Preston I

We were asked to modify a run down double brick residence to provide for family accommodation as well as making space and privacy for overseas visitors who would visit on a reasonably regular basis. Access to garden was very important as both clients enjoy gardening and came for a large allotment in Harare, Zimbabwe. Particularly important was facilitating access for all in and around the residence. It was important for this access to be integrated and used by all; not an add on requirement.

Vic Ash flooring, Caesarstone benchtops, lining board and exposed LVL beams.

The house had had little work or maintenance undertaken over a long period of time, so quite a few remedial effforts formed part of the scope. Once the old shedding had been removed (dilapidated, unsafe and asbestos) retention of the brickwork boundary fence was a key challenge in the provision of new services connections. This final result is retention of a brickwork wall that acts as a lovely bookend to the garden and highlights years of patina. To weather the wall a coping course of salvaged tiles from the house were reemployed.

The clients are recent arrivals from Zimbabwe and relocated to be close to their children, two of whom have settled in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. The process of building and ‘procurement’ in Australia is markedly different to that experienced in Zimbabwe.

Introduction of velux natural skylighting into landlocked service rooms, a highly efficient heat pump hot water unit, passive solar access in winter and generous eave protection in summer. Exposing the internal, existing brickwork provides access to thermal mass thereby maintaining a relatively stable internal temperature range in both summer and winter.

Traditional lightweight building methods were employed however a substantial amount of remedial work was required to the original ,double brick property, including underpinning.

Working closely with the clients and RCBG the builders for the project, who were really engaged with the challenges faced and finding the best, most desirable outcomes. It was truly a team effort.
We sought to gain aesthetic traction from utilizing the most of what we had to work with, which included removing the delaminating hard plaster to reveal the brickwork and concrete lintels of the original structure. It’s the type of renovation project that through peeling back and revealing more, the story of the next stage in the life of the house has both context and a connection to the past. It is immediately discernible what elements are new and what is original, however the parts are integrated within the space as a whole and all contribute. The space demands closer inspection and this is where the detail is revealed and small surprises become evident.