'Enduring House' is a grand old double-fronted Edwardian Dame on a large north-facing side of a leafy street in Brunswick West. Her original features included a high-pitched gable roof, lead-lighting, pressed metals and twin pairs of clay chimney pots, typical of the era. Nick and Sarah had raised their sons in this tumble-down home with high ceilings and deep rambling garden for many years. As the family grew, the makeshift kitchen, leaky lean-to and a lack of insulation had lost its charm.
More space and improving the energy efficiency of the building was needed. The family also wanted to future proof the home to adapt for multi-generational living with ageing parents in the coming decades. When Nick and Sarah came to BNE, they had previous plans for a period style extension that added a large second story. During discussions with them, we felt perhaps their wish list had been prioritised at the expense of their values. We were curious to explore whether we could achieve more functionality from a smaller overall footprint. The key to this would be thoughtful interior reconfigurations to the existing spaces and interrogating how some spaces could solve more than one problem. BNE worked with Matt from Green Solar Designs to resolve the schematic design of a two-story north-facing extension utilising the internal volumes of a gabled roof that would become a parent's bedroom, study, bathroom and WIR.
The four original rooms were reconfigured into two bedrooms, a second living room, a hallway coat and bag nook, a bathroom and a WC. The extension provided a new laundry, kitchen, dining, 3rd bedroom and lounge. The programming is efficient for the number of functional spaces (4 beds, 2 livings, a study, 2 baths and WC ).
The result is a proportionally balanced feeling home, with many diverse spaces while maintaining the deep garden. A sense of verticality and openness to the extension was sought. Pitched ceilings upstairs and long views through connecting spaces to the garden helped create this. Where possible spaces can be used and accessed in more than one way, creating a playful labyrinth of pathways to move through the home. The details BNE designed to evolve the spaces are both functional and beautiful.
A strong material base of hardwood timber, porcelain/ ceramic surfaces and brass details is continued throughout. Australian timbers and materials were prefaced, with all of the touch surfaces including architectural hardware and tapware in living brass.
A smaller kitchen is made functional by an adjoining walk-through pantry that connects to the utility zone where the laundry WC, large linen press and bathroom can all be accessed. The pantry houses all the practical accessories of a busy kitchen including ovens, fridge, pantry goods and appliances so that the open-plan part of the kitchen could be simple and easy on the eye. The open-plan part of the kitchen curves gently towards the dining with a curved shelf and a benchtop return to soften the open corner. A central island and open shelving adjacent provides space for socialising, cookbooks and food preparation and includes a corkboard and a secret broom cupboard concealed behind the shelves.
In proof of our commitment to child-friendly designs we are told this space creates a sneaky back entrance for kids to raid the pantry undetected for treats, whilst oblivious parents chat in the kitchen.
Dulux Vintage Linen White was used throughout the new parts of the home to let the texture and materiality of the surfaces shine while the original rooms were moodier in soft greys and blues. The owners had a favourite coloured glass window in the original bathroom that we were able to repurpose into a highlight window above their bedroom door upstairs. The plum and green glass of this and the front bay window were used as design cues, with a plum coloured front door - a rich deep green on all the original internal doors, deep plum pendant lights overhanging the kitchen island and a green velvet plush cushion in the dining window seat.
The open plan dining and living are just the right size for a large dining table and the living couch to tuck under the void of the staircase. A long built in window seat framing a beloved existing tree crepe has a plush green velvet cushion.
In thinking about the style of the home, we noticed that Sarah and Nick erred towards timeless objects and design and that the Edwardian elements of the home were preserved beautifully. An idea we often pursue, is that a newer part of a period home should be contemporary but be having an active conversation with the older part of the home. We maintained the architectural detailing of the front rooms and hall, painting the original trims and walls in muted greys and blues to let the forms and proportions feature. Into the new areas, we borrowed classically enduring motifs, patterns and forms and applied them in a pared-back way. Fluting appears on the butler's sink, plaster wall light fittings and in convex form in the joinery. Half-moon brass handles are then inverted as half-moon cutout handles in the pantry joinery. The pattern relief tile used for the kitchen splashback references the pressed metal cladding at the front of the house. Decorative tiling around the 3 original fireplaces is echoed in the encaustic style pattern repeat tiling in the bathrooms. The texture, patterns and fixtures provide a simplified and contemporary homage to the decorative crafts of the early 20th century.
The main hall has had useful pockets extruded out of its length by using some of the excess space in the pantry and bathroom. A large arrival nook homes school bags and coats, and further up the hall is an arrival station with charging facilities, where keys and mail can land as you come and go.
The second living room at the front of the home has two doors, one to a large main bathroom, meaning this room can function as a bedroom with an easily accessible ensuite for grandparents or guests in the future. Bathrooms are light, playful and have plenty of room for plants to thrive. The main bathroom’s pale blue cement tiles were combined with a custom vanity by Ingrain.
The laundry is a super sunny north-facing space with encaustic style pink daisies motif tiles on the floor and direct access to the outdoor line. A deep ceramic tub, rack and rail indoor drying systems and brass tapware make it is so warm and friendly it is a pleasure to spend time in there.
The upstairs bathroom features a bath underneath a cloud framing skylight overhead. The skylight is operable to vent the hot air from the upper level. While this room is narrow it has been made spacious by utilising the low part of the roof pitch for a large platform to fill with plants. The long Ingrain vanity has two custom-designed mirror cabinets so a couple can use the space to get ready at once, but only one sink, as it is our general opinion that you can share a sink with someone you love.
We call this project ‘Enduring House’ for three reasons; firstly, aesthetically - we leaned into a timeless sense of style in the design. Secondly, we built in future living scenarios, allowing the house to morph and change as the family grows. Thirdly, because this project weathered a few of life's challenges along the way, including unexpected illness, job changes, and then finally a year of Covid lockdowns during the build. It took an enduring commitment from a tenacious team - including the clients, builders and designers - to navigate the delays and setbacks to bring this home into fruition, ultimately making the result more special and meaningful to all involved.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY FEATURES
Builders Chris and Jai from Pledge Builders are both certified passive house tradespeople and at Enduring House have applied some of the basic principles, like properly installed and complete insulation, as well as using exterior membranes and detailing in such a manner that we achieved a high level of "draft" proofing. On completion the house was pressure tested by certified passive house builders and achieved an 8.99 ACH rating, high for any type of renovation of an older home and a tribute to the builder's passive house building skills.
Replaced all windows in the house (except front bay windows with original decorative glass) with timber-framed Argon-filled double-glazed windows.
Replaced drafty original floors in the existing house with new floorboards, insulating underneath the floors throughout.
Relined internal walls of existing and adding wall and ceiling insulation throughout.
Kept existing footprint by utilising attic space of pitched roof extension.
Removed ducted heating and replaced with healthy radiant hydronic heating.
Opted to retain existing hot water and cooktop (on gas) as relatively new and will be replaced at end-of-life for electric.
Living, dining and kitchen areas oriented to the north. Majority of glazing is to the north with minimal in this area to the west.
The passive solar design includes fixed shading to the north for the summer sun.
Passive ventilation includes an operable skylight on the top level to ventilate hot air from the house using the stairs as a thermal chimney.
Installed ceiling fans throughout.
Added a 5000L litre custom tall water tank in a narrow space plumbed to toilets and laundry.
Installed air-drying racks and rails in the laundry.
Brass tapware handles and door hardware are all locally manufactured.
Repurposed existing coloured glass window internally in the main bedroom upstairs.
Repurposed existing appliances.
Used low maintenance colorbond cladding on the exterior shell to avoid having to paint and maintain upper levels later on. Exposed hardwood timber cladding on the undersides of eaves is better protected from elements and more easily accessible for maintenance.
LOW VOC paints and timber sealants.
Brass tapware and door hardware- no chrome.
FSC certified engineered floorboards.
Repurposed existing appliances
Used low maintenance colorbond cladding on the exterior shell to avoid having to paint and maintainupper levels later on. Exposed hardwood timber cladding on undersides of eaves is better protected from elements and more easily accessible for maintenance.
LOW VOC paints and timber sealants
Brass tapware- no chrome
