A renovation and extension to the rear of a heritage Victorian terrace in inner City Melbourne. This project is for a young family with 2 children who wished to stay in their current house and renovate to suit their requirements. The 2 story renovation and extension includes 4 bedrooms, study and 2 bathrooms on a very small site of 140m2 whilst respecting the amenities of neighbouring buildings and historic concerns.
COMPACT CAN FEEL GENEROUS
With clever design small spaces can feel larger than they actually are. Filled with natural light, vaulted ceilings and the abundance of skylights this 5 metre wide site borrows views and connects to the outside creating a feeling of space.
The client was after more space, a larger living area, updated facilities and a better connection to their back yard from their small existing Victorian terrace. They loved the area and have 2 young children and were outgrowing their current dwelling.
With such a small site (5m x 26m) the only way to achieve their requirements was to extend the ground and 1st floors. This was problematic due to any new works would cast shadows over the south neighbours north facing living room windows.
Careful sunlight / shadow studies were undertaken to define the acceptable external envelope of the new works. The ground floor southern wall was pitched at a low height and the 1st floor was setback from the south boundary and kept central along the length of the property.
Vaulted ceilings throughout the ground and 1st floor increased the feeling of space whilst having minimal impact on neighbouring buildings. This increased vertical height gave the opportunity of high windows to capture extended views of neighbouring trees.