Terracotta House | Austin Maynard Architects
Australia / 2020
9
Living in bustling, vibrant, bohemian Fitzroy, our client asked us to help her with a tree-change, without changing postcode. Her priority was to have a big veggie garden and a farm house, while remaining in the city. With our help, she found an inner suburban cottage with a huge backyard in a community-spirited enclave. We built a new home for her at the rear of the block and renovated the original house at the front for her son’s family to live in. Between the two cottages there is a large productive garden and a communal pavilion. With the subtle mix of shared and private spaces, this is a multi-generational home like no other.
Terracotta House is, essentially, a communal-living family ‘compound' - akin to a village square, with the owner and her son’s family living individually in homes on a shared block.
As an architecture practice we always aim to maximise space, relate internal spaces to the garden, embrace the street and make the most of laneways. The site that Belinda purchased offered potential to achieve all of these ideas and more.
The original house, facing the street, has a northern orientation and with a thoughtful internal renovation and some maintenance, the home’s character was retained and enhanced. A timber clad Victorian workers cottage, the home was internally re-arranged, moving the living zones (kitchen/dining/living) from the rear of the house to the front - looking out onto the street and front garden and facing the sun. Walls were removed and a new kitchen and bathroom installed, creating a simplified circulation. Though the front garden and verandah didn’t change in form too greatly, it changed in function - rather that purely ornamental it’s now a productive, working and recreational space that connects to the life on this friendly, community-rich street. The two bedrooms and the bathroom are now located in the rear of the home, a quieter and more private location.
Along the central western boundary is the shared pavilion. A demilitarised zone with laundry and toilet which functions as a library, guest room, writer’s studio, music room and general social/entertaining space.
At the back of the block with independent access to the rear laneway, is Terracotta House itself. Not your average granny flat, it is architectural, highly detailed and beautiful, built largely from terracotta tiles - a nod to the owner’s love of gardening. Built boundary to boundary to maximum northern light, it comprises of living room, kitchen/ dining, bathroom and study/guest room on the ground floor and main bedroom and ensuite upstairs.
Terracotta House embraces multigenerational living, but with a twist. Where typically a young family seek to accomodate and care for their retired parents, here it is the parent, Belinda, who is helping her son and his wife; allowing them the opportunity to live in a house in a vibrant inner-city Melbourne suburb, close to their work, they would otherwise be unable to afford.
Site area: 453m2
House area: 255m2 - comprising front cottage, 108m2; Pavilion, 41m2; Terracotta House, 106m2
Completion date
November 2020
Austin Maynard Architects project team
Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin
Builder
Terracotta House & the Library: Spence Construction
Renovation to the Original House: Sargant Construction
Engineer
OPS Engineers
Building surveyor
Code Compliance
Photographer
Derek Swalwell
Traditional land owners
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of The Coolum Nation
MATERIALS & SPECIFICATIONS
1. TERRACOTTA HOUSE
EXTERNAL FINISHES
Roofing: Monier Nullabor Terracotta Roof Tiles
Lysaght Kliplock Roofing in monument finish
External Wall Cladding: Recycled Cream Bricks
Silvertop Ash ‘V’ Jointed Timber Lining boards: Cutek CD50 oil finish Monier Nullabor Terracotta Roof Tiles
Locker Group Perforated Steel Sheet in black powder coat finish
Paving: Chadford Limestone Pavers supplied by Eco Outdoors
INTERNAL FINISHES
Timber Flooring: Solid Victorian Ash t&g timber flooring with Bona traffic natural finish
Concrete Flooring: Ground & sealed ’Salt & Pepper’ finish to structural concrete slab
Carpet: Pure Wool broadloom from EC Group. Colour; Eighty Five 0085
Floor Tiles 1: Italia Grigio Tile from Tiento Tiles, in Italia Esco finish
Wall tile 1: Living Ceramics Cava from Tiento Tiles. Colour; Green (Plain)
Wall tile 2: Living Ceramics Cava from Tiento Tiles. Colour; White (Plain)
Wall tile 3: Living Ceramics Cava 13 PC 11 from Tiento Tiles. Colour; Green
Wall tile 4: Johnson Tiles. Colour; Neutral White
Paint colours: Dulux Lexicon White, Dulux Charcoal,
Dulux Green colour matched to the green cava tiles, Dulux Black
Built in shelves & joinery: Messmate solid timber with laminate doors & drawer fronts; Bayleaf
Wallpaper Design: Pandanus, colour Eucalypt supplied by Willie Weston
LIGHTING
Tullyspot Wall light, supplied by Masson For Light
Archie Wall Light, supplied by About Space
Linear 2 Indoor Wall light, supplied by About Space
D900 SHX Curve LED downlight supplied by Bright Green
ROMI 600 ADJ Outdoor wall light supplied by About Space
Marquee Pendant supplied by About Space
LED ZO Garden spike supplied by About Space
2BY2 Custom 25SQ Nat LED pendant, supplied by About Space
Magus Magnetic LED track supplied by About Space
KINKE IP65 External Pendant light supplied by About Space
BENZ indoor wall, brass supplied by About Space
GOSSA indoor wall 200, white supplied by About Space
GOSSA Indoor wall 200, Silk brass, supplied by About Space
Monolith concrete wall light, Dark grey, supplied by About Space
Eton Outdoor IP54, Black supplied by About Space
KITCHEN
Benchtop: Solid Timber Silvertop Ash with clear seal finish.
Pull out bin: Hafele Hailo Euro-Cargo ST45
Kitchen mixer tap: Methven Futura pull out mixer
Sink: Barazza B-Open small sink 1LB061
Oven/cooktop: 900mm freestanding oven Westinghouse WFE914SB
Rangehood: Heritage 900HL-1 supplied by Qasair
Fridge/Freezer: 450L fridge by Westinghouse
Integrated dishwasher: Semi-integrated dishwasher by Bosch SMI66MS01A
Handles: Supplied by Designer Doorware
LAUNDRY
Benchtop: Laminate surface by Laminex. Colour: Bayleaf
Washing machine: Bosch
BATHROOM
Benchtop: Blackbutt solid timber
Basin: Caroma Luna shelf wall basin
Basin taps/mixer: Brodware Manhattan basin mixer
Bath: Kado Lux Bath Pressed Steel 1700mm, supplied by Reece.
Bath spout mixer: Mizu Drift, supplied by Reece
Shower Grohe Tempesta Cosmo Twin
Shower mixer: Mizu Drift shower mixer, Reece
Toilet: Caroma Urbane Invisi WF
ENSUITE
Benchtop: Blackbutt solid timber
Drawer fronts: Laminate. Colour, Bayleaf
Basin: Caroma Urbane semi recessed.
Basin taps/mixer: Brodware Manhattan basin mixer
Bath Kado Lux 1700, Reece
Bath spout: Mizu Drift, Reece
Bath taps: Posh Solus Wall top Assy
Shower Grohe Tempesta Cosmo Twin
Shower mixer: Mizu Drift shower mixer, Reece
Toilet: Caroma Urbane.
OTHER
Solar: 6KW PV System
Water tank: 2x 2000lt colorbond steel slimline water tank
Air conditioning unit: Daikin Super Multi Plus
FURNITURE AND ARTWORK
Modular Sofa/Couch: Souffle modular sofa by Foolscap Studios
http://foolscapstudio.com.au/work/souffle/
MATERIALS & SPECIFICATIONS
2. ORIGINAL COTTAGE (RENOVATION)
KITCHEN
Oven/cooktop: 900mm freestanding oven Westinghouse WFE914SB
Integrated dishwasher: Semi-integrated dishwasher by Bosch SMI66MS01A
Sink: Abey double
Tap: Ikea BOSJÖN mixer tap
BATHROOM
Bath: Kado Lux 1700, supplied by Reece
Bath tap: Posh Solus Wall top Assy
Bath spout: Mizu Drift, Reece
Bathroom basin: Ikea Godmorgon vanity with Odensvik basin
Basin tap: Mizu Bliss basin mixer
Shower: Posh Solus Wall top Assy
Mixer tap: Mizu Bliss
Toilet: Caroma Opal
9 users love this project
Enlarge image
Living in bustling, vibrant, bohemian Fitzroy, our client asked us to help her with a tree-change, without changing postcode. Her priority was to have a big veggie garden and a farm house, while remaining in the city. With our help, she found an inner suburban cottage with a huge backyard in a community-spirited enclave. We built a new home for her at the rear of the block and renovated the original house at the front for her son’s family to live in. Between the two cottages there is a...
- Year 2020
- Work finished in 2020
- Status Completed works
- Type Single-family residence / Interior Design / Building Recovery and Renewal
comment