From the architect:

Although well-located in suburban Newtown; close to public transport, well-desired cafes, and public parks, this modest two-bedroom dwelling was quickly becoming cramped for the owners and their young daughter.

When planning for their second child, the owners contemplated a common conundrum - renovate or sell?

The home had been renovated by the previous owner, a builder who had reconfigured the second bedroom as an oversized bathroom, and nestled the master bedroom in the attic space, accessed only by a steep and narrow stair.

Given the opportunity to test options as the owners browsed property sales online, we looked at the spatial arrangement as a complex puzzle.

A successfully solving this puzzle required a contemporary and spacious first floor addition that unobtrusively sat above the existing ground floor and connected to the attic bedroom. Almost paradoxically, the addition would need to connect, while providing a clear separation between all elements, in keeping with appropriate heritage values.

A modest 3 square metre infill to the ground floor allowed for a restrained and delicate reconfiguration, to accommodate new contemporary stairs and a dining room in the centre of the house, taking advantage of a wide side access and skylights to flood the space with natural light.

On the first floor, a new light-filled hallway connects the existing attic bedroom with two new bedrooms and a modern bathroom, all orientated north to capture direct natural light, and distant tree views.

A new master bedroom to the rear is provided with a balcony to take advantage of a borrowed landscape, while providing privacy screening to, and from neighbouring properties.