DREW HEATH

LEADING SYDNEY ARCHITECT AND BUILDER DREW HEATH BRINGS 25 YEARS OF EXPERTISE TO HIS NEW ROLE ON HOUSE RULES

THE CONTESTANTS ON the upcoming series of House Rules might wish they had done a bit of background reading on new judge Drew Heath. The architect and builder (pictured left) has pretty definite ideas on what works and what doesn’t work in a renovation – and getting the basics right, he believes, is the key.

“When I enter a room, the first thing I do is imagine it without anything in it,” says Drew. “If the contestants have done nothing to it, then there’s too much reliance on styling and not enough on manipulating the space.” Natural light is another big factor. “Everything is about light,” he says. “What I try to do is have rooms that open up to outdoor spaces – and with a bit of thinking, most rooms can.”

Drew always knew he was going to be an architect. “I was the classic Lego child,” he says. “Enrolling into architecture just seemed like the next logical step.” These days he works on much bigger new builds and renovations through his Sydney company, Drew

Heath Architects. A modernist, he leans towards materials such as concrete, timber, steel and glass. “For me, it’s the classic materials – natural stone beats any man-made product, anytime,” says Drew. “I once saw a piece of Carrara marble on the front of a pizza oven in Naples. The whole front was worn smooth in a big dish shape, where perhaps 20 million pizzas had been pushed in and out of the oven. To me, that was ageing, that was life, and that told a story.”

The narrative of things is important to Drew – those told by his clients in their brief, and that brought by the house and its site.

“I try and pick out where the building excels, and where it fails, and then address those things with the new work,” he says. “The most common thing that you will find is the kitchen and bathroom are in the wrong spot – they don’t open up to the backyard or garden, so the house needs to be turned around.”

Generally, he would rather renovate than detonate. “A lot of the time, a small intrusion into an existing house can fix it,” says Drew. “We are the caretakers of the materials, so I try not to waste them and keep as much in place as possible. Suck your pride in for a little bit, don’t detonate, and try and fix what’s there.”

Visit drewheatharchitect.com.

“Light and ventilation are two things humankind needs to exist,” says Drew, who likes to plan houses around a garden or courtyard. “I’m a strong believer in no airconditioning.” guiding light

JOB WELL DONE Drew recently completed the fit-out at Smith Made on Sydney’s north shore, including this striking crib wall made of roadside retaining pieces. “That was a lot of fun,” he says.

Keep your palette simple and consistent. “Materials can have stories and they’re better when they wear,” says Drew. “I only pick up a new material every couple of years.”