The Wild House.
A crafty pop-top addition to an inner-city maisonette creates a playful family home.
Location Bowden SA
Area 61m2 Addition
Architect Jon Lowe
Interior Design Jon Lowe & Lisa Knight
Builder McPeake
Photography Jon Lowe
This inner-city semi-detached maisonette on a long skinny site had poor connection to the rear yard and lacked enough rooms for the growing young family until the new addition provided much-needed additional space.
The addition fits a new open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, study nook and new family bathroom into a 60m2 area.
The old kitchen and wet areas were demolished and replaced with an additional bedroom, and a deftly-designed ensuite, WIR and laundry fit under the main roof.
A pop-up box adds drama to the new dining space as well as allowing a large high-level window to bring north light and passive ventilation deep into the room.
A low-level verandah shields the generous sliding doors from the western sun while fully connecting the living space to the compact rear yard, making it feel much larger than the plan would indicate.
Insulated double-brick walls are used on the southern boundary, with lightweight cladding on the northern side, and underfloor heating in the polished concrete floors keeps the space warm year-round.
