Coastal suburban dreaming
In a beach-front suburb on a square block, the original house has had various previous renovations and extensions, but was suffering from over-developing and felt very dark and rabbit-warren-like. The brief called for more space for the owners’ various hobbies and collections, more light into new living and kitchen areas and to be as sustainable as practicable.
Jon’s solution aimed to minimise the footprint of the house by anchoring the living space around a central kitchen (under the main roof) with the new addition opening up to the north to maximise the passive solar gain, while re-connecting to the yard with a separate second living space. New wet areas in include a mud room/ laundry and new ensuite/ WIR, and the original bathroom gets an upgrade too. The new living and dining space means the original rooms can be repurposed into private studies or extra bedrooms as the need arises.
Sustainability upgrades include north-facing polished concrete slab for thermal mass, cross ventilation and high-level windows for night cooling, insulated brickwork and all electric hot water and appliances to eliminate the gas supply. Selected materials for the new work include textured render, timber battens and softened brickwork, to tie-in with the original style of the main house.
This design creates a sequence of spaces that maximises the site’s potential while working with the built fabric to maintain a modest budget, creating a future-proofed collection-oriented home in the suburbs.
