There is a wonderful harmony between the home and garden of this Titirangi home. “You look through and it feels like the garden is part of the home,” says Julia Mercer of Elbow Architects.
Julia was approached with the brief to transform this U-shaped 1960s home by a family who were wanting more space to breathe. They had three small bedrooms a bathroom-laundry crammed into one wing, and the kitchen, living and dining on the other. Julia agreed that the bones were too good to waste but knew the layout needed to be altered. “We’re just trying to make it more functional and usable for the family.”
The showstopper of the home is the reformed courtyard. Julia’s magic trick was turning the U-shape into an “O” by repurposing a chunk of the deck into an enclosed lounge. There were no major structural changes, only minor tweaks. When the large, fully glazed sliding doors are pushed back and fully opened, the courtyard becomes a part of the natural thoroughfare of the home. The enclosed area is a natural extension of their living space and subsequently encouraged a reconfiguration of the interior layout. The result was two new bedrooms, an ensuite, a proper family bathroom, a separate laundry and a larger kitchen-dining-living area.
For every architectural gem in an older home, there are reminders of the era in which it was built. In this home’s case, it was a lack of insulation. Julia dropped the height of the ceiling ever so slightly and ensured that all the new Vantage joinery was double glazed and thermally broken.
“We’re drawing in this beautiful natural light,” Julia says. “The orientation of the house facing north and the courtyard draws lots of sun into the home.”
Outside of added functionality, the white joinery finish was chosen as a way to be sympathetic and work to “the language [of the home]”. Paired with soft interior choices and complimented by the original exposed beams in the living spaces, the mid-century charm of the home has been beautifully preserved.
The house is always warm, thanks to the insulation and constant flow of sunshine. The courtyard sits proud as the centrepiece. With these new additions, the family have the interior flow they wanted with the renovation as well as unlimited access to the backyard.
This is a win-win for the owners, who are avid gardeners, as well as their children, who spend much of their time outside. “Their lives are just as much outdoors as they are indoors.”
See more of this home at vantage.co.nz/hole-in-one