Design workshop revisited: Great new layout unlocked

Past Design Workshop participants Steph and Matt have now finished their renovation, and their home is looking terrific and performing so much better.

When experienced renovators Steph Rich and Matt Piper came to Sanctuary for some design advice for their newly purchased 1950s brick veneer home in the Melbourne suburb of Reservoir, they were keen to improve the functional layout of the house without extending it. “The back of the house faces north, and we’re looking to do a modest renovation so that the house is directly connected to some decking and then to the garden,” said Steph back then. “We also want to put in a natural pool.”

In issue 69’s Design Workshop, architect Jeremy Wells of Tochi Workshop put his mind to a design for the young couple. He suggested retaining two of the existing bedrooms in their existing locations, relocating the living space to the north-facing rear along with a new kitchen and dining area, and turning the front room into a new main bedroom with ensuite. The main bathroom and laundry were to be moved away from the northern side, and corridors eliminated to make better use of the footprint.

Steph says that realising how easy it was to move internal doors while keeping the walls in the same places was a lightbulb moment. Jeremy used this approach to great effect, allowing the central corridor to be absorbed into the new kitchen and streamlining the floor plan.

Fast forward a couple of years and Matt and Steph have now completed their renovation project, sticking very closely to Jeremy’s design. “We didn’t want to spend a lot,” says Matt. “Jeremy’s design was really practical, and completely achievable on our budget. Keeping all the works under the existing roofline really helped keep costs down.”

The couple did make some small tweaks. They reduced the size of the windows in all three south-facing rooms, after weighing up the thermal benefit versus the cost of changing the openings. “It meant the rooms were easier to furnish, too,” explains Steph. They also made the ensuite smaller and shifted it a little to the south to avoid altering a load-bearing existing wall. And there’s a small change to the design of the laundry and toilet, and the connection between the entryway and the kitchen/living area.

“Working with an older house can be difficult, because there are so many unknowns,” says Steph. “You never know what you’re going to find when you start taking down plaster and so on.” Luckily, their house didn’t throw up too many issues, and the renovation was completed in six months, during which time the couple lived in a caravan in their backyard. The only extension was the building in of the tiny back porch to enlarge the new lounge just a little. New high-performing double glazing along the northern facade floods the study, kitchen and living area with light and winter sun, and sliding doors open onto a big, partially roofed deck.

Both Steph and Matt are so pleased with the outcome of their project. “I spend a lot of time in the kitchen as I enjoy cooking, and I love that it’s so easy to chat with visitors now,” Steph says. “And the beautiful natural light coming in is so lovely.” Matt appreciates the improved connection to the backyard, where they are working on establishing a native garden and planning for their natural pool. “I’m very happy that we didn’t add a whole new room to get the northern sun,” he says. “Just rejigging the layout was so much more efficient.”

“The advice we got from Jeremy through the Design Workshop process was so helpful,” Steph says. “We didn’t really need or want a full architectural service, just a concept design. It can be hard to find professionals that offer this, but we’d definitely recommend this approach to other homeowners on a tight budget who are happy to do the project managing themselves.”