Houzz Tour: An Architect's Home Gets More Space to Play With
An extension provided this architect with room for a master bedroom and a cleverly designed entryway
By opening it up to the outdoors and adding extra space with an extension, architect John Liu made his home in the Victorian suburb of Doncaster grow to suit the family that lives in it. Liu and his wife loved their original ’70s brick home, but they wanted to make it more contemporary and add more space to last them through the years as their kids grow older. The family now love spending time outdoors and enjoy the updated layout of their home.
The new extension also gave Liu the perfect opportunity to create a dramatic entry with a sense of approach and transition, storage space and a multi-purpose entry hall where the family often sit and enjoy the view to the garden.
“Because of my cultural heritage – born and raised in Taiwan, which was once a Japanese colony – we don’t wear shoes inside. The time spent taking shoes off as you enter a house and putting shoes on when you leave may seem trivial, but you realise you spend a lot of time at the entry other than just handling shoes. You greet guests, see they off and get the kids out of the door to go to childcare etc,” Liu says. This made him want to create more out of the entryway. The full-height blackbutt timber gate helps with this, providing security and a glimpse of what lies beyond.
Skylights: Fakro
“Because of my cultural heritage – born and raised in Taiwan, which was once a Japanese colony – we don’t wear shoes inside. The time spent taking shoes off as you enter a house and putting shoes on when you leave may seem trivial, but you realise you spend a lot of time at the entry other than just handling shoes. You greet guests, see they off and get the kids out of the door to go to childcare etc,” Liu says. This made him want to create more out of the entryway. The full-height blackbutt timber gate helps with this, providing security and a glimpse of what lies beyond.
Skylights: Fakro
It’s broken up into three sections, with a Japanese influence in the spatial hierarchy, the courtyard feel and the general sense of calmness. “The entry can often get overlooked in a house design. It’s common to see houses with entries that are narrow corridors or staircases. In apartments you often enter directly to the living room or kitchen,” says Liu.
Inside the gate is a covered courtyard with a skylight above the front door. The skylight draws light and attention to the front door from the darker space below a low-height ceiling.
Inside the gate is a covered courtyard with a skylight above the front door. The skylight draws light and attention to the front door from the darker space below a low-height ceiling.
Once inside the entry, the wall of operable doors and windows draw attention outside into the garden. This space is a link between the old house and the new master-bedroom extension.
A built-in bench seat and threshold provides additional space for storage along its length with pull-out drawers. The operable windows allow for a strong connection to the backyard area and cross-ventilation throughout the home.
Sustainable building strategies were important to this family. Working within their budget constraints, they opted for all the new windows to be
timber framed with double glazing. High-spec insulation was also installed (including upgrading the existing house), external wall finishes were made low maintenance, internal wall finishes are low-VOC paint, and original floorboards are kept and finished with low-VOC organic oil. Finally, solar-powered roof ventilators were installed to both old and new roofs, to regulate the temperature.
timber framed with double glazing. High-spec insulation was also installed (including upgrading the existing house), external wall finishes were made low maintenance, internal wall finishes are low-VOC paint, and original floorboards are kept and finished with low-VOC organic oil. Finally, solar-powered roof ventilators were installed to both old and new roofs, to regulate the temperature.
The existing lower floor’s concrete slab and retaining wall were retained for thermal mass, keeping downstairs cooling free in summer.
Landscape design: Peachy Green Garden Architects
Landscape design: Peachy Green Garden Architects
Seen here, the new master bedroom in the extension has a large window that frames a view of the garden and a narrower window (not shown) that frames a view to the footpath with a brick wall and creepers.
The bathroom, which was also added in the extension, is a timeless design that reflects the calmness of the entryway, with timber cabinets and concrete-look tiles.
Flooring and wall tiles: Signorino Tile Gallery; cabinet and benchtop: Polytec
Flooring and wall tiles: Signorino Tile Gallery; cabinet and benchtop: Polytec
In the existing house, the living room and dining room were retained. Liu describes their styles as a fusion, as he and his wife like to decorate with pieces they fall in love with rather than having everything match. “It’s a reflection of our personalities – we like to explore new things – and we don’t want to worry about matching them in the future. In general we like things that have a handcrafted feel – rough or matt finishes rather than polished and shiny,” says Liu.
Sofa: Freedom Furniture; armchair and coffee table: Curious Grace
Sofa: Freedom Furniture; armchair and coffee table: Curious Grace
The internal white-washed floor finish was chosen to help blend together the old and the new flooring. Liu also upgraded the heating from ducted to hydronic and says this was the most expensive update.
The original kitchen gained additional space by relocating the stairs leading to Liu’s ground-floor office, laundry facilities, bathroom and extra living room to the western side of the house. New appliances were also added to bring the kitchen up to date.
Round Elm table: MCM House; chairs: Curious Grace; painting: Sarah Brooke
Round Elm table: MCM House; chairs: Curious Grace; painting: Sarah Brooke
While it may have been easier to extend upwards, Liu and his family couldn’t be happier with their choice to extend at the front of the house. “Every time we sit at the entry hallway looking at the kids playing in the backyard, we are so glad that we persisted with the difficult option. It was so worth it!” says Liu.
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TELL US
What do you think of this home’s update? Let us know in the Comments section.
Who lives here: John Liu of Inbetween Architecture, his wife and their two young children
Location: Doncaster, Victoria
Size: 286 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom
In 2015, after five years of living in the original home, the family’s AU$300,000 renovation commenced. The extension included the master bedroom, bathroom and entry courtyard, while the rest of the home received new paint, sanding and new oil finishes on the floorboards and updates to the bathroom and kitchen. Liu worked with Seventy7 Projects to build the design.
Liu made the decision to add the extension to the front of the house, which is northeastern-facing. This was mainly due to the fact that he wanted to keep as much of the backyard as possible. However, this also meant he had to get council permission and neighbour approval, as regulation requires a minimum street setback of nine metres or an average of the dwellings on either side. “It was a slow process and nerve-racking. Had any of the parties rejected our proposal, we had to start from scratch,” says Liu. “But the results made it worthwhile.”
The external concrete render by Melbourne Acrylic Render was chosen to contrast with the existing painted brickwork.
Roofing: Colorbond