This renovation and extension of an 1890’s weatherboard house in Hawthorn aims to accommodate the needs of a growing family within the confines of a tiny suburban site.

A new north facing living space is located to facilitate a direct connection to both rear and front gardens, maximising the potential for outdoor living and play. Additional rooms are accommodated within a two storey volume designed to both minimise the building footprint and maximise garden space; this volume is manipulated to respond to site conditions and neighbouring properties which are in close proximity. Intended to be experienced as a continuation of the history of the home, additions are clad in white weatherboards and corrugated sheet roofing, as the original house is metaphorically stretched to envelop new spaces.

Photography by Brendan Finn