Explore our collection of Renovations
featured on Lunchbox Architect.
Renovations and additions to existing houses are the most common architecturally designed homes. The challenge with renovations is to incorporate the style and layout of the existing building with the modern needs of the family. When down well, renovations combine the charm of traditional buildings with the conveniences of modern living.
At Datum House the ceiling height, rather than extra square meters, creates a generous and varied sense of space (without the cost).
Cubo House is a sustainable home which celebrates its history via restored existing elements and upcycled features using the surrealist technique 'Cubomania'.
East West House, near the top of Richmond Hill, contains the unexpected. A large roof deck is hidden behind the heritage protected Victorian roofline.
Thanks to the home's unusual form, the garden of Reverse Shadow Casting House will always be sunny and bright.
In an effort to find more space for a growing and ageing family, Andrew Maynard Architects created a home that has shared space and more private zones.
James Russell Architects' distinctive tropical style shines through in this climate-sensitive weatherboard house extension.
A rundown stone cottage on a sustainable timber plantation undergoes a massive transformation to become a simply stunning family home.
A versatile multi-functional extension can become completely open to the outdoors, or close down for protection from the elements.
An original modernist home is extended out and up to create more flexible space for the modern family.
A combination of good design and plenty of storage makes inner city downsize house feel just as spacious as the owners' previous home.
A tiny barnacle-like extension creates a sense of camping or sleeping in the berth of a yacht, but with framed views of the landscape beyond.
As you round the corner of this quiet street, a cheery extension greets you. Quite literally… It says 'Hello'.
This apartment renovation in the middle of one of Sydney's busiest suburbs still manages to capture the relaxed nature of a beach house…
Cut Paw Paw Inside Out House is deliberately incomplete. The owners, asked that the house be 'ridiculously inside-out'…
A contemporary extension of this Elsternwick House is clad in contrasting dark zinc to draw a very deliberate line between new and old.
This passive solar home was designed to maximise available light and space on an oddly shaped block in the inner suburban Melbourne.
At Alexandria House 2 full height glazing and louvers let the house breathe and skylights are used strategically to maximise natural light…
The Plinth House proves bigger is not always better. The extension provides a more comfortable living space and kitchen in a minimal footprint.
After a number of minor additions over the years, Patterson Street Residence is reinvigorated with a modern extension to the rear.
Westmere Alteration merges inside and out with a contemporary aesthetic and an unbelievable connection to the outside plus upper level sea views…
Architect Peter Miglis lists “light, space, and air” as the elements that form great architecture; he has incorporated all three into his own home.
From the front it's an unassuming Californian Bungalow. From the rear, undeniably modern. It's a new type of house — a blurred house.
The future of suburban laneways is vibrant and active if this Erskineville Studio project by Pivot Architects is anything to go by.
A series of insertions into this period home injects light deep into the plan, making it modern and bright in-spite of its age.
The narrow Left-Over-Space House demonstrates what can be achieved on the myriad of ‘left-over’ spaces in our inner-cities.
Sliding Wall House makes the most of a small space by tucking a bedroom behind a sliding wall. One minute it's a desk, next it's gone…
Bridport Residence extension grabs northern light and creates a quiet safe haven to the rear of the property.
From possum-infested DIY-renovated nightmare to sunny and spacious home, Holden Street House has been transformed.
A separate gabled guest pavilion adds both space flexibility to an existing weatherboard weekender, making it the perfect family getaway.
Local House is playful and intriguing — designed more like a favourite local café than a private house — creating spaces for connection and bonding.
A pulley system extending through the atrium of this House Bruce Alexander is designed so the owners can store bicycles and winch them out of view.
Tower House's owners and their 8 year old twin sons asked for a home 'for community, art and nature to come together'. They got a village.
What looks like a contemporary shipping container pops out of this renovated Sandringham House.
Small but with delight, M House looks at how a modest renovation can make a positive contribution to the way a family live.
Renovating and extending a typical Victorian terrace always poses a unique set of challenges. Hawthorn House exceeds those challenges.
Merton House reinterprets the bay windows, scale and arrangement of internal spaces to create a contemporary kitchen and living spaces.
A new rear extension, much of which is under the existing house, creates a new-found connection to the backyard on this sloping site.
A grassy green courtyard fit for a cow (ok, not a real cow) at the centre of this renovated St Kilda House adds a bright new focus.
A tight inner-city site is transformed with double height spaces and floor-to-ceiling, seamlessly connecting the indoors and outdoors.
Heritage controls, difficult soil, tight access and a small west-facing block. A delightful, light-filled home on a difficult site…
The owners of Matai House lived in this early 1900s home for several years before the alterations, so they knew what needed to change!
After stripping back years of unthoughtful additions, Richmond House receives a bright and modern interpretation of a lean-to.
This Melbourne Refurbishment rearranges spaces in line with modern living, but doesn't forget to have fun along the way…
At House 3 there's enough space for three generations of the one family to live comfortably together despite a tight site.
Floreat Additons modernises a modernist building with colour and light without detracting or destroying the qualities of the original.
A renovation of a Victorian terrace house, the Bondi House was conceived as a first floor timber tube above a ground level brick box.
By replacing space lost to the renovation with a roof deck, Stick House ensures not a millimetre of outdoor space is sacrificed.
Thanks to a clever refurbishment this South Melbourne House becomes a communal multi-zoned space in keeping with the family's desire to live and work together.
A Collection of Spaces new spaces arranged around two courtyards revitalises a traditional worker's cottage without compromising its historical significance.
An extension made from delicate steel and expansive glass feels like a precious jewel has been hung on the original heritage home.
Casual House's low maintenance, no frills materials create an affordable yet compelling extension to the rear of a family home.
Like a real doll's house, this addition is two spaces stacked on top of each other and uses furniture and joinery to divide spaces instead of doors and walls.
A brief that might have disheartened some architects inspires a humble renovation that dramatically improves 'dog's breakfast' house.
Normally we fill our homes with objects that remind us of our past. At Bower House, the house itself is made up of elements to remind the owners of their past.
In the inner city it's not always wise to rely on an aspect. In the case of Diagonal House it made sense to embrace a sunny northern aspect.
Today, thanks to a modern addition, Arcadia bears its name proudly and a family enjoy the peace and pastoral happiness of its setting.
At West End Cottage by Vokes and Peters, the new work preserves and extends the pattern of rooms in respect of the existing plan…
A mirror-lined void brings light deep into a square floor plan and above spatially divides the living and dining spaces without the need for walls.
The Armadale House addition creates an open plan living area with a great connection to the garden, maximising the small site.
The Barrow extension appears as an arrangement of timber boxes, each independently rotated and subjected to varying amounts of extruding and manipulating forces.
When a family of four decide to renovate their terrace on a tiny site, some big ideas need to be packed into a little space.
Northcote House 2 is a three storey urban residence which utilises the existing shell of its former incarnation as a medical centre.
A tiny terrace is transformed thanks to a new neighbouring addition that compliments and contrasts the original.
Turning this tight inner-city terrace into a light-filled, open-plan home for a family of five was a challenge. But was it a success?
Through high quality design, the compact Darlinghurst Apartment provides an affordable option for inner city living…
Winscombe Extension deals with a growing family and a strong desire to establish a connection to the manicured rear garden…
Vader House emerges from behind its high boundary wall to disrupt Fitzroy's typical roofline and breathe new life into this Victorian Terrace.
A new studio and a reworking of the original home dramatically improves liveability at South Durras House.
Off form concrete draws on the solidity of an original masonry structure whilst introducing a new materiality at this home in Glebe.
Not every renovation project is a success. Luckily Beeston Street House has been recalibrated — from unsuccessful to a real delight.
The clients of Brighton East Interior wanted to ensure their home met the hectic requirements of the family while preferring to not build up.
Substantial alterations to an Arts and Crafts house explores the potential of verandahs and decks to become supplemental living spaces…
At Balmoral House, carefully orchestrated windows ensure the home feels light and overlooks lush foliage, while avoiding overlooking neighbours.
Tennis Avenue Residence new timber pavilion, added sensitively to the rear of a humble old cottage feels like living in a modern treehouse.
Kids Pod is just for the little ones, connected to the house proper by a glazed bridge. And it couldn't be more fun…
Renovating an inner bayside family home to be flexible as the family grows and subtly remind the owners of time spent on beach holidays.
Maylands Additions is a highly crafted addition that builds on the materials and detailed richness of the existing heritage-listed house.
A 1960s Architect-designed home undergoes 21st Century transformation into a gracious new house fit for modern living.
Using the latest laser-cutting technology, The Dalmeny is a shack meets tech-science hybrid solution to the generic suburban environment.
Behind these unassuming terraces' heritage facades is an unexpectedly modern home blurring the boundaries between two once separate houses.
At House Rosebank, new rear living spaces help the home take advantage of a sunny garden and create a connection with the existing pool.
Long Courtyard House reorients the typical courtyard to the side of the house to bring in North light and create indoor/outdoor living.
Carefully curated views help Neutral Bay House to feel brighter, connect to the garden and defy its tightly confined urban site.
Black Rock House successfully meshes elements of old and new to create a cohesive and comfortable family home.
A new compact living pavilion defies its size thanks to plenty of glass and sliding doors — effortlessly connecting home and garden.
Even with close neighbours, carefully positioned skylights and double-height spaces make this home feel private, bright and spacious.
A detailed but classic palette, combined with expert attention to detail helps Paddington Terrace age gracefully as its family grows.
Too often homes dictate how we should live. Upside Down Back to Front House is different — a redesign suits how the owners really live.
A series of separate, disconnected rooms are transformed by a central, open planned living space that maximises north light.