Mid-west Makeover

This 1940s cottage with a later top floor extension somewhat inelegantly perched on top had little to recommend it and in most hands, would have been a sure candidate for a knockdown/subdivide/rebuild.

Envirotecture was delighted to be approached by its new owners who didn’t want the home to go to waste—or end up with an uncomfortable, poorly performing volume built new house either. Instead they now enjoy a very comfortable and healthy home, substantially rearranged inside to suit modern living and fit for a new century.

The external geometry of the building was unchanged, which saved loads of time and money in council fees. However the inside was radically transformed. The existing kitchen, dining and living rooms were small separate spaces and a corridor wasted loads of space in an already small footprint. Now the homeowners enjoy open-plan living with a beautiful connection to outdoors, the staircase has been brilliantly reconfigured to provide for a full laundry (and wardrobe) underneath and the externally-accessed laundry has been brought inside the thermal envelope of the building and turned into a kitchen pantry. It’s a superb example of cleverly and creatively working within constraints.

Envirotecture’s interior designer quickly understood the couple’s wishes and preferences for a space that is connected to and inspired by the outdoors, which facilitates easeful routines and requires little maintenance. Consistent colours and finishes flow from the all-electric kitchen to the outdoor living area, connected via a gas strut window. Warm rich textures are created through tiled benchtops and timber features. The home is modestly sized at 120m2, so custom joinery made the most of every storage opportunity.

The house now functions as well as it looks too. As wall linings were removed, it was straightforward to install wall insulation between the studs. A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery ensures fresh, clean air all year round. The home stands on piers, so underneath the house was insulated and wrapped to prevent wind washing degrading performance. Locally assembled uPVC double-glazed windows will be maintenance free (and free of condensation). The home was reclad in two contrasting cladding products, both sustainably sourced and not chemically treated.

These clients did not seek Passivhaus certification but as is usual for our practice, the design was modelled in PHPP to give the architects confidence in how the home would perform from the point of view of health, comfort and energy efficiency.

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