Families grow and need more space, but inner-city sites can be tight. The Blue House Yarraville, designed by Circle Studio Architects, was a project which makes the most of a small site, and with a modest budget.
This project is an extension to a weatherboard house for a family of four with two growing children who were at the time sharing a room.
Being on a small block of 260m2, Circle Studio Architects’ challenge was to add an additional two bedrooms, living space, and space for a bathroom without encroaching on the small backyard.
The solution was therefore to extend upwards rather than outwards and make the most of the existing roof volume. The new addition is a bright but minimal canvas for the kids to make their own.
The family liked the character of the neighbourhood, and the new addition was set back from the street so the older weatherboard home could keep its frontage.
It was also important maintain the period detailing and not to disrupt the flow of the spaces downstairs.
The extension at ground floor was kept at a minimal, extending the western side to accommodate a new stair and let in light, and the eastern side for two new wardrobes.
The first-floor addition is where all the action is.
It is essentially a structure on stilts which sits on top of the old house, with steel columns tucked into the existing walls below in order not to impact on the ground floor rooms.
From the street, the new form wraps around the old, shadowing the roofline of the weatherboard cottage.
The material of the new addition is charred black timber to contrast with the lighter existing weatherboard.
While the exterior is neutral and subdued, the interior is playful.
Colour is such a great way to add life to a space and Circle Studio Architects wanted the home to be bright and bold.
Blocks of blue contrast with ply ceilings, timber trims, and white joinery, while brass fittings provide a bit of bling.
In the bedrooms, steel window boxes lined with colourful painted ply provides the kids with a nook to sit in.
As well as providing a bench seat and much needed storage, the joinery in the living room conceals doors, dubbed the ‘Narnia doors’ by the kids.
These lead into a space where a bathroom will be built at a later date.
The space sits within the existing roof cavity and is ready and future proofed for when the family wishes to expand.
A window from the deck looks onto the street, connecting the space with the wider neighbourhood.
This deck is adjacent to the living area and with full-height glass sliders opening onto this space, the boundary between indoor and outdoor living dissolves.
All of the northern windows follow the angle of the existing roofline and align with each other between the living room, deck and stairwell.
In order to maintain setbacks and minimise overshadowing, Circle Studio Architects shifted the bulk of the mass to the centre of the house.
The stairs placed on the side of the house are shaped as an ‘L’ to not to break into the side boundary setbacks.
Wrapping the stairs in this way created a void on the roof which made the perfect place to put in a rooftop deck – a great place to bask in the sun on a nice warm day.
The biggest challenge Circle Studio Architects faced was getting the new roofline to run parallel with the old.
The old cottage had shifted with time and the house was out of square.
Much time was spent on site with the builder to line up the extension, and the rafters of the existing house were re-measured and individually reset to marry the new with the old.
Key Products Used
Cladding: Eco Timber charred timber cladding
Paint: Dulux Capital Blue S34C9 (main areas), British Paints Waterflow 316 (kid’s bedroom), Bollywood Jade 324 (box windows)
Interior: Easycraft wall panels
Ceiling: Maxiply birch plywood
Lighting: About Space
Deck cladding: James Hardie Axon
Project Details
Project Size – 77 m2
Site Area – 260 m2
Completion Date – 2019
Building Levels – 2
Project Team
Architecture
Circle Studio Architects
Circle Studio Architects is headed up by neighbours Amber Laing and Yvonne Meng.
Human-centred design is at the forefront of their philosophy and their priority is to create engaging places to be in.
Construction
Carland Constructions
Carland Constructions is based in Melbourne’s inner west specialising in domestic renovations and extensions.
Photography
Martina Gemmola
Martina takes photographs, for a career, because she can’t imagine ever not. With a Bachelor of Arts (Photography) from RMIT, she has travelled and worked throughout Australia, Europe and the United States, allowing her craft to grow and gathering inspiration and momentum along the way.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Circle Studio Architects. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Martina Gemmola. All Rights Reserved.
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