Introduction to our Rowville Renovation Case Study

Introduction To Our Private Case Study

Welcome to the beginning of our new blog series on our private project. We will be going through our design & renovation process.

Last year at the cusp of the property market downturn here in Melbourne, we began our search for our third private project at HX. It was back to the slow (and often disappointing) gruel of Saturdays spent searching for that elusive property.

Being a private purchase, the aim from the outset for this one was to acquire an established dwelling and renovate or extend to suit our living needs. As this one was not a development project, we had the luxury of selecting a suburb based on lifestyle aswell as affordability.

So, welcome to the beginning of our new blog series on the project. We will be going through our design and renovation process in the hopes that it will lend a different perspective (architects renovating for themselves) and provide some ideas and insight for your own project.

Outside of pretty pictures, we want to share some of the data that matters such as costs, specifications and resolving issues.

CLICK BELOW TO OUR ROOM BY ROOM POSTS FOR BEFORE & AFTER SHOTS

BEDROOMS, LAUNDRY, BATHROOM

THE SEARCH IS OVER

Dogged persistence in our search paid off in the form of a single storey brick dwelling in Rowville. We enjoy quiet, space and the outdoors. The location kept within close proximity to the Dandenong ranges and easy access to major arterials and activity centers, providing for us the best of both worlds.

The property currently hosts a typical 195m2, single storey brick and timber frame house built in the 1980s. The original layout presented an excellent opportunity as a renovation project as it could be easily customized for our lifestyle.

The style of the home is typical within the neighborhood streetscape. It’s characterized by its distinctive triple fronted gable facade with double garage set in front running perpendicular to the street. We sought to preserve & restore the external features of the home & largely focused on modernizing the outdated layout & interiors.

The existing dwelling consists of a master suite, study & lounge to the south facing the street and a formal dining, bath, laundry & powder along the west facing the side accessway. A beautiful light filled courtyard to the east is etched out of the plan connected to a small L-shaped open living area in the center. Adjoining the living & kitchen to the rear are two additional bedrooms which abut a lovely north facing grassed back yard.

The Brief & Redesigning the Layout

The core of our brief was to future proof the house to accommodate additional family members, have plenty of space for entertaining and to introduce a home office area.

The existing layout although was generous in size, had too many rooms and did not capitalize on the northern aspect in its living areas. The two bedrooms to the rear prevented any north light penetrating the living room & also restricted an indoor / outdoor connection with the abundant green space to the east and backyard.

There was no need to adjust external walls or extend as the existing footprint was ample to fulfill the brief.

To the rear, we removed the 2 bedrooms effectively doubling the size of the open planned living area. It also allowed us to add a large sliding door to the rear of the house which created a direct link from the living area to the backyard.

As a result, the open living is now north orientated and benefits from natural daylighting throughout the year. The once small L-shaped living / kitchen area was completely transformed into an open, airy, light filled space ready for entertaining .

To increase sound and thermal insulation, the existing rotten timber windows were largely replaced with double glazed aluminum equivalents. Skylights were a welcome addition to the cathedral ceiling in the front lounge, remedying the lack of natural light to the space. We also extended the living & dining area by adding an expansive timber deck, complete with raised planter boxes, bench seating & pergola for shading. Evergreen creeper vines were planted to the vertical columns of the open pergola to shade any harsh low western sun throughout the year.

A final consideration was to clearly define the front part of the house as a home office, with a dedicated presentation / meeting space, powder room, materials library, bookcase & built-in work bench. The cathedral ceiling to the front & courtyard to the center were unique features of the house we wanted to showcase. Therefore, it made sense to convert the front lounge into the office as it meant guests wouldn’t need to trek past the private living quarters. It also afforded a view to the street while the office was in use. To completely divide the house into two zones, the formal dining room was walled up and re-purpose into a bedroom which would be accessed from the western side of the house.

Existing Photos

We will end this introduction post with some existing shots of the property. Stay tuned to our next few posts which will look at each renovated space. We will include some information on costs, specifications and of course photos of the completed product.