In 2016 we transformed a 1976 mudbrick house into an extremely functional family home. The house was dark and hashed together with materials that could be sourced cheap. This property was located in an outer suburb and provided lots of land and a bush outlook, sitting on a lovely ¾ of an acre of hillside land.

Our brief was to bring this dated family home into the 20th century, create country charm, and offer light & functionality for a home on a semi-rural block. All of this needed to be achieved without adding a bathroom or extending the home to avoid planning approval delays and expenses.

The existing home was very typical of a home-made mudbrick, very cold dark and mismatched. The process to achieve this brief was to remove walls, open up downstairs, replace doors, create a functional bathroom, and kitchen all without extending the home to provide large open spaces. The front living space was to become a formal living, the house design was to provide maximum cupboards/storage, open family living, and make use of the lovely surroundings.

Country-style cabinets were chosen in the kitchen to enhance the country feel, timber benches to add warmth, but also a modern feel. The bathroom was enlarged and the mudbrick feature retained, yet provided a much brighter functional room. We kept some original features of the home by retaining the old lead light windows, brick floors, and retaining some mudbrick feature internally.

The ceiling beams were covered to create a sense of space and light. Dormer windows were added to two of the upstairs bedrooms. The garden was landscaped with some functional size terraces, that provided private sitting areas and a feeling of living among the trees.

We were thrilled with the final product and so excited in the interest received by the sale campaign. The house did sell with a record sale price achieved.

Next one now in progress…

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