High Contrast
After a decade of planning and patience, a falling-down worker’s cottage in Brisbane has morphed into a bright, contemporary dwelling.
The long journey of a Brisbane home, from tumbledown cottage to cool modern icon.
Changing family needs have twice propelled Andrew Nehill and Angela Pratt into action over their home. In 2006, with a second child due, they decided it was time to upsize from their inner-Brisbane apartment. When the property sold sooner than expected – the day their daughter was born, in fact – they had to start looking for a new home with a baby, a toddler and a deadline in mind.
Fortunately for everyone, they found a single-storey, threebedroom worker’s cottage in no time. Even though it was only 3km from the CBD, the 809m2 property sat at the end of a culde-sac overlooking a park. That made up for its small rooms, basic kitchen and evidence of cheap, unsympathetic renovations. They were the only bidders and moved in a month later.
The plan was to renovate within 12 months but life, as it does, got in the way. “By the time we started renovating, the house was practically falling down around us,” says Andrew. Doors didn’t close properly, railings were falling off the deck and the ceilingwashometoaprocessionofpossumsandotherunwelcome guests. In addition, their children – Rosie, now 13, and 11-year-old Lottie – had reached an age where the house no longer functioned for a family. “We’d pushed the old house to its limits. It was time for total change,” says Andrew. “We didn’t want to renovate in stages. We had waited long enough and the house was too far gone to do anything other than everything.”
The sticking point had been the cost. They’d had plans drawn up in 2012, but abandoned that project when the pricing came in much higher than they could afford. Second time around, they engaged interior design firm Wrightson Stewart to create a concept, working closely with them and with builders Oxford Construction & Development to bring the job in on budget.
The scope of the project included demolishing post war additions and restoring the original structure, which now comprises a main bedroom suite, study and second living space. A bold extension on the western side contains the new entry and hall, two bedrooms, a bathroom, the living/dining space, kitchen and deck. The new section’s black window frames were an important architectural element, creating the industrial feel the family was after.
“It was also about giving them great storage,” says the firm’s director Ian Wrightson. “We built in a lot, so it contains everything and makes the space look and feel larger.”
By April 2017, Andrew and Angela finally had the family-friendly dwelling they’d longed for. “The renovations took us from a threebedroom house to a three-bedroom house, but that’s all we need,” says Andrew. “We preferred to allocate the space and budget to living space rather than unused bedrooms.”
While the home has architectural integrity, the family didn’t want it to be showy or themed. “We live in Brisbane, not the Hamptons,” says Andrew. “We love the way the addition is contemporary yet respectful of the old house.”
Wrightson Stewart, Fortitude Valley, Queensland;
(07) 3252 9516 or wrightsonstewart.com.au. Oxford Construction & Development; oxfordconstruction.com.au.