A Staged Renovation in Brunswick West

A two-bedroom cottage, bought deliberately small, replanned for two people and designed to be built in stages.

Our clients bought this house knowing it was smaller than the one they were leaving. They had lived in the neighbourhood for three years, and their previous home had rooms they weren't using. No children, none planned. The new house has two bedrooms, one bathroom and a separate laundry, with a later rear addition behind an Edwardian front. It needed work, which was part of the appeal.

The brief

One of them works from home full time, and both spend a lot of time in the house. The brief was for a home where two people can do different things at the same time, such as working, exercising, reading and getting through the washing, without getting in each other's way. In a small house that is a planning problem more than a floor area problem.

They also asked for a laundry with enough bench space to sort and fold, and for proper storage for ski gear and sports equipment.

Their other priority was not paying for the same work twice. So the whole property has been designed as one master plan, to be built in stages, with each stage planned so that nothing needs to be undone later.

The house

The house sits in a heritage overlay, so nothing changes at the street. The work is inside the existing walls.

Kitchen and living. The kitchen is replanned around a rectangular island, with full-height joinery for the fridge and wall oven, a pantry, and appliance storage with a pull-out counter. A bar and servery runs under the window, and a banquette seat with built-in storage sits alongside. The lounge gets a small fireplace and a low built-in cabinet for the television.

An early version of the plan removed the lounge windows so the room could be turned around. After moving in, the clients found those windows bring in a lot of light, so they are staying. We are now looking at whether they become a larger picture window with a window seat.

Bathroom and laundry. The main bathroom is made larger. Next to it is a long laundry and storage room with a second toilet at the end. The pantry is kept separate from the laundry. An option with an ensuite was tested and set aside in favour of one good bathroom.

An early concept image for the bathroom.

Front room. The front room has the best ceilings and the original fireplace. It is planned as a library, with a daybed, storage and bookshelves, and the fireplace brought back into use.

Light and storage. The living end of the house doesn't face north, so skylights are used to bring daylight into the middle of the plan. Storage in the roof space is also being investigated.

The studio

A two-storey building is proposed at the back of the block, off the rear laneway, at about 35 square metres per floor. The ground floor holds a gym and a workshop. Upstairs is a studio that works as a home office and could be used as a spare bedroom, with a store and a small bathroom.

The form of the studio is settled but its exterior is not. Three directions are being considered: recycled red brick with arched openings, which picks up on Brunswick's brickmaking history; a green-painted box with a steel and wire trellis for deciduous climbers, after the suburb's post-war productive backyards; and a plain form with one wall given over to a mural or mosaic.

Recycled red brick, with arched openings and a terracotta screen.

A green-painted box behind a steel and wire trellis for deciduous climbers.

A plain form with the garden wall given over to a mural.

Where it's up to

The house settled in August 2026 and the clients have moved in. Concept design is close to complete: the drawings are at their third revision, and we have prepared a preliminary opinion of probable cost for the internal renovation on its own and for the renovation together with the studio.

Next is a feature and level survey, then a pre-application meeting with council, then design development through to drawings for a planning application. Because of the heritage overlay, the works will need a planning permit.

Staging a project like this is one way of planning a home that works now and later: the whole house is designed once, then built as time and budget allow.