North Bondi House

The house was originally a single story face brick home, which was ‘cut in half’ to make two smaller residences. It is on a triangular corner site, and is nestled in between a unit block to the South, and large renovated two storey homes to the West. The owners loved the original character of the house, and were keen to retain this with the new proposal, but felt that the internal plan was disjointed, had no relationship to the paved outdoor area, and above all was very cold in Winter, with virtually no natural light entering the house. The existing plan had the bedrooms and bathrooms on the side facing the outdoor area, with the living area on the other side of the hallway. We swapped this to have an open plan living room opening out onto a new deck area. An added bonus through the design stage was adding a rumpus room, which was built to the boundary on two sides, and also leads out onto the new deck area. Two large light wells open into the roof, and natural light floods into the house through the skylights above. The automated skylights really help with airflow, and keeping the house cool in the Summer. Warm timber finishes, including cedar windows and doors have been used throughout, and are a low key inclusion into the existing fabric of the house. Photography by Sarah Braden