The original terrace (semi-attached) was dark, cold and damp.  The northern boundary was built out with the neighbours 2 storey home, limiting access to sunlight.  The southern boundary is a 4 storey unit block which overlooked the original living area and courtyards.  The street to the west allowed too much hot western sun.  To the east a neighbour’s treed backyard provides a private borrowed outlook.

The newly renovated home steps in from its original footprint, increasing size and amenity for courtyard spaces.  The new living spaces are richer for the borrowed space, and flood with daylight from the north through new setbacks and an internal lightwell.

The new construction wraps the existing brickwork where it remains: to reduce leaks and improve insulation.  New doors and windows are high performing to allow a lot of light and natural ventilation without compromising thermal comfort.  A heat recovery mechanical ventilation system for the whole home allows the home to stay more comfortable in more extreme weather events – retaining heat when cold outside, and keeping it’s cool when hot out.

The original basement was tiny and cramped. This has been expanded to create a comfortable useable addition to the home.

Bedrooms to the upper level make the most of borrowed views, and include privacy protection from the adjoining unit block with a landscaped arbour.  The arbour is progressively becoming a green wall as the courtyard and green roof plantings take hold.

The original home may have achieved 1 star thermal comfort – and the renovation was approved only requiring it to achieve 3 stars.  However, the design achieves 7 stars – providing a dramatically improved thermal comfort.

Systems being installed in the home include :

• substantial rain water tanks (10,000l) with whole of house filtration,
• solar hot water (heat pump) with instant hot water at the most remote bathrooms to reduce water waste.
• solar PV system with battery and car charging
• whole of house mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
• air conditioning to a refuge in the home (refuge being: a more protected home in the home in which to shelter in more extreme weather events whether they be heat wave, cold snap, strong winds and storms)  While not a guaranteed ”bunker” – this concept allows the owners to understand and tailor their life in the home to suit the seasons.
• ethanol fireplace tucked into a benchseat, for when it is needed.
• and so on

The garage to the home is fitted with garage doors and gates to front and rear – so that the garage (which is often the largest room in a home) can function as more than car storage – with the space linking the entry to the central home courtyard.  This space is wrapped with the landscape arbour and links almost every room of the home.