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Project Details:

Location: Northcote, Melbourne, Australia

Architect: Austin Maynard Architects / @austinmaynardarchitects

Footprint: 2,217 square feet

Builder: CBD Contracting Group

Structural Engineer: Webb Consult

Landscape Design: Mcnuttndorff Landscapes

Net Engineer: Tensys Engineering

Building Surveyor: Code Compliance

Photographer: Derek Swalwell / @derek_swalwell

From the Architect: “Work-from-home parents and their two teenage daughters concluded after ten years and the Covid lockdowns that their living situation was no longer working. To remedy this, they renovated a single-story weatherboard cottage once devoid of light, definition, and separation between spaces. Inspired by their year living in Japan, the family asked for a more considered and purposeful space. Now, there are areas to come together and entertain and private spaces to retreat to, suited to each individual.

“The old house had a lot of character and was generally in good condition, requiring only necessary work to thermally and structurally improve the fabric. The alteration and addition begins with the configuration of a new side entry to bypass private space and reorient access into the center of the house. The gate opens into the first of three pocket gardens/light wells, creating airflow and views of greenery. Off the entry a perforated steel staircase leads directly up to the ‘apartment,’ comprising two bedrooms, a central bathroom ‘box,' and a secret pink craft room and a study. To define the original part of the house in respect to the addition, the external materiality of painted weatherboards is continued through internally.

“The pink room, hidden behind a push panel door at the top of the stairs, is a renovated attic space within the roof of the old house. The younger sibling is able to freely express her artistic creativity and indulge in messy projects here without disturbing the more zen nature of her older sister.

“The extension has an unusual stepping and overlapping shape. To unify it with the home, a batten screen is set over it, bringing together the addition in a simple meeting of forms while providing shade and protection. The angle of the battens follows the pitch of the old house roof. Though not the same building, or the same materials, it’s the same pitch with battens all running in the same direction to create a visual language, a discussion and shared DNA.”

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