Houzz Tour: More Than the Sum of its Parts
A small addition transforms a cramped Hamilton bungalow into a modern light-filled home
It’s a familiar story. When the owners bought this 1940s brick bungalow in Hamilton, it was because they wanted something that better suited their personalities. Previously, they’d lived in what architect Simon Harrison calls a “standard developer house” in the north of the city. Bored by commuting, they wanted an individual house with a bit of character in a central suburb – somewhere they could display their collection of art and furniture.
This place – down a long driveway off an established, quiet side street full of old villas and bungalows – fit the bill: brick, untouched and badly in need of a renovation. And it was within walking distance of work, cafes and parks.
This place – down a long driveway off an established, quiet side street full of old villas and bungalows – fit the bill: brick, untouched and badly in need of a renovation. And it was within walking distance of work, cafes and parks.
Now, approaching the house from the driveway, you encounter an asymmetrical glass-and-timber box that seems to float off the front of the solid brick facade. “Typically we’re designing houses that have the living spaces open onto the back yard to maximise outdoor living,” says Harrison. “That approach wasn’t an option here. We had to fit a double garage on the northern sunny side and then make the extension open out towards this.”
Now, a small study nook sits beside the entry – screened by cedar fins – and a sunken living area a few steps down from the rest of the house flows out to a small north-facing courtyard. It’s fundamentally and obviously a new construction, and yet it is still respectful of the original – the cedar mimics the colour of the brick, and the pitch of the roof mimics that of the original, but turned into two contrasting monopitches.
Now, a small study nook sits beside the entry – screened by cedar fins – and a sunken living area a few steps down from the rest of the house flows out to a small north-facing courtyard. It’s fundamentally and obviously a new construction, and yet it is still respectful of the original – the cedar mimics the colour of the brick, and the pitch of the roof mimics that of the original, but turned into two contrasting monopitches.
The entry sits at the junction between the existing house and the new addition – a series of poured concrete steps lead up to a small vitex timber deck, which forms the entry area. The charming ficus creeper has covered the front facade for many years, and was carefully protected during construction.
These days, Claudelands is a highly desirable suburb due to its proximity to the city and its mixture of old villas and bungalows on established streets – with tight heritage controls. This house was built a little later, in the 1940s, and it sits on a rear site down a long driveway, so the heritage controls didn’t apply. “We were free to design anything within the standard rules of the district plan,” says Harrison.
These days, Claudelands is a highly desirable suburb due to its proximity to the city and its mixture of old villas and bungalows on established streets – with tight heritage controls. This house was built a little later, in the 1940s, and it sits on a rear site down a long driveway, so the heritage controls didn’t apply. “We were free to design anything within the standard rules of the district plan,” says Harrison.
The clients had expressed an interest in the more intimate spaces of 1970s houses, rather than the wide open spaces of more contemporary designs. As a result, the living spaces now dog leg between the kitchen-dining area in the original part of the house, and the new living area in the addition.
There are view shafts through and across the entry to unite the spaces – but the family has the room to spread out through the kitchen, study nook and sunken living room.
There are view shafts through and across the entry to unite the spaces – but the family has the room to spread out through the kitchen, study nook and sunken living room.
Each space is just as big as it needs to be, which Harrison says was good discipline. “Working on this house has been a lesson in designing in a more compact way,” he says – and in fact the practice has gone on to work on several more renovations in a similar style.
The dining room – previously part of the kitchen – is positioned to catch the sun in the morning and the middle of the day. The clients imported the tall vertical radiators throughout the house from the United Kingdom – there are few options on the New Zealand market.
The dining room – previously part of the kitchen – is positioned to catch the sun in the morning and the middle of the day. The clients imported the tall vertical radiators throughout the house from the United Kingdom – there are few options on the New Zealand market.
The kitchen sits at the heart of the home, in a space formerly occupied by a rabbit warren of hallways and small rooms that opened off each other. It’s a small space, but highly functional with floor-to-ceiling cupboards, plenty of bench space and an induction hob. The cabinetry is built from birch plywood, with handles formed by partially routing out the doors.
The kitchen island has a white Formica benchtop – used because because it’s hard-wearing and relatively inexpensive. Despite the small size, the clients did manage to squeeze in a commercial espresso machine and coffee grinder.
The kitchen island has a white Formica benchtop – used because because it’s hard-wearing and relatively inexpensive. Despite the small size, the clients did manage to squeeze in a commercial espresso machine and coffee grinder.
On the inside of the kitchen, cupboard doors are built from Melteca-laminated plywood featuring the same routered handle detail.
This study nook was a response to the clients’ desire for small, intimate spaces that interconnected. A day bed makes for an ideal spot to read, while timber shutters allow the space to be closed off from the main living room. The spaces in the extension are smaller and more intimate than many contemporary homes. “This matches in with the scale of the spaces within the original house,” says Harrison.
Harrison was determined that – while the new layout of the house flows to the north and the sun – the house should also connect to its back yard. A new glass door at the end of a long central corridor provides a glimpse out to the garden – even though it doesn’t get used much.
The architects worked with the existing 1940s vernacular, retaining the timber floors but adding the curved wall around the master bedroom, which now houses the ensuite shower. They also retained the house’s mouldings and skirting boards, though they took out quite a few walls.
Floors are a mixture of matai and rimu timbers, which was carefully matched in alterations to the original part of the house and the study nook. Walls, ceilings, wooden windows and trims are painted in Resene’s Half ‘Albescent’ throughout the house.
The architects worked with the existing 1940s vernacular, retaining the timber floors but adding the curved wall around the master bedroom, which now houses the ensuite shower. They also retained the house’s mouldings and skirting boards, though they took out quite a few walls.
Floors are a mixture of matai and rimu timbers, which was carefully matched in alterations to the original part of the house and the study nook. Walls, ceilings, wooden windows and trims are painted in Resene’s Half ‘Albescent’ throughout the house.
The laundry sits at the end of the corridor beside the back door and features a white Formica bench, white EcoGranit tub and cabinetry painted in Resene’s ‘Canary Yellow’. The room’s sliding doors are usually left open, but allow the space to be closed off when things get messy.
Here’s the fabulous curved shower in the master bedroom’s ensuite bathroom – the small hexagonal tiles are also a nice touch.
Cabinetry in the main bathroom mimics that of the kitchen, with a subtle mid-century nod. The cabinetry here is painted plywood, while the benchtop is white Formica.
The main bathroom and its fittings stayed in the same place, which saved on plumbing costs – but received a badly needed makeover. That included this beautifully detailed American oak shelf set into a tiled wall above the bath.
The bath and the shower are tiled in H-75 Nube tiles from Tile Warehouse, laid in a running bond pattern, in keeping with the heritage of the house.
Eventually, the extension will flow out to a landscaped courtyard, with plantings to screen it from the driveway – a future project for the clients. The form of the extension might be radically different from the original house – a response to the client’s wish for the new extension to be completely different – but it connects in delicate and subtle ways. The rooms are small and interconnected, rather than wide open, and the scale is similar in form to the original house.
TELL US
Have you downsized in order to lead a better lifestyle? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
TELL US
Have you downsized in order to lead a better lifestyle? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here: A professional couple and their two children
Location: Claudelands, Hamilton, New Zealand
Size: 157 square metres; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Designer: MOAA Architects
The existing three-bedroom house was small (110 square metres), with a rabbit warren of oddly shaped rooms and small spaces, including an almost unusable L-shaped bedroom. It also had no connection to the north-facing front yard or the south-facing back garden. The owners bought the property and then asked MOAA Architects and Harrison to transform it into a family home with small, intimate spaces that would allow them to spread out, but still have some space to read, cook or study.
MOAA’s approach was clever – and all the more so given the significant budget restraints. They moved bedrooms and bathrooms to the back of the house, opened out the front for kitchen and dining, then designed a small living extension around a north-facing courtyard.