint-Size Prefab Townhouse Brimming With Character
Soft colours, natural materials and indoor-outdoor connection mean this prefab duplex punches well above its weight
Georgia Madden
19 November 2020
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation or build each week. Here, Joseph Cade, building designer and director at Garden Studios, describes how his team razed an old brick home and built two new single-storey prefabricated townhouses in its place, each with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, adding character and interest. And the most impressive part? It was all completed on a tight budget and in a short timeframe.
Images by Paul Carland
Answers by Joseph Cade, building designer and director at Garden Studios
Who lives here: These duplexes were built for sale to appeal to downsizers and small families.
Location: Bentleigh, Victoria
Original house size: 160 square metres
Land size: 548 square metres
Size of the new duplexes: Around 158 square metres each
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Three bedrooms and two bathrooms each
Budget: $600,000 to build both duplexes, including landscaping, fit-out and interior design
Architect: Sneha Somani at Garden Studios
Builder: Vincent Mercovich at Garden Studios
Interior Designer: Maria Fernando at Garden Studios
Styling: M+Co Property
Answers by Joseph Cade, building designer and director at Garden Studios
Who lives here: These duplexes were built for sale to appeal to downsizers and small families.
Location: Bentleigh, Victoria
Original house size: 160 square metres
Land size: 548 square metres
Size of the new duplexes: Around 158 square metres each
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Three bedrooms and two bathrooms each
Budget: $600,000 to build both duplexes, including landscaping, fit-out and interior design
Architect: Sneha Somani at Garden Studios
Builder: Vincent Mercovich at Garden Studios
Interior Designer: Maria Fernando at Garden Studios
Styling: M+Co Property
The original house before knockdown
What was the original house like?
An old, single-storey brick house.
Are you considering building your own home? Find a local building designer on Houzz
What was the original house like?
An old, single-storey brick house.
Are you considering building your own home? Find a local building designer on Houzz
Gained
- Two new prefabricated, single-storey duplexes, each with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open-plan living/kitchen/dining area and garage.
- Triple skylights in the roof of each home, filling them with natural light.
- New landscaping.
Brief
An elegant, bespoke development with all the mod cons, built on-budget and within five months.
The client wanted to use timber on the facade and for the homes to have striking and functional bathrooms.
An elegant, bespoke development with all the mod cons, built on-budget and within five months.
The client wanted to use timber on the facade and for the homes to have striking and functional bathrooms.
What were the client’s must-haves?
- A good-size kitchen.
- Open-plan living with corner bi-folds to create a practical and appealing outdoor entertaining space.
- Lots of natural light.
- A tiny block on a severely overdeveloped streetscape.
- Neighbours who would have objected to any construction involving a second storey.
- Working with new materials owing to the prefabrication.
- Site levels and utility service connections.
What was the budget for both duplexes?
$600,000.
Where did most of it go?
On site costs and accessories. As the structure was prefabricated, labour was the lowest cost.
Where did you splurge?
The beautiful, steel-framed windows and doors.
Browse more stunning Australian bedrooms on Houzz
$600,000.
Where did most of it go?
On site costs and accessories. As the structure was prefabricated, labour was the lowest cost.
Where did you splurge?
The beautiful, steel-framed windows and doors.
Browse more stunning Australian bedrooms on Houzz
How did you add character?
Many townhouses are lacking in character, but we wanted to create something unique here. To stand out we used colour, timber and some whiz-bang windows and doors. The skylights also added to the sense of openness and charm.
We love the touches of green throughout – tell us about them
The soft sage green creates a sense of calm and tranquility, and connects the interior to the garden. The painted and panelled kitchen splashback is also more cost-effective than a stone or glass splashback, which helped keep us on-budget.
Many townhouses are lacking in character, but we wanted to create something unique here. To stand out we used colour, timber and some whiz-bang windows and doors. The skylights also added to the sense of openness and charm.
We love the touches of green throughout – tell us about them
The soft sage green creates a sense of calm and tranquility, and connects the interior to the garden. The painted and panelled kitchen splashback is also more cost-effective than a stone or glass splashback, which helped keep us on-budget.
Main features
- Seamless indoor-outdoor flow and open-plan living.
- High ceilings.
- Earthy materials and colour palette.
- Steel-framed windows and doors.
- Quality fixtures and fittings.
- Windows and doors from A&L Windows.
- Skylights from Belle Skylights.
- About Space bathroom wall light.
- Lucretia Lighting dining room pendant.
- Nova freestanding bath, available at Highgrove Bathrooms.
- Vanity from ADP Australia.
Interior materials palette
Your turn
Which feature impresses you the most here? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see more on prefabricated homes? Don’t miss this story: 6 Fabulous Australian Prefab Homes
- Oakleaf laminate flooring.
- Grey Earth Studio concrete kitchen benchtop.
- Polytec kitchen joinery and timber shelving.
- Style Finish Design kitchen hardware.
- Easycraft EasyVJ Boards wall cladding to the bedroom.
- Terrazzo tiles to the bathroom floor.
- Merbau decking.
- Silvertop ash cladding to the facade.
- Wattyl Cloud to interior feature walls.
- Dulux Vivid White to the other interior walls and the home’s facade.
- Wattyl Rhino to the front door.
Your turn
Which feature impresses you the most here? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see more on prefabricated homes? Don’t miss this story: 6 Fabulous Australian Prefab Homes
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they look soul-less to me...
beautiful big windows, yes, but they look out onto a blank wooden fence with no room for planting between the deck and the fence, yet the brief said landscaping was included?
buckylegs,I too was intrigued by 'the painted and paneled splash back.' On enlarging the photo it appears to be tiled in a soft green tile.
Like you others, I'd like details which are commented on, photographed, so the point is illustrated and plans shown.
For me the wood trim externally is lovely and so is the window framing.
@beshill @buckylegs Thank you for your points. We always ask for floor plans but not every homeowner feels comfortable with publishing such specific details of the place where they live and raise their family. We also ask the professional for all photos etc but can only use what they give us, and what they have. We are always in favour of giving you as much information as we can garner, even if we the photos to show the point do not exist.