Brief: Re-connect a Federation cottage to its rear garden by transforming a dilapidated brick shed into an open plan light filled living space for a family of three to live and play surrounded by, and immersed in, their garden. Including a new kitchen, play room, study + DJ desk, lego area, laundry, bathroom, swimming pool and landscaping. Creating a sense of cool, privacy and escape in a dense suburban area.

Challenges: Massaging a large list of spatial requirements onto a small site while maintaining space for a lush garden, preserving and celebrating the heritage features of the original house. The site also has a great deal of solar exposure and a sewer pipe that runs beneath the site.

Solutions: Utilise the existing enclosed veranda to relocate bathroom and laundry, while creating a new garden pavilion to accommodate the kitchen and playroom with large sliding doors that open onto an indoor/outdoor entertaining area, shaded deck, cooling swimming pool and low-water use native planting. Bricks from the old shed are re-purposed for the new pavilion, retaining the layers of history of the site.

Highlights: Great clients and plenty of challenging constraints to overcome including budget and tightness of the site.