With three of our projects currently
under construction, we certainly have our hands full at the moment. We thought we’d share a little of each
project’s journey so far, as each project is quite unique and is at a different
stage in the build.
Project 1 – “Mid-Century Renewal” (Blackburn)
Construction started on this project
back in December 2015. The project scope
is effectively an extension to the existing home, including a basement and
carport with a few internal tweaks here and there, like all new bathrooms,
kitchen and laundry, a new studio / retreat in the backyard and a swim spa plus
associated landscaping ! Phew, I’m
exhausted just explaining it !
Lucky for these clients, the
project was up and out of the ground before winter, which means it hasn’t been
substantially effected by rain (unlike some others …)
Currently, the interior of the
home and studio are being plastered in readiness for kitchen joinery to be
installed in the next week or two. The
windows for this renovation have been pretty tricky, because as you can see
from the photos, the windows follow the line of the ceiling / roofline and
therefore need to be millimetre perfect.
The location of the window in the wall has a huge impact on the height
of the triangular windows, so even a tiny deviation in location can have an
effect – just ask our builders !
This project has very much been a
labour of love for all the people involved but is sure to be a stunning example
of how a period home can be renovated to suit our modern way of life. Kudos should also go to Alistair McLean of
Secret Design Studio who worked with the clients on the original design.
Project 2 – “Weatherboard Chic” (Malvern East)
This project takes the prize for “construction
project most affected by the wettest winter in 11 years”. Commencing in May this year, this project has
been constantly hampered by the constant rain we have been having, but true to
form, the brilliant builders we have working on this project have worked hard
to minimise the overall delays experienced.
Wet weather creates delays for a number of reasons – firstly, using
power tools in the rain is a big no no, secondly, it makes everything slippery,
meaning that working on a construction site becomes a whole lot more dangerous,
and thirdly, it makes it impossible to pour concrete footings when the stump
holes are full of water. Even after
weeks of pumping, the stump holes continued to fill because the ground around
was saturated.
Finally the sun has come out, and
so construction has picked back up with a frenzied pace – meaning that all
framing, including the substantial new roof structure is up and ready to be
clad in the coming days.
Project 3 – “Renovator’s Delight” (North Fitzroy)
The final project we have under
construction is this former bachelor pad in North Fitzroy. Originally built in the 1870’s-1880’s, this
tiny worker’s cottage is about to become a stylish inner city home.
The old part of the house needed
extensive underpinning before we commenced construction to ensure that the new
work we are doing to the house will be built on firm foundations. As a result, apart from demolishing all of
the rear / non period part of the house – including the outside toilet (yes,
the only existing toilet for the house), all of the existing floor
needed to come up to give the under pinner’s access to the foundations. With no rear access and houses built on
either side, in all, 10 skip loads of soil has had to be excavated form this
tiny site in order to ensure that we achieve the required sub-floor clearance
for ventilation and to make the way for a new concrete slab to the rear.
So, with all the messy, scary
part of the build behind us, and once the plumbers have worked some magic with
pipework out the back, the builders will be ready to pour the floor slab, ready
for new framing to be erected.
The existing period part of the
home will have new timber floors laid, while the new extension at ground level
will be getting a concrete floor – great for energy consumption. A second storey will also be added above the
rear extension, providing the home with another bedroom, bathroom and study
area.
Can’t wait to see progress over
the coming weeks – it’s bound to be exciting !
Check out our completed projects at www.detail9architects.com.au