Grow Your Wealth | Zammi Rohan

Refurbishment of houses into commercial premises is common practice in regional areas, however it is usually poorly executed. A complete overhaul can be costly and time consuming. The down time can have a significant impact on the business owner so it is important for these projects to be completed quickly. This project, although modest in size provides a clever solution to this common scenario. The result is a simple, affordable transformation that retains the bones of the existing, while providing a unique, iconic building through the use of standard materials. The Grow Your Wealth building is a refurbishment of an existing 1970’s two-storey weatherboard home. It is located on Thuringowa Drive – a major arterial road in suburban Townsville. The precinct has transitioned from a predominantly residential area to a commercial hub in recent times following the introduction of a large shopping centre and entertainment precinct within close proximity. A common approach for new businesses entering this precinct is to purchase an existing house and refurbish it for commercial use. Typically the refurbishments consist of a coat of paint, signage and in some instance a new entry statement. However these ad-hoc solutions are often poorly considered and still resemble a house. For this project the client was keen to retain as much of the existing house as possible to minimise the project cost and also being conscious of sustainability – to reuse and recycle instead of demolish and start from scratch. We were fully supportive of this approach. Out task was to transform a small house with many recognisable residential qualities into a modern, iconic commercial premise that reflected the professionalism of the Grow Your Wealth company (financial planners, accountants, stock brokers). Working within the constraints of the existing building coupled with a modest budget was quite challenging. The process involved a detailed assessment of what makes the existing building look like a house and an exploration of affordable design solutions to achieve the transformation.