VICTORIAN WORKERS COTTAGE ADDITION
A feature of the house is the bay window at the back. This is a design decision made by the architect. Instead of a series of bifold windows, the bay windows provide a threshold of the inside and outside, a place one can hang out instead of just walk through. The roof was the exact same shape as the original house, creating a humble human scaled rear facade. The low bay windows further reduce the scale to create intimacy
CLIENT BRIEF
The house was a Victorian semi-detached single level cottage. The front rooms were beautiful as is usually the case but the back was a series of small and oddly arranged and propertied rooms that had no relationship to the garden. The little bathroom was at the back blocking the living room from the garden.
DESIGN SOLUTION
The owner and the architect after much deliberation made the decision to demolish the back of the house put to the 2 front rooms. This allowed us to completely rearrange the new rear extension the way it should be. Now the new bathroom is in the middle of the house and it has a separate bath and laundry inside. There is a large open plan kitchen dining living area that is a comfortable unified space.
The builders were significant contributors to the project. The building manager ran a tight ship and the tradesmen were all cheerful and helpful. A good builder is a godsend. The only thing that went wrong was the inexplicable painting of the beautiful new face brick. The situation was salvaged by the client architect and builder communicating and pulling together. Andrew the builder rectified the issue with minimal fuss. The result is a livable, beautiful and comfortable home for the owner.
The kitchen is divided into different colours to reduce its bulk and a surprise pink study inside it has its own little window. The front rooms were renovated to their former glory with replica plaster reinstated. A Tasmanian Oak floor with a beautiful matt water based finish was selected by Jess and its light and airy. this unifies the old and new parts. Colour was used playfully. Jess came up with a diverse colour scheme that somehow works really well. The wallpaper in the hall is warm and luxurious.
The garden now includes a carspace but to soften its impact and to create texture we used the recycled bricks from the original house as paving.
As usual we prioritised sustainability strategies without resorting to kith tech gadgets. The high quality thermal batts in the walls and roof double as sound insulation and the house is much quieter than before. All new rooms have north facing windows, timber floors and windows have low embodied energy. The water tank recycles rainwater.
before
after
THE TEAM
Location:
Enmore, Sydney
Existing House Type:
Cottage
Principal Architect - Danny Broe
In-house Interior Designer - Jessica Zavaglia
Builder:
AS & KB Construction
Engineer:
Partridge Partners
Floor Area: 80m2
Structure: Brick veneer walls
Facade: Timber cladding
Other Materials: Concrete slab, tounge and groove Tasmanian oak floor, timber windows, polyurethane kitchen, Ceasar stone