King Bill: A Family's Forever Home That Brings Joy to the 'Hood
Flexible spaces, playful touches and a garden to be enjoyed by the neighbourhood define this award-winning renovation
Georgia Madden
5 November 2020
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation each week. Here, Mark Austin, director at Austin Maynard Architects takes us through the renovation and addition to what was a three bedroom, two bathroom terrace in Victoria. This innovative project, dubbed ‘King Bill’, won and was shortlisted for multiple architecture awards, including finalist in the House – Completed Buildings category of the 2018 World Architecture Festival.
Images by Derek Swalwell
Answers by Mark Austin, director at Austin Maynard Architects
Who lives here: A couple with two teenagers
Location: Fitzroy, Victoria
Site area: 490 square metres
Floor area before works: 178 square metres (not including the derelict stable building)
Floor area after works: 407 square metres (including the rebuilt stable building)
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, one powder room across two storeys
Architect: Austin Maynard Architects
Builder: CBD Contracting
Engineer: Hive Engineering
Net engineer: Tensys Group
Landscape architect: Bush Projects
Answers by Mark Austin, director at Austin Maynard Architects
Who lives here: A couple with two teenagers
Location: Fitzroy, Victoria
Site area: 490 square metres
Floor area before works: 178 square metres (not including the derelict stable building)
Floor area after works: 407 square metres (including the rebuilt stable building)
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, one powder room across two storeys
Architect: Austin Maynard Architects
Builder: CBD Contracting
Engineer: Hive Engineering
Net engineer: Tensys Group
Landscape architect: Bush Projects
Ground-floor plan after works
What was the house like originally?
A two-storey Victorian terrace, comprising three bedrooms, one bathroom and a powder room.
The house had undergone a renovation in the 1990s. It was in good repair but did not work for the family thermally, functionally or aesthetically.
There was an empty garden lot with mature trees at the side of the building, and an old stable building in a state of serious disrepair at the rear.
Looking for help reimagining your heritage home? Find a local architect on Houzz to help
What was the house like originally?
A two-storey Victorian terrace, comprising three bedrooms, one bathroom and a powder room.
The house had undergone a renovation in the 1990s. It was in good repair but did not work for the family thermally, functionally or aesthetically.
There was an empty garden lot with mature trees at the side of the building, and an old stable building in a state of serious disrepair at the rear.
Looking for help reimagining your heritage home? Find a local architect on Houzz to help
First-floor plan after works
Brief
They wanted us to design their ‘forever house’. They asked for a renovation to their two-storey terrace home, incorporating the empty garden site to the east and reusing the old stable building at the rear.
Longtime Fitzroy locals, the client chose not to capitalise on the block by exploiting the vacant site. They wanted more living space but they had no intention of maximising the economic yields by creating a huge home. Instead, they sought to give something back to the suburb they love through a rich and generous garden.
Brief
They wanted us to design their ‘forever house’. They asked for a renovation to their two-storey terrace home, incorporating the empty garden site to the east and reusing the old stable building at the rear.
Longtime Fitzroy locals, the client chose not to capitalise on the block by exploiting the vacant site. They wanted more living space but they had no intention of maximising the economic yields by creating a huge home. Instead, they sought to give something back to the suburb they love through a rich and generous garden.
What were the client’s must-haves?
Curves, a serious entertainer’s kitchen and linked indoor and outdoor spaces.
They also asked for clear separation between the parents’ bedroom and the kids’ area. The stable building now houses the parents’ retreat, a spacious bathroom with a study and garage below. The kids’ rooms now occupy the upstairs level at each end of the original terrace, with communal work/living space in between.
Curves, a serious entertainer’s kitchen and linked indoor and outdoor spaces.
They also asked for clear separation between the parents’ bedroom and the kids’ area. The stable building now houses the parents’ retreat, a spacious bathroom with a study and garage below. The kids’ rooms now occupy the upstairs level at each end of the original terrace, with communal work/living space in between.
What exactly did you do?
- Knocked holes on the ground floor of the original terrace.
- Added a bathroom in the original entry space.
- Added a huge laundry and a plethora of in-built cabinetry. In the front room we added a full wall of cabinetry, which houses a pull-down double bed.
- Redid the original floor and reconfigured the stairs.
- Added a new bathroom upstairs.
- Opened up the wall of the study/living room upstairs.
- Extended the upstairs rear bedroom with a pod-like addition.
- Introduced a new glass pavilion housing a kitchen and living room. It is connected to the original house via a new corridor/walkway. This curved corridor also links the rear stable to the pavilion and the original house.
- We managed to save three walls of the old stable building. It now houses a garage with a two-car stack system, a study/library (with the original fireplace) and (via the spiral staircase) the master bedroom, open net, walk-in wardrobe and a spacious bathroom.
What problem or limitation did this project addressed?
We opened up the house to the sun and the garden and saved and repurposed the old stable. We reconfigured the layout and redefined the functionality to reorientate the living rooms to the garden, with better connections throughout.
How does the new work address these issues?
The new addition and alteration creates a home that now focuses on the kitchen within a garden setting. The house, as a whole, provides both communal and private spaces for all family members.
We opened up the house to the sun and the garden and saved and repurposed the old stable. We reconfigured the layout and redefined the functionality to reorientate the living rooms to the garden, with better connections throughout.
How does the new work address these issues?
The new addition and alteration creates a home that now focuses on the kitchen within a garden setting. The house, as a whole, provides both communal and private spaces for all family members.
How did you achieve the indoor-outdoor connection?
The glass doors of the pavilion slide back fully to allow the garden and interior spaces to blur.
See more stunning Australian gardens on Houzz
The glass doors of the pavilion slide back fully to allow the garden and interior spaces to blur.
See more stunning Australian gardens on Houzz
Tell us about the bedroom pod
This is the ‘pod’ extension of the rear bedroom of the original house. The Colorbond steel curve contrasts with the heavy brick of the existing house to signify that it’s an addition – as do the other curved steel forms, such as the stable and roof of the glass pavilion.
This is the ‘pod’ extension of the rear bedroom of the original house. The Colorbond steel curve contrasts with the heavy brick of the existing house to signify that it’s an addition – as do the other curved steel forms, such as the stable and roof of the glass pavilion.
Where did most of the budget go?
Glazing and steel work.
Tell us about the unique, curved roof
It was all about adding curves. Colorbond steel is the material we used as a contrast to the brick.
Glazing and steel work.
Tell us about the unique, curved roof
It was all about adding curves. Colorbond steel is the material we used as a contrast to the brick.
What challenges did you have to work around?
Fighting to retain the established trees.
Fighting to retain the established trees.
Why do you think this project works?
King Bill fulfilled the client’s brief. Their desire not to capitalise or overbuild on their land allowed for a more interesting and tailored outcome.
King Bill fulfilled the client’s brief. Their desire not to capitalise or overbuild on their land allowed for a more interesting and tailored outcome.
The ensuite to the main bedroom
Key features
Key features
- A unique design that captures the eclectic vibe of the neighbourhood.
- A wide variety of different spaces providing the inhabitants with various environments to relax, connect and entertain.
- Indoor-outdoor connection.
- A lush and generous garden.
- An innovative layout that reimagines the traditional footprint of a terrace home.
Front elevation
Materials palette
Interior palette
Materials palette
Interior palette
- Disegno Casa Trellis Blend ICE 7215 tiles to the walls of the main ensuite.
- Disegno Casa Trellis Mosaico Solid Dust 7233 tiles to the floor of the main ensuite.
- Timber and steel-frame roof with Sika Sarnafil waterproof membrane and tumbled 50-millimetre white quartz pebbles.
- Double-glazed timber and steel-frame windows.
- Double-glazed glass roof with operable louvres to the link/corridor.
- White-painted plasterboard.
- Polished-concrete slab and recycled-brick floor.
- Spotted-gum timber internal lining to the link/corridor with Whittle Waxes Hard Oil Classic satin finish.
- Polished Victorian ash tongue-and-groove flooring to the link/corridor.
- Tretford Roll broadloom carpet in Diplomat to the rear bedroom.
Side elevation
Fixtures and fittings
Exterior palette
Paint colours
Fixtures and fittings
- Arblu Tulip basin to the main ensuite.
- Arblu Tulip mirrored cabinet (long rectangular mirror) to the main ensuite.
- Arblu Tulip metal wall shelf to the main ensuite.
- Sussex Taps Calibre taps to the main ensuite.
Exterior palette
- Colorbond custom orb metal cladding in Surfmist over the windows.
- External walls of the link/corridor: timber frame with spotted-gum shiplap cladding.
Paint colours
- Dulux White on White used internally and externally.
- Dulux Metalshield Premium to external steelwork.
Side elevation
Your turn
Are you as wowed as we are by this innovative renovation and addition? 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 renovations to older homes? Check out this story, Same Layout, Brand-New Look: See How an Interior Designer Did It
Your turn
Are you as wowed as we are by this innovative renovation and addition? 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 renovations to older homes? Check out this story, Same Layout, Brand-New Look: See How an Interior Designer Did It
Related Stories
Popular Houzz Series
A Dated Country Home in a Kiwifruit Orchard Made Modern
When their grown-up sons moved out, these NZ homeowners gave their much-loved country home a chic, modern makeover
Full Story
Renovating
An Inspired Solution for a Dark & Disjointed Californian Bungalow
See how an architect opened up a light-starved, closed-in Melbourne home, and connected it with the neighbouring park
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
Before & After: A Leaky, Falling-Down Victorian Terrace Reborn
See how a small Melbourne terrace, untouched for over 100 years, was remade into a functional home for a modern family
Full Story
Before & After
Before & After: From 'White Box' to Luxe, Layered Apartment
Quiet luxury was the goal for the redesign of this Sydney waterfront apartment – see how the designer achieved it
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
A Sweet Balmain Cottage Sure to Capture Your Heart
With an extension underway, this cottage was ready for a new decorative scheme that would bring old and new together
Full Story
Before & After
Before & After: A Cheap & Cheerful Makeover of a 1980s Caravan
Armed with an AU$1500 budget, a Melbourne couple rolled up their sleeves and transformed a caravan in just three months
Full Story
Projects Born on Houzz
Before & After: A Light-Drenched Home in the Heart of Coogee
This breezy family home in one of Sydney's beachside suburbs is the essence of relaxed Australian coastal style
Full Story
Interior Design
A Grand Federation Home Comes of Age for a Busy Young Family
See how a revamped layout, custom joinery and luxe touches transformed a dated heritage home in Sydney
Full Story
Architecture
From Tired 100-Year-Old Beach Cottage to Lush, Private Oasis
Encircled by beautiful gardens, this renovated weatherboard cottage in Sydney is all about indoor-outdoor connection
Full Story
Bathroom Renovations
Before & After: A Clunky & Dated Victorian Terrace Reborn
Rising damp, sagging floors and a dysfunctional layout were just some of the challenges this tired terrace offered up
Full Story
Sometimes I feel we live in different universes, these Houzz projects and me - 407m2 is not a huge home for four people...?
The light coming through that corridor looks great.
Glorious, what a joy to live in. A delight in every sense of the word. Curves! Seamless integration of the garden into the home! A dream come true. Take note Melbourne, this is classy, this is stylish, this is minimum standard required for all builds. Throw away those kit home plans and curve it up.