Cottage Of Greener Gables

The Age

Saturday January 19, 2008

Lou Sweeney

A tired Clifton Hill home now hosts bold innovations, writes Lou Sweeney.

THERE'S probably nothing better than moving into a new house and discovering you've found yourself in the middle of an old-fashioned neighbourhood.

Greg Day and Annette Finger bought their timber cottage in Clifton Hill in 2002. It was a leap of faith because the place had definitely seen better days.

A poorly rendered 1970s renovation, rotting floorboards and what Mr Day refers to as an "energy disaster" of poor orientation, no insulation and glass panels forming a strip of ceiling on the western side of the home, meant the couple, now with daughter Kiana, 312, had plenty of things to think about before they started their remodelling.

It's interesting to see how people approach their renovations differently. Although most have some planning and research in common, this couple spent a long time developing a strategy and articulating that to the various architects, builders and tradies they engaged.

Spending nine months in the planning and preparation stages, the strategy proved useful, particularly for this family of first-time renovators. "We had an architect," Mr Day says. "But in the end it didn't really work out with him. We weren't aligned with each other, our desire to have as energy efficient a house as possible seemed at odds with his philosophy."

Their builder also had some problems translating the family's need to achieve a greener home - a reluctance to implement grey-water systems and scheduling problems proving the main stumbling blocks.

"His initial estimate for the time of the work was four months, which blew out to eight months," Mr Day says.

Going down the trial-and-error path is invaluable because it allows you to refine your ideas, to see what features you really want and the ones you can do without.

The renovation started from the front garden, right through to the rear. Concrete and rubble abounded but out front now is a pretty, substantial garden, a perfect frame for the reclaimed facade and restored veranda.

Apart from the obvious structural problems with the home, the family wanted to maximise living, storage and bedroom areas, making the home more flexible and family friendly. To this end the front bedroom has been opened up to accommodate a study but the configuration is such that it can still be used as a bedroom or second living area/retreat. Further along is another bedroom, a cellar under the hallway floorboards and a European laundry that continues the theme of efficient use of space.

The rear of the house was completely demolished and what presents now is a contained but functional space where kitchen, living and dining areas all have their own space but connect organically.

The kitchen set to the rear is one of the family's favourite spaces. "I love the kitchen," Ms Finger says. "It's extremely functional and the way we built the pantry into the wall saves plenty of room."

One of the sharp features to this area is the excellent use of colour. The couple called in a colour consultant to help with the decision-making. "Our colour consultant was really good," Ms Finger says. "She helped us to see the whole picture, which was very valuable."

The charcoal tones of the kitchen ground this space and the open, airy staircase up to level one is a beauty, providing storage and play space for Kiana and taking the eye both to the upstairs sections as well as providing an almost sculptural, earthy quality to the downstairs.

In front of the angled kitchen, the informal living flows down to french doors and fine side windows that lead to the compact rear, north-facing yard. There's a real sense of privacy here, rare for a smallish block in the inner city. It helps that a grassy patch, paving and a mature tree delineate the areas, giving a sense of space rather than crush.

Three water tanks and a pump service the washing machine and bathrooms. Other smart ideas implemented here include double-glazing to regulate the heat as well as shading on the north and west facing windows. "It was around 50 degrees in here some days the summer we moved in," Mr Day says.

So with the refurbishment of the front and a thorough reimagining of the rear completed, the house rises to a contained but functional first floor. There are two bedrooms, a bathroom and masses of roof storage. In the main bedroom, a fine purple feature wall gives the room a dramatic feel, while a balcony facing north provides a leavening effect, filtering light and air into the room.

Kiana's room across the way contains the access to the roof storage and there are some terrific views.

By opening out, going up and considering things like eliminating drafts, shading areas and putting plenty of green-friendly ideas into place, this house has transformed from a tired timber terrace to a smart, compact, efficient house with a handsome look, an easy feel and a place you'd be happy to invite the friendly neighbours into.

"It works as we expected it to," Mr Day says. "We're happy and living pretty well with the results."

If you have recently renovated or know of a renovation, we'd like to hear about it. Email domain@theage.com.au

The details

The brief: To increase the liveability of the house by improving storage, living and bedroom space and considering environmental impact of harnessing light, airflow and grey water.

Suburb: Clifton Hill

Colour consultant: Dianne Gow, Harlequin Designs (5333 4848)

Kitchen/Joiner: Steve Leonard, Leonard interiors (9718 1424)

Budget: $250,000

What we love

The staircase "It is great because it looks good and it provides a play place underneath for Kiana and a large storage area as well. I really like the colour of the wall there too," Ms Finger says.

Kitchen "I really do love this kitchen. Steve, our joiner, was terrific and the result is a great work area that connects to everything else."

Utility "Everything works really well," Mr Day says. "I really think our planning gave us the time to work out what we wanted and how to get it. This is now a very workable family space."

© 2008 The Age

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