OPEN FOR INSPECTION

Step inside this cleverly restored and renovated terrace in Sydney’s Paddington, where limited space doesn’t necessarily equal a compromise on elegance

Back in 2006, John Howard was still PM and Mark Zuckerberg was tweaking the finer details of something called Facebook. It was also possible to buy a three-bedroom terrace house in inner-city Sydney for a remarkably reasonable price. Admittedly, the property wasn’t pretty. “It was a tired and run-down house that had been a rental for years,” says owner Yvonne Beckhurst. The render had been stripped from the exterior during the 1970s and inside the walls were stained and the floor was covered in dated blue synthetic carpet.

However, Yvonne and her husband Nick Beckhurst – who were already confirmed Paddingtonians, having lived in the next street for eight years – saw a diamond in the rough. “I dreamt of preserving the front because I like a terrace to look like a terrace,” explains Yvonne. “We wanted to restore it, but also create a party-friendly contemporary space out the back.”

So they moved in, engaged a designer and builder and renovated without a hitch, right? Not quite.

“This place is unusual because it’s a freestanding terrace,” says Yvonne. “There are a lot of rules in terms of what you can and can’t do when it comes to the development application plans on terraces – those rules multiply tenfold on a freestanding house and also one like ours, which is in what’s called a timber pocket – we’re next door to one of the original timber houses in the area.”

Cue a long, protracted DA process. “We’d originally planned to renovate shortly after we moved in but life had other ideas,” says Yvonne. Finally, in September 2013, the Beckhursts received DA approval. “It took three sets of plans and 15 months at council to get the plans through but, with a great planner and heritage consultant, we got there eventually,” says Yvonne. “Thank God for wine!”

Work commenced in March 2014. The family moved into a rental for nine months while a major reconfiguration – involving a complete rebuild of the back half of the house, lowering this space by 900mm and construction of a garage and a new staircase – was undertaken. “Once the approval was in place, everything ran smoothly and the build went really well,” says Yvonne.

“Although, after all the delays, I could sometimes become a bit frustrated by long site meetings between the architect and builder to discuss the finer points of an angle of a wall!”

The meticulous planning, however, has been worth all the effort. The home has proven to be a serene oasis once the front door is shut on Sydney’s buzz outside. “It’s hard for me to pick a favourite part of the house,” says Yvonne. “Nick and I love to entertain and the sunshine-yellow Lacanche oven always makes me smile. I’m so glad we went with it even though we had our fears that it might look a bit ‘bumblebee’ against the dark cabinetry.” As a New Zealander, Yvonne says she’s also fond of the enclosed courtyard. “In New Zealand, we’re obsessed with sheltered spots and I love to sit here with a cup of tea and the papers, with my cat Zac at my feet while plotting the work I want to do on the garden.”

Clearly, the family has established roots here in the heart of the city. Despite the fact that the home isn’t huge, Yvonne says it has worked perfectly for their family. “It’s a very happy family home in a great location with a lovely community,” she says. “Lots of our friends live within a fifive-minute walk and have also decided to stay in the area as their families have grown. We make use of the space we have in the home and we love the fact that Centennial Park and Rushcutters Bay are within easy walking distance, too. This is home and we have no plans to go anywhere else anytime soon – and not just because we couldn’t face another planning process!” For information on builder PMD Build, visit pmdbuild.com.au. Find details on design consultants Meacham Nockles McQualter at meachamnocklesmcqualter.com.au.

It took three sets of plans and 15 months at council to get them through but, with a great planner and heritage consultant, we got there eventually YVONNE BECKHURST, OWNER