Raising the roof
When Sam and Sarah bought a corner block of almost 800m2 in a northeastern suburb of Perth, it was with an eye to develop. They planned to demolish the tired house on the site and sub divide for a duplex, but when their partner in that building venture pulled out, they looked at the situation afresh. “We decided to sell the other half of the block and have fun with the construction of our own home,” says Sam.
In October 2016, they presented building designer Janik Dalecki with a brief for a mixed material palette, strong on feature face bricks and timber cladding. They also requested their house to be designed around a pool and outdoor entertaining space, with an easy connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces. “Additionally, passive-solar design was a large must-have,” says Sarah. “We wanted to expose the internal spaces to as much northern light as possible.”
Janik responded with a clever concept for a doublestorey, four-bedroom home wrapping round a courtyard, informed by the limitations of the square-shaped site. “It wasn’t quite long enough to have the living zones in one run, but too wide to run only two rooms wide,” he explains. “This is where the U-shaped design and central courtyard came from.”
The approval stage was fairly straightforward, requiring only a little “gentle persuasion” in negotiations with council and neighbours. The build itself also ran smoothly, thanks in part to the close working relationship
between Dalecki Design and construction firm Limitless Building. With constant feedback between them and the owners, the nine-month project delivered tailor-made living for the couple and their four-year-old daughter, Mya.
Stepping through the door, there’s a garage to one side and main bedroom suite to the other. The rear consists of a kitchen, living and dining space on the western side of the courtyard, with a laundry and storage to the east. Upstairs are three bedrooms and a bathroom, plus a second living area with a landscaped roof terrace.
Throughout the house, the decor is quite dark and moody in tone, taking its cues from the black brickwork, exposed steel and concrete surfaces. “At night it’s perfect for sitting back and relaxing,” says Sarah. “By day the space is still moody, but much lighter, brighter and energetic. We love the unique character of our home. The materials feel ‘raw’ but also quite warm and cosy.”
Favourite details range from the seamless inside-out links right down to the family’s built-in coffee machine. “A lot of people comment on our burnished concrete floor, so we’re very happy with that decision, too,” says Sarah. “And the pool, of course!”
Dalecki Design, Inglewood, WA; 0410 100 096 or daleckidesign.com.au. Limitless Building, Landsdale, WA; (08) 6401 6346 or limitlessbuilding.com.au.