Singular beauty

A tired worker’s cottage becomes the perfect home for one, writes Catherine Nikas-Boulos

When the owner of a quaint cottage in Melbourne invited Gardiner Architects to work on her property, her brief seemed relatively simple for her single storey home.

“Anna’s brief differed to most residential projects we had worked on, because the house was just for her,” says Paul Gardiner. There was no direction to add another storey, as is usual in Paul’s line of work, but just to renovate the house to make it work for Anna, the homeowner.

Like many of us now, Anna often works from home, so an inviting office was an important part of the redesign.

The cottage already had two bedrooms and a single bathroom, and although Anna wasn’t interested in an ensuite, she did want comfortable sized living areas and a garden space, irrespective of the tight 195sqm site they had to work with.

The original front section of the worker’s cottage included the two bedrooms, a hall and lounge, while the rear of the property was a rundown lean-to.

“It was small, dark and pokey with low ceilings and no insulation,” says Paul. “It was hot in summer and freezing in winter.

“The other problem with the house was that it had no connection to the outside.”

Working with Sustainable Homes Melbourne, Paul says the team had to find ways to transform the property into a “considered, practical and comfortable home”, with space efficient design methods.

“We decided it was best to retain the more solid, heritage section of the house to the front, fixing it up as needed while removing the substandard back section,” says Paul.

Anna felt strongly about having the front of the house restored to match the period features of the adjacent terraces, so the teams removed the 1970s concrete porch and returned a timber deck and bullnose roof.

Repairs to the worn out

weatherboards were also needed.

“The front porch is much more inviting to sit out on and connect with neighbours. We saw repairing the old house — rather than making a whole new architectural statement — as respectful of what is already there on the street,” Paul says.

Anna was also wanted to incorporate passive solar design in the renovation to catch northern light.

“We sought to ensure the design did everything it could to positively impact the immediate environment and surrounding neighbourhood,” he says.

Ultimately, the period house was transformed into a comfortable and light-filled home with great connection to the outdoor spaces.

Walking through the home from the front entry, the two bedrooms and hallway have been retained, while what was an awkward walk-through living space has been transformed into the bathroom and study.

The corridor that connects the old and new sections of the house has a separate toilet, a laundry and a whole lot of storage coming off each side.

Paul says doubling up a corridor with service areas is a space saving technique that assists with the efficient use of space in small footprint homes. More: gardinerarch.com.au

Photos: Tess Kelly

Owner Anna wanted the original features to be retained, including the arch in the hallway. The new work (bottom) opens the house directly onto the garden.

Every last centimetre has been considered with storage included wherever possible (right)

Timber framing and brick paving adds instant warmth to the new work (below).

The compact bathroom feels luxurious thanks to access to natural light and floor-to-ceiling tiling. Storage, including a recessed shelf and vanity, make it practical as well, (below).

A traditional four-panelled door leads into the main bedroom. A radiator and carpet keep the cold away.

The streamlined kitchen has an easy connection to the garden. Timber shelving and a timber framed window add a naturally warm element, (right).