Tree Top House

More often than not, a modest budget does not mean a modest solution. An effective floor plan for an upper floor addition to an existing house on a sloping block and the enclosure of an existing elevated deck totally reworked how this house functioned. An unashamedly bold intervention, the new upper floor brought sweeping views of the surrounding tree tops and gully vista into the master suite and home office, which freed up the original bedrooms so every child got a room of their own and the “everything room” below the deck became a space for movie night, art class, chill out or anything else that can be thought of. To accommodate the tight budget, simple and raw materials were used in a beautiful way - Silvertop Ash ‘board and batten’ hardwood cladding, which the owner helped to prepare for installation, plywood interior linings, galvanized roofing, exposed roof eaves and rainchains rather than downpipes (an elegant solution to an area prone to mass amounts of leaf litter). Expansive windows facing the northern light, louvre windows to capture breezes and a “zoning” of the house, to create parents zones, kids zones and family zones are all components that work together to make this house not only look good but also to work good! Completed: 2016 Photography by Andy MacPherson