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Kew House 3

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This project involved the renovation and extension of a heritage home to create a revitalised, functional, and spacious family residence. Read more
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Thoughtfully renovated heritage home with modern extensions, creating distinct living zones and enhancing outdoor spaces while preserving historical charm.

This project involved the renovation and extension of a heritage home to create a revitalised, functional, and spacious family residence. The existing house required additional living areas to suit a growing family, while also needing a refresh of its beautiful but aging heritage features. A key challenge was the heritage overlay, which required our design to be a sensitive and respectful addition to the original structure. To address this, the more substantial elements of the new build were placed behind the existing home, preserving its historic street presence and allowing for a pleasant sense of discovery as one moves through the house.

The design response introduced clearly defined zones for different family members and activities. These include a dedicated parents’ retreat, a main family living zone, a children’s area, and additional secondary living spaces for flexible use by kids, parents, or guests. The rear garden was also zoned to enhance outdoor living, with a new swimming pool, an alfresco area, a garage/workshop that can double as an indoor entertaining space, and a grassed area that connects directly to the master bedroom. The use of timber and dark metal cladding complements the original brickwork, creating a harmonious blend of old and new.

Photography: Paul West Photography

1.1K0h 55m

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“There were many challenges in the brief we gave to Gary. We wanted a contemporary house in a heritage area. We also wanted a house that would be easily accessible for older and disabled persons. The land is narrow and slopes to the rear. Gary worked collaboratively with us on the design; he listened and constructively resolved the many issues that confronted us. The Council provided very few guidelines in relation to these requirements, but Gary was able to work through the impediments and obtain the approvals. We wanted a modern house that would stand as an equal to the historic 1880’s terraces around us. The appearance of the house needed to be in proportion with the adjacent double story victorian terrace. This was achieved through clever and nuanced design elements that elongated the façade, and was then absorbed into the rest of the house through interesting ceiling and room configurations. The hallways and rooms needed to accommodate possible future wheelchairs. So, all spaces are sufficiently wide and internal steps have been replaced with ramps. The use of internal gardens, both downstairs and upstairs, plus the liberal inclusion of skylights provide wonderful light and ventilation. An important feature is a large basement that has the laundry, a great deal of storage and work area, and all of the services such as hydronic heating, hot water, pumps, solar inverters and future batteries and the lift that moves through each of the three levels. Gary has achieved an outcome with which we are extremely pleased and he can feel justifiable proud of.”

William Robb

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