An Out-of-the-Box Solution for a Cramped 1920s Bungalow
An architect reveals how she married period charm with minimalist looks when extending this heritage bungalow
Georgia Madden
26 January 2019
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation or extension each week. Here, Tanya Hancock, principal at Hancock Architects, explains how she extended this poky four-bedroom, one-bathroom period house in Sydney and transformed it into a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with lashings of living space and a fluid connection to the backyard… all without disturbing the beautiful, original features.
Images by Maree Homer
Answers by Tanya Hancock, principal at Hancock Architects
Who lives here: A couple with two children
Location: Dulwich Hill, NSW
Original size: 130 square metres (on a 400-square-metre site)
Size after extension: 200 square metres
Architect: Hancock Architects
Builder: Ciolino Constructions
Joiner: Kitchen Trend Australia
Answers by Tanya Hancock, principal at Hancock Architects
Who lives here: A couple with two children
Location: Dulwich Hill, NSW
Original size: 130 square metres (on a 400-square-metre site)
Size after extension: 200 square metres
Architect: Hancock Architects
Builder: Ciolino Constructions
Joiner: Kitchen Trend Australia
Gained: A modern box extension containing a large, open-plan kitchen and living area that connects seamlessly to the garden. Plus, a new internal laundry, a second bathroom, studio space in the garden and a built-in alfresco barbecue for entertaining.
9 Ultra-Contemporary Extensions That Stand Out and Proud
9 Ultra-Contemporary Extensions That Stand Out and Proud
What was the house like originally?
A 1920s Californian bungalow. The home was pretty much in its original form when we came on board. It consisted of four bedrooms, one bathroom and a combined living/dining room with a separate kitchen in an enclosed lean-to at the back of the house.
The kitchen and dining room opened up to a narrow deck with small stairs to the side that led down to the garden. There was no connection between the house and garden and no external entertaining area.
The laundry was also in an external lean-to at the rear of the house, which you accessed from the garden.
A 1920s Californian bungalow. The home was pretty much in its original form when we came on board. It consisted of four bedrooms, one bathroom and a combined living/dining room with a separate kitchen in an enclosed lean-to at the back of the house.
The kitchen and dining room opened up to a narrow deck with small stairs to the side that led down to the garden. There was no connection between the house and garden and no external entertaining area.
The laundry was also in an external lean-to at the rear of the house, which you accessed from the garden.
What was your brief?
- To provide a modern addition to the rear of the property.
- To create a new, contemporary living space without disturbing the bungalow’s original features or charm.
- The new addition was to have a modern and timeless aesthetic using a minimal palette of materials.
- To improve connection between the house and garden, ideally with level outdoor access from the main living spaces.
- Add an internal laundry with functional storage.
- Build an additional bathroom.
The original floor plan
What were the clients’ must-haves?
What exactly did you do?
What were the clients’ must-haves?
- To create more room to accommodate their growing family with an extra living space and an additional bathroom.
- To create a better connection between the house and garden so they would make use of their previously under-utilised backyard.
- The new addition should stand the test of time.
What exactly did you do?
- Demolished the old lean-to containing the kitchen.
- Built a large, open-plan, modern ‘box-like’ addition to the rear of the property that wraps around the side of the house and connects to the garden. It houses a new open-plan kitchen, living and dining room, plus a new bathroom and laundry.
- Dropped the floor level of the new addition to create level rear-yard access and lofty ceiling heights.
- Added a new studio to the rear of the garden.
- Replaced the existing driveway and front fence, and painted the exterior of the original house.
- Made minimal changes to the original home’s interior.
The floor plan after works
How does the new addition sit beside the original home?
There is a clean line between the old and new parts of the house, and the materials and scale for the new addition were chosen to enhance that differentiation. The new addition is oversize in scale and form compared with the traditional format of the original home.
10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Plan an Extension
How does the new addition sit beside the original home?
There is a clean line between the old and new parts of the house, and the materials and scale for the new addition were chosen to enhance that differentiation. The new addition is oversize in scale and form compared with the traditional format of the original home.
10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Plan an Extension
Elevations after works
What was the budget?
Approximately $400,000 to $500,000.
Where did most of the budget go?
On the rear extension.
What challenges did you have to work around?
None. Forming a strong relationship between the architect, client and builder was key to the realisation of the project. Open communication and a common understanding of the desired aesthetic was intrinsic to its successful completion.
Good collaboration between the parties was possible through regular site meetings, where details could be collaboratively resolved and design decisions made to ensure the project was completed on time. It was a very smooth construction process with no surprises. The clients’ strong interest in design and the construction stages assisted in the smooth flow of this project.
How Do I… Manage My Relationship With My Builder?
What was the budget?
Approximately $400,000 to $500,000.
Where did most of the budget go?
On the rear extension.
What challenges did you have to work around?
None. Forming a strong relationship between the architect, client and builder was key to the realisation of the project. Open communication and a common understanding of the desired aesthetic was intrinsic to its successful completion.
Good collaboration between the parties was possible through regular site meetings, where details could be collaboratively resolved and design decisions made to ensure the project was completed on time. It was a very smooth construction process with no surprises. The clients’ strong interest in design and the construction stages assisted in the smooth flow of this project.
How Do I… Manage My Relationship With My Builder?
How would you describe the new extension?
The magic of this project is that it creates a home that is both timeless and uniquely current. The simple, functional treatment of the modern box extension means that it will stand the test of time, which was a critical part of the clients’ brief. The strength of the architecture is also in its understatement and its ability to become a canvas for furnishings and artwork, which gives the house its distinct personality and allows the space to adapt as the family grows.
This project challenges the idea of domestic scale, subverting the idea that large, minimal spaces and industrially scaled openings make for stark and clinical spaces. By connecting the old and new, the project imbues the threshold with a sense of opening – the traditional, introverted house becomes extroverted, bringing the space and light of the outdoors into the family domain.
The magic of this project is that it creates a home that is both timeless and uniquely current. The simple, functional treatment of the modern box extension means that it will stand the test of time, which was a critical part of the clients’ brief. The strength of the architecture is also in its understatement and its ability to become a canvas for furnishings and artwork, which gives the house its distinct personality and allows the space to adapt as the family grows.
This project challenges the idea of domestic scale, subverting the idea that large, minimal spaces and industrially scaled openings make for stark and clinical spaces. By connecting the old and new, the project imbues the threshold with a sense of opening – the traditional, introverted house becomes extroverted, bringing the space and light of the outdoors into the family domain.
Key features
- Fluid indoor-outdoor flow thanks to fully retractable exterior doors and level outdoor access.
- Lofty ceiling heights.
- A bright, open feel in the new addition.
- A warm, contemporary colour and materials palette.
- A clean, contemporary ambience that sits happily alongside the original period features of the home.
Interior materials palette
Furniture and accessories
- Interior walls, timber and matt-polyurethane kitchen cabinetry in Dulux Lexicon Quarter.
- Polished-concrete floor (inside and out).
- Calacatta marble to island benchtop.
- Stainless steel kitchen benchtop and splashback.
- Escea DL850 fireplace.
- Aluminium and Glass Constructions aluminium doors and windows with anodised satin-black finish.
- Kreon diapason track lighting on the ceiling.
- Vola KV1 mixer tap.
Furniture and accessories
- King Living sofas.
- Oluce Atollo lamp from Euroluce.
- B&B Italia Mart armchair from Space Furniture.
- Ikea bar stools.
- Garden Life planters.
- Electrolux barbecue.
Exterior materials palette
Tell us
Are you as wowed by this minimalist addition as we are? Tell us in the Comments below. And remember to like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
If you plan on embarking on a home extension soon, have a chat to a local architect about your site’s possibilities
- Scyon Axon exterior cladding painted in Porter’s Paints Aniseed.
- Exterior walls painted in Dulux Slate.
- Exterior timber work and details painted in Dulux Lime White.
- Stainless steel barbecue cabinet custom-made by builder.
Tell us
Are you as wowed by this minimalist addition as we are? Tell us in the Comments below. And remember to like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
If you plan on embarking on a home extension soon, have a chat to a local architect about your site’s possibilities
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