Presenting quietly on a sleepy street in the coastal township of Queenscliff, this simple existing cottage with a heritage overlay has been altered and extended to create a flexible, comfortable, beach retreat for a family with older teenage children.
The existing cottage faces north to the street, and has been reconfigured to accommodate four bedrooms and two bathrooms. A separate powder room and laundry allows a second entry for beach day access. Many of the existing window openings were altered and replaced with generous hinged doors to encourage cross ventilation across these spaces. These doors also encourage new relationships with landscape interventions which run around the perimeter of the site.
A contemporary timber clad extension reaches into the rear garden, wrapping the kitchen, dining and separate living area around a courtyard. The sheltered courtyard extends the potential program of the house, providing a sheltered external dining space, and a clear definition of the original house from the new. Large sliding glass doors face into the courtyard from the kitchen and living areas, filtering the rooms with natural light and encouraging a relaxed and informal connection between the interior and exterior.
High ceilings from the existing cottage are referenced in parts of the contemporary extension, with larger volumes evident in living and dining areas. A more intimate kitchen space acts as a new link between the cottage and emphasises the generosity of the higher living volumes.
Balancing the need for separate activities while allowing generous entertaining spaces was important to the client’s brief. This was a key driver for the separation of the living area from the kitchen and dining spaces. A double-sided fire place and bookshelf unit assists with this separation, allowing some family members to be happily watching movies or listening to music, whilst others are cooking or reading in the room adjacent. Two large hinged doors offer the flexibility for these spaces to open up when extended family and friends come to stay.
Clean, simple lines, with calming whites and soft greys make up the interior finishes palette. Timber accents from the exterior cladding are echoed throughout the joinery in the kitchen, bathrooms and living areas. Hints of green appear in select areas to reference the house’s existing 1940’s kitchen.
Who are the clients and what's interesting about them?
The clients are from Melbourne and have older children who visit regularly, as do their friends. The main purpose of this residence is as a beach house, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The clients have Italian heritage, and with that share strong family values and a love of food, wine and entertaining. Their large extended family love coming to stay and make full use the kitchen and dining areas.
What was the brief?
o Cosy house with space to allow family to extend in a manner which cannot be done in permanent house
o Connection to garden
o External areas with access to sunlight that allow different groups to sit and relax
o Space for adults separate to children, but capacity for family to be together comfortably
o Relaxed and open
o Generous but not excessive
How is the project unique?
The heritage overlay encouraged the use of the existing structure which was humble but had good bones. Not so Shabby Shack is a simple, relaxed calming residence, which connects strongly to the surrounding landscape through the use of natural timbers and large floor to ceiling windows and doors. Its flexible nature means it can cater comfortably for immediate family, or open up for entertaining purposes.
What were the key challenges?
Navigating the town planning process in a heritage streetscape presented some key design guidelines, and also lead to a more extensive consultation process with some neighbours. Intervening with the existing dwelling also made for some unexpected challenges on site. Due to the restriction of the total site coverage we were required to design the new works to sit discretely behind the main gable of the existing house. Once alterations began and the house was re-stumped, like many old cottages, it became evident that the existing fabric such as plaster on walls and roof cladding required additional work and expense.
What building methods were used?
Timber framed light weight construction with low pitched roofs which appear to be flat from ground level. Generous interior volumes, but restrained footprint, provided an economic means of construction.
What are the sustainability features?
o Upgrade of existing dwelling prior to renovation which was uninsulated with rotting window frames, single glazed windows which were leaky, draughty and cold
o The proposed works energy rating was much higher than the existing rating
o Zoned areas for heating control
o Wood fire heating to reduce electricity consumption
o Cross ventilation principles for natural cooling in summer
o Double glazed windows and doors throughout
o Maximising northern light to front bedrooms, living and dining areas
o Courtyard forms setback to maximise areas to northern light and shelter from cold south westerlies
