Project Of The Week
Architecture
Colour Cure: A Bright & Cheery Extension for a Family of Four
See how two architects gave a young family more room without encroaching on precious backyard space
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation each week. Here, Yvonne Meng and Amber Laing, directors at Circle Studio Architects, take us through the journey of extending a small two-bedroom, one-bathroom weatherboard cottage on a 260-square-metre site. The new design for the family home has four bedrooms and two bathrooms – and preserved precious outdoor space.
The house before works
What was the house like originally?
A single-storey weatherboard worker’s cottage with two bedrooms and one bathroom on a 260-square-metre site.
Thinking of going up or out? Find a local architect on Houzz to help you with your extension
What was the house like originally?
A single-storey weatherboard worker’s cottage with two bedrooms and one bathroom on a 260-square-metre site.
Thinking of going up or out? Find a local architect on Houzz to help you with your extension
What wasn’t working for the client about the house?
With one bathroom and two bedrooms, there was not enough space for the couple’s two growing children who were sharing a room.
How does the new work address this problem?
The new extension increased the floor area and provided a separate zone for the kids to be kids and a bedroom for each child.
With one bathroom and two bedrooms, there was not enough space for the couple’s two growing children who were sharing a room.
How does the new work address this problem?
The new extension increased the floor area and provided a separate zone for the kids to be kids and a bedroom for each child.
Floor plan of the house before works
Brief
Brief
- Two additional bedrooms.
- A second living space.
- An extra bathroom.
- An upstairs bathroom to provide the kids with their own separate quarters.
- Maintain the period features downstairs and at the front of the house in order to be sympathetic to the streetscape.
Floor plan of the house after works
Gained
Gained
- A new second storey with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area and a rooftop deck (this made use of some of the volume in the existing roof).
- Additional wardrobes downstairs.
- More natural light to the dining room thanks to a new stairwell.
What exactly did you do?
- Added a new second storey.
- New paint and wall straightening downstairs.
- Retained the existing deck.
- Retained as much of the ground floor period features as possible.
Drawings show the new works in blue
How does the new extension complement or contrast with the original home?
It contrasts against the old with new materials that make a distinction between old and new. However, it uses timber to keep the palette soft and sympathetic with the original weatherboard house.
How does the new extension complement or contrast with the original home?
It contrasts against the old with new materials that make a distinction between old and new. However, it uses timber to keep the palette soft and sympathetic with the original weatherboard house.
Tell us about the unique privacy screens to the windows
Privacy screens were required by planning. We used ply to tie in the palette with the interior ply ceilings.
Privacy screens were required by planning. We used ply to tie in the palette with the interior ply ceilings.
Tell us about the vibrant blue you chose
Too much white can be sterile and boring. The client was not afraid of colour and the space was intended for kids, so the extension called for something fun.
Colour is also a cost-effective way to achieve maximum visual impact. Blocks of blue contrast with ply ceilings, timber trims, and white joinery, while brass fittings provide a bit of bling.
The kids each got to choose their own colour for their window boxes (pictured at the end of this article).
Too much white can be sterile and boring. The client was not afraid of colour and the space was intended for kids, so the extension called for something fun.
Colour is also a cost-effective way to achieve maximum visual impact. Blocks of blue contrast with ply ceilings, timber trims, and white joinery, while brass fittings provide a bit of bling.
The kids each got to choose their own colour for their window boxes (pictured at the end of this article).
A large window was specified here to draw natural light into the dining area, which was previously a dark space
Why do you think the house now works so well?
It is bright and light, the plan is efficient and minimises wasted space. It also maintains the existing character of the house.
Browse more stunning Australian staircase designs on Houzz
Why do you think the house now works so well?
It is bright and light, the plan is efficient and minimises wasted space. It also maintains the existing character of the house.
Browse more stunning Australian staircase designs on Houzz
Why did you conceal the entrance to the bathroom?
To keep the bathroom’s entrance from opening up onto a living space. The joinery helps make the bathroom feel separated.
Why did you clad the ceiling in plywood?
The client wanted something warm on the ceiling rather than stark white and loved plywood. Ply panels on the ceiling help create warmth in the space.
To keep the bathroom’s entrance from opening up onto a living space. The joinery helps make the bathroom feel separated.
Why did you clad the ceiling in plywood?
The client wanted something warm on the ceiling rather than stark white and loved plywood. Ply panels on the ceiling help create warmth in the space.
What challenges did you have to work around ?
The biggest challenge was getting the new roofline to run parallel with the old. The old cottage had shifted over time and the house was out of square. Much time was spent on-site with the builder to line up the extension, and the rafters of the existing house were remeasured and individually reset to marry the new and old.
The biggest challenge was getting the new roofline to run parallel with the old. The old cottage had shifted over time and the house was out of square. Much time was spent on-site with the builder to line up the extension, and the rafters of the existing house were remeasured and individually reset to marry the new and old.
We love the bold angles in the roofline and windows – tell us about them
The new form wraps around the old, shadowing the roofline of the weatherboard cottage. It was designed to mimic the existing form, but to sit back from the street so it was sympathetic to the streetscape.
The windows then follow this form, creating angled windows. The angle of the roofline was also needed so the house sat within council setback requirements.
The new form wraps around the old, shadowing the roofline of the weatherboard cottage. It was designed to mimic the existing form, but to sit back from the street so it was sympathetic to the streetscape.
The windows then follow this form, creating angled windows. The angle of the roofline was also needed so the house sat within council setback requirements.
Tell us about the touches of timber in the door trims and window frames
The windows are Victorian ash –specifically chosen to contrast against the dark timber of the exterior. The internal door frames are stained KDHW (kiln-dried hardwood) to define the openings.
Timber always looks nicer exposed than painted over, as it has a natural warmth.
The windows are Victorian ash –specifically chosen to contrast against the dark timber of the exterior. The internal door frames are stained KDHW (kiln-dried hardwood) to define the openings.
Timber always looks nicer exposed than painted over, as it has a natural warmth.
A generous, strategically placed skylight in the bathroom lets light into this windowless room
Key features
Key features
- In order to maintain setbacks and minimise overshadowing, the bulk of the mass was shifted to the centre of the house. The stairs placed on the side of the house are L-shaped so as not to break into the side boundary setbacks. Wrapping the stairs in this way created a void in the roof, which made the perfect place to put in a rooftop deck.
- Window boxes in the kids’ bedrooms provide them with a nook.
- The joinery in the upstairs living room conceals doors –dubbed the ‘Narnia doors’ by the kids – that lead into a bathroom in the roof cavity.
- A window from the deck looks onto the street, connecting the space with the wider neighbourhood. This deck is adjacent to the living area and has full-height glass sliding doors opening onto this space, breaking down the boundary between indoor and outdoor living.
One of the new kids’ bedrooms, with a window nook painted in British Paints Bollywood Jade
Materials palette
Interior palette
Your turn
Do you love this fun and cheerful extension as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see another extension packed with ideas? Don’t miss this Face Time: A Reno & Extension That’s All About Connection
Materials palette
Interior palette
- Easycraft wall panels.
- Maxiply birch plywood panels to the ceiling.
- About Space lighting.
- Eco Timber charred timber cladding to the exterior.
- Laser-cut ply window screens.
- James Hardie Axon decking.
- Dulux Capital Blue to the interior of the new extension.
- British Paints Water Flow to the kids’ bedrooms.
- British Paints Bollywood Jade and British Paints Paparazzi Pink to the kids’ window boxes.
Your turn
Do you love this fun and cheerful extension as much as we do? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see another extension packed with ideas? Don’t miss this Face Time: A Reno & Extension That’s All About Connection
Answers by Yvonne Meng and Amber Laing, directors at Circle Studio Architects
Who lives here: A couple with two young children and two dogs
Location: Yarraville, Victoria
Size of the house originally: 93.6 square metres (on a 260-square-metre site)
Size of the house after works: 161 square metres (on a 260-square-metre site)
Number of bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms originally: Two bedrooms, one bathroom and one living room
Number of bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms after works: Four bedrooms, two bathrooms and two living rooms
Architecture: Circle Studio Architects
Styling: Paige Anderson
Building: Carland Constructions
Joinery: Finewood Designer Kitchens