Archicentre architect Michael Ellis has seized on the potential of this Brunswick property to create a striking, sun-filled modern extension.A heartbeat away from the pulse of Sydney Road, this double-fronted brick home has three double bedrooms, two generous lounge rooms, a kitchen and meals area overlooking the back yard, plus a bathroom and laundry.
Ellis gave the property a once, then a twice over. It was in sound condition. Good bones, he said. “It’s structurally solid, yet it’s suffered from poor internal planning. The bathroom literally comes off the dining room. The seemingly ad-hoc kitchen is quasi-built into a nook that would otherwise be a bedroom. Apart from that we found the existing house to have several good merits, particularly its northern aspect”.
To illustrate the property’s potential, Ellis has prepared an Archicentre Renovation Report. Firstly, he takes advantage of the northern aspect, designing an all-glass curling extension to maximise the sun. The extension is a form of sundial in the shape of an ellipse with a Maple tree front and centre.
“North light will flood in, but we’ve created a buffer to alleviate the harshness of the strong summer sun. North light is a beautiful thing in winter but north light can give you a lot of heat load in summer especially the hot afternoon sun from the west,” he says. “The house is shielded from that and north light filters in to this whole area during the early afternoon, perfect for barbeques and entertaining.”
“One of the interesting things about using the ellipse is we haven’t merely transposed it onto the roofline, what we’ve done is tapered the eaves, so they taper from a zero point to almost 200-300mm; you actually notice the eaves grow out,” Ellis says. “It’s a tighter ellipse around the roofline because the northern sun increases around the living area. The reason we selected the Maple Tree is because of its foliage; it is deciduous and will maximise the winter sun”.
The front three rooms are retained and modernised with an added sitting area in the spacious master bedroom. The existing lounge has been converted into a light-filled en-suite and along the south wall, grouped the other wet areas (laundry and kitchen).
Of the dilapidated outbuildings only the garage stays, while the rest will be replaced by a new open-plan kitchen and living area. Right inside the doors to the ellipse, Ellis has created a play area for children and thanks to the extensive use of glass, this area enables discreet parental observance from the kitchen.
A slider door between the passage and the study/playroom will allow minimal noise transference from the bedrooms to the entertaining areas. The internal deck area provides a year-round barbeque and entertainment area and a pond has been added next to the Maple. Meanwhile a view from the entry into the new extension would be destined to achieve an immediate, dynamic effect.
Ellis chose not to disrupt the roof as much as possible. The flat roof over the dining room however should be demolished; as it was thought to have been an add-in at some stage of its existence.
“We have kept the proposal to single story. We have used simple construction methods,” says Ellis. “Another possible technique is grouping the wet areas along a common access, which is an excellent cost-saving measure.”
“In terms of its constructability, it has been efficiently planned as well. Otherwise there is very little work to existing fabric and the house tries to seamlessly combine landscape, architecture and interiors via extensions. We consider landscaping would also be a key component for the successful realisation of this scheme.”
The front façade maintains its post-war looks, while the rear section steps boldly into the 21st century. In an interesting way it complements Brunswick’s curious, yet vibrant mix of pre-war Europe and hip, young professionals.
Ellis estimated that it would cost somewhere between $189,000 and $303,000 depending on the quality of fixtures, fittings and finishes chosen:
| item |
Low est | HIgh est |
| Demolition works | $ 5,500 | $ 8,000 |
| Shell construction - frame | $126,000 | $173,700 |
| Bathroom and laundry | $ 13,000 | $ 26,000 |
| Ensuite | $ 5,000 | $ 12,000 |
| Heating and cooling | $ 4,000 | $ 12,000 |
| Kitchen | $ 9,000 | $ 25,000 |
| Landscaping | $ 8,000 | $ 22,000 |
| Repaint exterior house | $ 7,000 | $ 10,000 |
| Sub-total | $177,500 | $288,700 |
| Contingency | $ 11,900 | $ 14,435 |
| Total | $189,400 | $303,135 |
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