49 Steve and Tammy bought their first home in a peaceful, family orientated area in the Victorian suburb of Burwood. The couple was excited when they found a 1950’s art deco-style brick veneer with a triple-fronted façade well within their budget.  Located on a good sized block, light, airy with a backyard and views of the Dandenongs, it ticked all the boxes.

But after settling in, the dream ever so slightly, began to fade. They started seeing holes in their house plan. The kitchen was pathetic, the only view of the Dandenongs came when washing up, there was no en-suite and instead of opening up, the back of the house was closed in.  

So now, nine months later, first homebuyers Steve and Tammy are about to become first-time renovators.

They want to open up the rear of the house for entertainment, have an en-suite, add some light and space and maintain the magnificent mountain views. They also want to upgrade the existing kitchen and bathroom and upgrade the north east corner of the house. They are also keen to relocate the toilet to the bathroom and introduce a European style laundry.

They would like to make better use of the extended living area that is connected to the dining room, address heating and cooling for the home, maintain the three bedrooms and introduce built-in robes to two of the bedrooms.

Clinging to this idea, they rang Archicentre who set them up with architect Vincent Choi. Choi was impressed with the property’s potential, particularly a block with access to such great views.

Choi noted these problems with the existing plan:
“The property does enjoy the superior views towards west and south where the Dandenong Mountains can be seen from the kitchen window because of the elevated construction. Unfortunately one has to stand in front of the kitchen sink to appreciate the view,” Choi says.

Other aspects of the fifties layout like the oddly-sized bedrooms, central living room, separate wet areas and compartmentalised living room, dining room and kitchen are also bug bears.

“In the 50’s rarely were the solar environmental design principles applied or considered,” Choi says.

“One of the key benefits that’s not being utilised, is this home’s sizable west-facing elevated outdoor sitting area directly assessable from the living room.” Tammy and Steve could easily appreciate the panoramic view of the west from there.

Choi’s design solutions address these problems head-on.

Inside, he resizes the bedrooms - particularly the middle one - and installs built-in robes. He magically accommodates a reasonable sized en-suite, which is on the top of the client’s wish list.

A proper enclosed entry space with privacy is fitted into the plan. The reclaimed space from the existing corridor is turned into a storage area which is lacking in many houses.

“This strategic spot can be the location of future stairs for the first floor extension,” says Choi.

The living and dining areas remain in their original places and a sizeable family room has been incorporated where it opens up to the new timber deck. A pair of sliding partitions (can be decorative panels) is suggested to open or close up the spaces whenever necessary. This element adds a surprise effect to the house.

A new modern kitchen is placed at the north east corner of the house where it still enjoys the view to the west and looks directly to the garden. It enjoys a strong connection to the family, dining and living rooms.

A bathroom including a toilet is also included. A series of north-facing high windows are added to capture the warm north winter sun. This will reduce substantially the heating cost of the house.

Outside, the west-facing terrace is at the ‘hot’ spot where it enjoys a magnificent western view. A timber pergola with deciduous climber is suggested to add at the west-facing terrace and façade to provide good shading during the hot summer. A sizable timber deck for outdoor entertaining encourages a seamless indoor and outdoor flow and this will improve the connectivity between the house, studio and garden space.

In the future, extending to the first floor is good planning. It will be a great asset to the property with stunning views to the Dandenong Mountains. The provision of the location of future stairs is considered so no major changes to the ground floor are required to accommodate the first floor extension.

Choi estimated that the renovation would cost somewhere between $150,000 and $198,000.

Item
 Low est
 High est
Laundry $   3,500 $   5,000
Restoring bedrooms and dining $   5,000 $ 10,000
Heating and cooling $   5,000 $   8,000
Cabinetry $ 10,000 $ 10,000
New kitchen & bathrooms $ 50,000 $ 65,000
Family room shell $ 60,000 $ 90,000
Outdoor structures $ 17,000 $ 20,000
Total $150,500 $198,000



Scyon™ products to consider?
Scyon™ Linea™ weatherboard – with its deep shadow lines – or Scyon™ Axon™ cladding – with its sharp, vertical grooves. Find out more here.

view the attachment