This lowset timber house originally had a typical post-war plan. Kitchen, lounge and dining along the southern side of the house and bedrooms on the north. The client’s brief was a clear strategy of reorienting the living rooms to the north and create an outdoor living space in the previously internalised house. A new master bedroom opens onto the deck with frameless windows taking advantage of a clear section of roof over the deck that let s light in. Reorganising the roofing over this new section was crucial to the house functioning effectively.
The approach to materials was to compliment, rather than emulate what was there, so the extension is a contemporary insertion; legible against the original volume. Elements of the original rooms were retained and the clients restored the silky oak windows to retain the character of the rooms. The kitchen is contemporary, light and bright and the deck an extension of the living space of the house, taking advantage of the leafy view. The clients now have an outlook into the neighbourhood and garden. The deck is a wonderful threshold to the view, weather and outdoors.
Project Architects:
Shem Guthrie and Sarah Foley
Builder: Gunnar Hellberg
Commercial Reconstructions