Our clients came to us in August 2017 after purchasing the property which had been with the previous owners family since the house’s erection in 1911. The house had been the stage for multiple generations of family memories and become known in the area for socialite and larger- than life character Nora Ramsey better known to the locals as ‘Auntie T’ who had lived in the house for 75 years. Nora’s Granddaughter - Valda describes the house as “A very special place full of precious memories - where as a child we enjoyed watching the grown ups dancing under the verandah on a summer evening” 


Nora was known for having a good chat over a cup of tea. Friends used to come up the side of the house to the small window in the kitchen which became a somewhat social confessional and a place for a good local yarn.

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In 2017 the house was in pretty bad shape and needed more than a bit of love. Our clients were adamant about retaining the integrity of the existing house given its history and importance to the local community. 

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Therefore the existing weatherboard cottage was to be restored and celebrated with the existing floor plan remaining largely original.

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The brief from our clients was for a new extension containing living area, master bedroom and ensuite in addition to removing an existing lean-to erected in the 1980’s and replacing it with a similar programmatically loaded but contemporary addition of a bathroom and mud-room area. 
 


There were a couple of areas in which the house provided clues to draw out its full potential. These being small windows in the existing bathroom and living areas which framed small views of the surrounding hills and mountain ranges. These were used as primary formal drivers which resulted in the configuration of the project. 

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The existing kitchen was retained and celebrated as a the ‘heart of the house’ with the new extension being a literal extrusion of the kitchen pulled out towards the north-east and opened up with a glass end towards the view.
This new Living area volume is then cut to maximise the view towards the bushland reserve and beyond. Clad in vertical spotted gum timber boards - both externally and internally - the materiality of the space enhances the relationship with the surrounding heavy eucalyptus vegetated context.
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A black stained timber ceiling further enhances this relationship through the dialling up of contrast from interior to exterior - bringing the landscape into the house. 

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A series of 7 steps in total provide a physical reminder of the transition between old and new but also provides an embedded physiological relationship to the sites sectional condition as its falls away down the site. One begins to understand the site as a large whole though descending down the steps within the house which reveals an incredible framed view of the mountains beyond. 

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The master bedroom and ensuite volume are again situated down a further number of steps which creates an enriched relationship with the landscape. Still hovering but physically closer to the earth, creating a sense of the residual and retreat for sleeping. Purposeful darkening of the internal materiality provides an elevated sense of retreat and enhances a deeper connection with the landscape.