Houzz Tour: Labour of Love for an 1880s Cottage
As their family grew over 12 years, a Wellington couple reworked their 1880s cottage in three separate stages until it suited them to a T
“It’s sort of a bastardised worker’s cottage – I don’t know what you’d call it,” says architect Anne Kelly fondly of the small, boxy wooden house she and her husband Karl Wipatene bought 12 years ago when they returned from London. “It probably didn’t appeal to many, but we saw the potential.”
A decade and a bit later, it’s finally finished: a thoroughly modern home with cleverly reworked spaces shoe-horned onto a tiny inner-city site.
A decade and a bit later, it’s finally finished: a thoroughly modern home with cleverly reworked spaces shoe-horned onto a tiny inner-city site.
From the street, the cute little house remained almost identical to what it previously looked like, apart from the construction of concrete planter boxes and a fresh lick of grey paint. “You do have to retain the frontage,” says Kelly of the local heritage laws, “I have a lot of respect for that – even with a strange one like ours.”
The 1880s house had suffered a series of renovations – the last in the 1970s – and it was painted in shades of apricot. It was immaculately maintained and very solid, and as soon as they viewed it Kelly and Wipatene – both architects – started drawing up plans to rework the place.
The 1880s house had suffered a series of renovations – the last in the 1970s – and it was painted in shades of apricot. It was immaculately maintained and very solid, and as soon as they viewed it Kelly and Wipatene – both architects – started drawing up plans to rework the place.
Wipatene works for Herriot & Melhuish – a local practice known for its thoughtful residential architecture – and Kelly has run her own practice since returning from London in 2005. They collaborated on the design of this project and only disagreed on one thing (more on this later) throughout the 10 years it took to complete the place.
Both agreed the key to making the house work was to demolish the lean-to at the back of the house, then dig out underneath it before building a modern, two-storied structure at the back housing two bedrooms upstairs and a kitchen-living-dining space downstairs that runs out to a flat back yard. It meant the house would connect better with the land, and create a distinction between public and private spaces: bedrooms are upstairs, living room downstairs, with an office eventually carved out of the basement for Kelly’s practice (pictured above).
Both agreed the key to making the house work was to demolish the lean-to at the back of the house, then dig out underneath it before building a modern, two-storied structure at the back housing two bedrooms upstairs and a kitchen-living-dining space downstairs that runs out to a flat back yard. It meant the house would connect better with the land, and create a distinction between public and private spaces: bedrooms are upstairs, living room downstairs, with an office eventually carved out of the basement for Kelly’s practice (pictured above).
When designing the new addition, the couple tried to both react sympathetically to the original house. It’s definitely a modern addition – it has a flat roof and contemporary, pared-back details – but its form is familiar, with stained cedar weatherboards. “The original house is quite boxy,” says Kelly. “It’s no-frills and stripped back – so it was a response to the look of the original house.”
It was a daring step: they had to excavate the back of the site down 700 millimetres, requiring truckload after truckload of soil to be carted out, and they ended up breaching site coverage rules on the tiny site, requiring a resource consent and permission from their neighbours. There were upsides for the neighbourhood though: Kelly was able to show that the new addition, which sat lower than the original lean-to, allowed more light into the neighbours’ back yard, not to mention more privacy.
It was a daring step: they had to excavate the back of the site down 700 millimetres, requiring truckload after truckload of soil to be carted out, and they ended up breaching site coverage rules on the tiny site, requiring a resource consent and permission from their neighbours. There were upsides for the neighbourhood though: Kelly was able to show that the new addition, which sat lower than the original lean-to, allowed more light into the neighbours’ back yard, not to mention more privacy.
Upstairs above the living room, a step up from the original house, are the two children’s bedrooms. “They get the best rooms in the house,” jokes Kelly. “We get the old uninsulated bedroom at the front.”
They’re simple in style, with long low windows: these rooms face northwest, so the couple were worried about the amount of sun the rooms would get in the afternoon. The boxy overhang above the windows helps deflect the hot afternoon sun, while still opening the rooms up to views of the surrounding hills.
They’re simple in style, with long low windows: these rooms face northwest, so the couple were worried about the amount of sun the rooms would get in the afternoon. The boxy overhang above the windows helps deflect the hot afternoon sun, while still opening the rooms up to views of the surrounding hills.
Admirably, there is only one bathroom upstairs: no ensuite here. The bathroom is a lovely, restrained place, using standard fittings dressed up by some lovely tiles and flooded with light from a skylight. The pared-back look is set off by one of Kelly’s many vintage light fittings – even after renovating, she still has a few in storage.
The house is full of small, thoughtful details. Above the bathroom sink is a long inset nook, with four cupboards either side of a generous bathroom mirror.
During the renovation, they left just one room unchanged – what is now the spare room. The entire top floor was rearranged and a stairwell cut down to gain access to the ground floor.
This plan of upstairs shows the entry, bedrooms, bathroom and new stairs.
The feel downstairs is distinctly modern, with plasterboard walls painted in Resene ‘Wan White’. During the build, they excavated many truckloads of earth out, digging 700 millimetres down under the house. Even so, they had to compromise on the ceiling height in the living space (to the left of the kitchen in this photo) where the stud is slightly lower than 2.4 metres – to have carried on digging would have blown the budget.
The couple bought the kitchen from Ikea in London for £300 and had it shipped back, without really knowing where it would wind up. They then worked with Cannibal Joinery to replace the cabinet fronts, and added a Corian benchtop and a green back-painted glass splashback and teak accents for a crisp, timeless look.
The couple bought the kitchen from Ikea in London for £300 and had it shipped back, without really knowing where it would wind up. They then worked with Cannibal Joinery to replace the cabinet fronts, and added a Corian benchtop and a green back-painted glass splashback and teak accents for a crisp, timeless look.
They really had to squeeze to get two storeys in below height-to-boundary rules, and their budget really only allowed them to dig down a certain amount.
The teak joinery refers subtly back to the 1970s joinery they found in the house – and in some cases reused. The tall sliding doors here cover books and the ephemera of family life: getting good storage into the place was crucial to making it work for a growing family.
Tolomeo pendant light: Artemide
The teak joinery refers subtly back to the 1970s joinery they found in the house – and in some cases reused. The tall sliding doors here cover books and the ephemera of family life: getting good storage into the place was crucial to making it work for a growing family.
Tolomeo pendant light: Artemide
At the other end of the room, there’s a small living area. They kept things simple: a polished concrete slab – complete with builders’ footprints that Kelly loves – white plasterboard walls and aluminium joinery, though they did splash out on a big timber sliding door.
Despite their initial expectations, the house served the family very nicely for more than a decade. “We thought we’d be five years here,” says Kelly. “We really thought we’d outgrow it.”
Despite their initial expectations, the house served the family very nicely for more than a decade. “We thought we’d be five years here,” says Kelly. “We really thought we’d outgrow it.”
Even though the size of the back yard was small, the section has never felt cramped. “Because we were able to open it right across the back, it never felt small,” she says. “We often had the neighbours’ kids coming to our place because it was flat and contained – they play cricket and kickballs against walls. It’s never been a problem.”
But after a few years in the house, their children were approaching their teenaged years, and so in 2011 Kelly and Wipatene started thinking about stage two of the renovation. Off the back of the house was a tiny, very dilapidated shed that had been built somewhere around the turn of last century. They had always half-thought of building on the footprint, but spent years debating how to connect it to the house: Kelly was determined not to lose the long, low window in the kitchen – she jokes it’s the only thing she and her husband disagreed on, and it held up the project for about three years.
But after a few years in the house, their children were approaching their teenaged years, and so in 2011 Kelly and Wipatene started thinking about stage two of the renovation. Off the back of the house was a tiny, very dilapidated shed that had been built somewhere around the turn of last century. They had always half-thought of building on the footprint, but spent years debating how to connect it to the house: Kelly was determined not to lose the long, low window in the kitchen – she jokes it’s the only thing she and her husband disagreed on, and it held up the project for about three years.
“I do all the documentation but we’ll sit down and discuss it,” says Kelly of their design process. “We worked together on a lot and disagreed very little, surprisingly – but I was very stubborn about the window.”
Eventually, a solution came from Wipatene’s mother, who suggested a glazed link between the original, with a tiny light-well in between the kitchen and the new ‘shed’ which is planted up with native grasses.
Eventually, a solution came from Wipatene’s mother, who suggested a glazed link between the original, with a tiny light-well in between the kitchen and the new ‘shed’ which is planted up with native grasses.
To get into the new building, you slip into a small corridor and through into a dark, cave-like space, which is the antithesis of the rest of the house.
“It actually works really well,” says Kelly of the ‘shed’ which has bike storage outside, below the sleeping loft you can see here. “I didn’t think we’d use it as much as we do – I quite like dark, but I didn’t think it would appeal.”
The black walls of the room are clad with form ply, one of the cheapest building products available and normally used to make concrete walls – it’s impregnated with a black resin which repels the concrete. “The builders thought we were mad,” says Kelly, “but people actually quite like it because it’s cosy and den like.”
The concrete slab floor in the shed has been sealed Resene concrete wax.
The black walls of the room are clad with form ply, one of the cheapest building products available and normally used to make concrete walls – it’s impregnated with a black resin which repels the concrete. “The builders thought we were mad,” says Kelly, “but people actually quite like it because it’s cosy and den like.”
The concrete slab floor in the shed has been sealed Resene concrete wax.
The family use the room to watch television and read books – it’s a retreat from the rest of the house. “It’s a removal living space,” says Kelly. “The house was fine with small kids but now with teenagers, it’s nice to have that separate space.”
With that project complete, Kelly and Wipatene immediately shifted the build to the other side of the house, where they built an office for Kelly’s design studio: the project was finally finished at the beginning of last year, 10 years after they bought the house.
More truckloads of earth came out, and nine pours of concrete came in – in the end, they excavated almost back to the footpath, retaining with poured concrete walls formed by the timbers they took out of the original house. To maximise the height of the space, they left the floorboards and joists of the rooms above exposed, painting them white – the room above this is a spare room, so sound transmission isn’t really an issue.
More truckloads of earth came out, and nine pours of concrete came in – in the end, they excavated almost back to the footpath, retaining with poured concrete walls formed by the timbers they took out of the original house. To maximise the height of the space, they left the floorboards and joists of the rooms above exposed, painting them white – the room above this is a spare room, so sound transmission isn’t really an issue.
The office has its own access down the side of the house via a set of timber stairs and more teak joinery to tie it back into the rest of the house.
Marset Pleat Box grey pendant: ECC
Marset Pleat Box grey pendant: ECC
The downstairs plan shows the new office at top right, living space in between and ‘shed’ at bottom left.
“It’s been a progressive brief,” says Kelly of the project. “It actually cost the same to do the second lot as it did the first – but that’s 11 years for you.”
Here is the concrete wall and shelf detail. The artwork is by Stephanie Hall from Pablos Art Studios.
“We would have done it differently otherwise, and this has allowed us to adapt the house to our family now,” says Kelly. “You live in it and you learn it. I’m really glad we did it this way.”
TELL US
What do you like about this house? How long did your renovation take? Tell us in the Comments section.
TELL US
What do you like about this house? How long did your renovation take? Tell us in the Comments section.
Who lives here: Architect Anne Kelly, husband Karl Wipatene with children Ella, 14, and Sean, 11
Location: Mt Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand
Total size: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, open-plan living-kitchen-dining, office and ‘shed’ – 200 square metres on a 180-square-metre site