Mouse House

Brisbane

Family home for 5

 

 

 

About

Situated on a small lot in Bardon, this challenging project involved renovating & extending a two-bedroom worker's cottage on a gulley block to accommodate a family with three young children. Particularly  challenging was instilling a social framework in the design where the site constraints dictated a stacked solution.

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Resolution 

To address the space requirements, a split-level three-story extension was added to the rear of the existing house. It includes living spaces on the mid-level, a family room on the lower level, & a parents' retreat on the upper level. The existing two-bedroom dwelling was redesigned to accommodate the children's bedrooms & bathroom. An internal stair connects the old & new sections, providing sight lines through the house, integrating both family & space.

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Climate

The well-shaded open-plan extension on the western edge of the building, along with the heat chimney effect created by the three-storey stair void, has significantly improved the climatic performance of the original house.

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Outcome

The success of this design resolution is evident in the ongoing satisfaction of the family, with a social framework that has managed well the transition from small children to teenagers. Further commissions in the same street have been subsequently received.