21 Feb 2017

Hi everyone

We have just received the updated designs to the North Facade and we love the changes:

The new design not only adds detailing to the facade but also provides additional depth to the shading areas. We have broken the long strip of brick perforation with a white powdered aluminium shading for the bedroom to add more contrast but also improve the lighting of the bedroom:

We are very pleased with the designs and next step is getting a QS to do an updated budget, hopefully it's still within our budget! 

In the meantime, we will start preparations on getting planning approval from the council!

Progress!

18 Feb 2017

Hi everyone

My partner and I have just started our journey to building own family home in Melbourne. The blog I guess is aimed at sharing our journey and describe some of the key milestones and elements of our new home.

We engaged an architect around November 2016 and are currently in the final stages of the sketch design, just prior to council submissions.

Due to the layout of the block, we faced many constraints:
1. Narrow block of 10 x 40m in dimension
2. Semi detached with southern neighbour
3. Semi detached garage with the northern neighbour
4. Privacy constraints around boundary development
5. Street front offset

The constraints are the primary reason we elected to use an architect to ensure the space is fully utilised.

    


The above survey shows the limited space and shared party walls with both neighbours.

As part of the initial master planning, the architect provided 3 different design options. We ultimately decided on the below as it maximised the living space available. Unfortunately it was also the most expensive option.
 

This design was provided to us just prior to Christmas, following feedback and revision, we have now just been given the sketch designs. The aim is to retain the existing house at the front whilst creating a new extension that covers 2 floors.

The key elements of the house that we wanted to emphasise are brickwork and timber, and I personally love the use timber ceiling. Below are some render images and updated floor plans.

  
Whilst these designs are preliminary, we love the theme and consistencies around the design. We have requested some changes around the northern facade to increase the detailing rather than having a massive brick wall face. Similarly we are exploring other shading options for the windows, we have to cover 75% of the window exposure for upstair windows facing north.