Small Exterior Design Ideas with a Black Roof

A two-stage development on a premium Lake Macquarie address. We got involved early with ELK Architects, working through costs as the design evolved so nothing surprised anyone at DA. Fifteen months later, it was delivered on programme and named a Finalist at the MBA NSW Awards. ★ MBA Finalist — Master Builders Association NSW, $2.5M–$3.5M New Dwellings

new 3 bed retirement home in rural orchard

Weather House is a bespoke home for a young, nature-loving family on a quintessentially compact Northcote block. Our clients Claire and Brent cherished the character of their century-old worker's cottage but required more considered space and flexibility in their home. Claire and Brent are camping enthusiasts, and in response their house is a love letter to the outdoors: a rich, durable environment infused with the grounded ambience of being in nature. From the street, the dark cladding of the sensitive rear extension echoes the existing cottage!s roofline, becoming a subtle shadow of the original house in both form and tone. As you move through the home, the double-height extension invites the climate and native landscaping inside at every turn. The light-bathed lounge, dining room and kitchen are anchored around, and seamlessly connected to, a versatile outdoor living area. A double-sided fireplace embedded into the house’s rear wall brings warmth and ambience to the lounge, and inspires a campfire atmosphere in the back yard. Championing tactility and durability, the material palette features polished concrete floors, blackbutt timber joinery and concrete brick walls. Peach and sage tones are employed as accents throughout the lower level, and amplified upstairs where sage forms the tonal base for the moody main bedroom. An adjacent private deck creates an additional tether to the outdoors, and houses planters and trellises that will decorate the home’s exterior with greenery. From the tactile and textured finishes of the interior to the surrounding Australian native garden that you just want to touch, the house encapsulates the feeling of being part of the outdoors; like Claire and Brent are camping at home. It is a tribute to Mother Nature, Weather House’s muse.

An extension and renovation to a timber bungalow built in the early 1900s in Shenton Park, Western Australia. Budget $300,000 to $500,000. The original house is characteristic of the suburb in which it is located, developed during the period 1900 to 1939. A Precinct Policy guides development, to preserve and enhance the established neighbourhood character of Shenton Park. With south facing rear, one of the key aspects of the design was to separate the new living / kitchen space from the original house with a courtyard - to allow northern light to the main living spaces. The courtyard also provides cross ventilation and a great connection with the garden. This is a huge change from the original south facing kitchen and meals, which was not only very small, but quite dark and gloomy. Another key design element was to increase the connection with the garden. Despite the beautiful backyard and leafy suburb, the original house was completely cut off from the garden. Now you can see the backyard the moment you step in the front door, and the courtyard breaks the journey as you move through the central corridor of the home to the new kitchen and living area. The entire interior of the home is light and bright. The rear elevation is contemporary, and provides a definite contrast to the original house, but doesn't feel out of place. There is a connection in the architecture between the old and new - for example, in the scale, in the materials, in the pitch of the roof.

Curved clad garage walling

A Family Retreat in the Mackenzie Basin On a 40-acre site above the Ōhau Canal, this home creates space for a family of four to hunker down together and tune out from the demands of everyday life. With vast skies and the Ben Ōhau mountains as a backdrop, it offers both refuge and connection — a place to slow down and share time as a family. The design embraces simplicity of form, fostering relaxed living and easy-going functionality. Behind this calm, however, lies a carefully engineered response to the Mackenzie Basin’s extremes: winds exceeding 200km/h, heavy snowfall, and scorching summer heat. Durability, resilience, and comfort were at the heart of every decision. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) provide both rigidity and thermal performance, paired with airtight detailing to maintain a healthy and comfortable interior throughout the seasons. Collaborating closely with engineers and suppliers, the structure, cladding, and glazing were all finely tuned to withstand the harsh conditions. A bold yet simple material palette was chosen with longevity in mind, anticipating that the house will weather gracefully and settle into its landscape over time. The result is a retreat that holds strong against the elements, while offering its family a warm, enduring home — deeply grounded in one of Aotearoa’s most dramatic environments.

Rénovation d'une maison bretonne et extension de la pièce de vie

The renovation and rear extension to a lower ground floor of a 4 storey Victorian Terraced house in Hampstead Conservation Area.

The Black Box is a carefully crafted architectural statement nestled in the Teign Valley. Hidden in the Teign Valley, this unique architectural extension was carefully designed to sit within the conservation area, surrounded by listed buildings. This may not be the biggest project but there is a lot going on with this charred larch and zinc extension.

This sleek, pavilion-style building contains a trove of high-end features packed into 73m2.

Weather House is a bespoke home for a young, nature-loving family on a quintessentially compact Northcote block. Our clients Claire and Brent cherished the character of their century-old worker's cottage but required more considered space and flexibility in their home. Claire and Brent are camping enthusiasts, and in response their house is a love letter to the outdoors: a rich, durable environment infused with the grounded ambience of being in nature. From the street, the dark cladding of the sensitive rear extension echoes the existing cottage!s roofline, becoming a subtle shadow of the original house in both form and tone. As you move through the home, the double-height extension invites the climate and native landscaping inside at every turn. The light-bathed lounge, dining room and kitchen are anchored around, and seamlessly connected to, a versatile outdoor living area. A double-sided fireplace embedded into the house’s rear wall brings warmth and ambience to the lounge, and inspires a campfire atmosphere in the back yard. Championing tactility and durability, the material palette features polished concrete floors, blackbutt timber joinery and concrete brick walls. Peach and sage tones are employed as accents throughout the lower level, and amplified upstairs where sage forms the tonal base for the moody main bedroom. An adjacent private deck creates an additional tether to the outdoors, and houses planters and trellises that will decorate the home’s exterior with greenery. From the tactile and textured finishes of the interior to the surrounding Australian native garden that you just want to touch, the house encapsulates the feeling of being part of the outdoors; like Claire and Brent are camping at home. It is a tribute to Mother Nature, Weather House’s muse.

Bois brulé et pan de toiture brisé minimisant l'impact du volume de l'extension