Watch this heritage house transformation
What are the requirements for you to tick the boxes for your dream home? This project is easily my favourite by far as it has many boxes to tick and a lot of challenges to overcome. In this post I will share the story of this heritage extension project and how I overcome the obstacles using a holistic approach of Feng Shui Psychology.
So a little back story, client purchased this beautiful heritage home at the end of 2021, having the objective of making this a family home for at least the next 10 years as they just have their first born. (super cute baby.) This house was build in 1906, just like any other heritage houses, this house has solid stone walls on the exterior all around the property. The blue stone façade and tall chimneys are especially precious and protected under the heritage act in South Australia. The symmetrical design and wrapped around verandah are also the signature characters of its time. We are also blessed to find the original architecture drawings from the 1906, the craftsmanship and the story it tells is extraordinary and priceless.
The original architecture elevation and section drawings that shows the structure of the roof.
The original architecture floor plan drawings that shows the property has done an extension already prior to our client's purchase.
The house is beautifully preserved and looking at the plans you could see when the client bought the property it has already been modified with an extension, and judging by the look at the state of the interior, it is very likely been done in the 60s - 80s.
The added extension at the back where the kitchen was.
Beautiful leafy frontage of the house.
The original blue stone that is well preserved, however the family room extension does not align the style or complement the original blue stone.
Although the house is beautifully preserved and already have an extension added, it does not fit in the client's taste or the function they need it to be. The flow of the house does not align with the current lifestyle of this young family of 3, their dream is to have a open plan living kitchen and dining with the garden view. They also need more rooms for the in-laws when they come to visit, and with work needs, a spacious home office is a must. Comparing to the original 1906 architecture floor plan we can also know that the family room next to the home office is a product of the extension and not original. However the family room extension does not align the style or complement the original blue stone. Let's have a look at our obstacles and objectives in lists.
The front part of the house is untouchable because heritage listed houses are protected under the heritage act.
We have another case study posted the other day: 3 things that gives instant value change to this property. That we learnt the front of the heritage house is often always untouchable, due to the fact we need to protect the historical character of the house and the stone walls are very hard and expensive to remove, so we avoiding demolish stone walls if possible to keep cost down.
The number of bedroom is slightly less then what the client's expectation.
For our client's needs to make this heritage house a family home for their new born and the need to properly work from home, 3 bedrooms are not quite enough for them, on top of the considerations of when the in-laws coming to visit.
The Family room extension that was added does not align or complement the blue stone next to it.
The add on is a direct link to the front and is disturbing the character of the original façade, you can see from the picture above that the family room is a direct link and two different types of stones, We try to respect the original whenever possible.
The kitchen is at the back and far away from the family room.
Our client has a solid vision of having open plan kitchen living and dining, and looking towards the garden would be the icing on the cake, and as they entertain, they could overlook if the kids are playing at the pool area.
What's changed in the new plan?
The 2 front rooms remains the same, however, rooms with fireplaces are hard to use, we turned the original master and turn into a formal seating room before entering to the family room.
All rooms has equal distance to the main bathroom, main bathroom is designed in 3 ways so multiple people can use it at the same time, this is a important adding points when it comes to market appraisal, as three way bathroom add value to the property.
New master bedroom has huge walk-in wardrobe and a cosy seating nook by the window, toilet in ensuite can be used separately , with the same concept of value adding and more comfortable life style.
Ample kitchen space with large walk-in pantry is a dream, added powder room near the back door allows when entertain outside and pool they can assess toilet easily.
What do you think of the transformation? Would you live inside this house with your family?
My name is Chia Yun, or as known as Rachel. I am an award winning interior designer based is Sydney/ Adelaide Australia. Make sure you follow me on Instagram to see my latest work and design trend. Follow me on my YouTube channel to get some Feng Shui Psychology master class.
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