Removing a dilapidated lean-to and adding a quaint 50sqm extension to the back of an existing weatherboard dwelling, House K by Kart Projects houses a number of interconnected living spaces that manage to only increase the footprint of the home by just 30sqm.

The clients for the home were a couple and their two kids, who desired a single-storey home that would not intrude upon the existing garden. The extension devised by Kart aimed to bring space and a contemporary update to the home, without it drastically increasing the footprint. It has been intentionally set back from the northern boundary, which maximises the natural light within the home and additionally creates two living room aspects.

In order to remain congruent with the original dwelling, coffered ceiling volumes have been implemented within the addition. The coffered ceiling also helps to define spaces above each room, as well as offering a sense of spaciousness due to the heights of the ceiling. An intrusion in the form of a skylight has also been created, with an influx of natural light entering the space and bringing it deeper into the house.

A storage volume that houses a retractable TV, a day bed and other tech items serves as the heart of the new spaces. The day bed creates a connecting space in between the study and the new living area within the addition. Outside, the landscape and pool overlap one another similarly to the interior, creating a number of hybrid planting, swimming and gathering spaces. In another direct nod to the addition, the garden is accentuated by the pool, a long concrete bench and the vertical volume of the fireplace, which is reminiscent of the daybed and storage space.

Each section within the house features a differing textural and colour palette to individualise the spaces. The existing house has been divided into two distinct parts, the kids bedroom and study, and the main bedroom and ensuite, which are coloured with light and dark tonalities respectively. In comparison, the new spaces are far brighter and contain a number of exposed elements, including the terrazzo floor, plywood joinery and walls and two minimal black kitchen cabinets. The exterior of both new and existing is also clearly disparate, with the new featuring dark cladding and deep red as opposed to the white weatherboard of the old.

Slightly increasing the footprint to ensure the garden space has not been meddled with, Kart Projects have utilised their architectural expertise to update and extend an existing weatherboard house that smartly contrasts old and new between each space. The textures of the two volumes are clearly separate, in a way that harmoniously divides the private living quarters of the existing dwellings with the vibrant and contemporary rigour of the new.