Urban Homes

To grab light without taking over the backyard, this addition pops its head over the original home, saying peekaboo to the street!

Instead of demolishing this unit, the architects reimagined it, transforming it into a modern and light-filled 3-bedroom home.

Inspired by a nearby converted factory, this home brings its own spin to the saw-tooth roofline and the inspiration doesn't stop there.

An efficiently-planned rear addition to this narrow house creates space and light to grow a family without losing the home's charm.

With exposed structure and a galley-style kitchen, this renovation takes its cues from the economical and practical fit-out of a ship.

In an area with challenging heritage overlays, Splice House fits an impressive modern addition within the allowable setbacks...

Courtyard House makes the most of a narrow, inner-city site, creating an urban oasis for a family of five now and into the future.

With modular, off-site construction you can remove the headaches of extending your home and still end up with a beautiful result.

The secret to this Tiny Haus's success? Creating easy access to the outdoors, so 32 square metres doesn't feel like 32 square metres.

The small, pokey and often dark spaces of many older homes don’t provide the space young families need, but you can change that...

The carefully crafted folds of the ancient art of origami create something new and unexpected. It's a similar story with this reno...

When it comes to selling, you want to maximise the value of your home. Here are 5 tips to help you nail it.

A new covered deck is the showpiece of this home's transformation, drawing its owners out to enjoy the backyard.

What this home lacks in a dining room is made up for with a fun, communal island bench for seven: a perfect way to host a dinner party.

With a folded roof form and charred timber cladding, Pleated House has plenty of flair for its design-conscious owners.

If the stress of renovating isn't enough for you, here's a way to step it up a gear: base your deadline around the arrival of a baby!

Lean-tos aren't renowned for their good design, but rethinking the classic design led to a functional and flexible home for this family.

Living in the inner-city means trading space for convenience. This project shows you, that trade-off isn't so bad.

Can a house be both a cosy refuge and open to the outdoors to create a breezy outdoor room? In this case, it can!

How do you extend an old cottage which used to belong to the client's mother? By reinterpreting the original cottage, that's how...

If your backyard doesn't face north, create a long side yard instead so you can enjoy the benefits of natural light and passive design.

A surprising, angular addition pops out of the rear of this home, but it does more than just look dramatic...

With an incredible site just one street from the beach and close to the city, these architects built their ideal family home.

The lace-like screen protecting the rear of this home is a way to tie old and new together while also dealing with practicalities.

Like an annexe attached to the side of this solid home, BENT Annexe is an open-plan living area that feels more like a garden room.

Previously cut off from the backyard by a hefty level change, this new addition flows effortlessly between inside and out.

Increasingly, multi-generational families are choosing to live together. In this case, how do we design homes which cater for everyone?

Dealing with a narrow block can be a challenge. But, as with any challenge, creative thinking can produce incredible results.

As soon as you enter the front door of this 1950s home, you are drawn to the light and openness of the new, rear addition.

By designing a new, open-plan addition to this heritage home, the owner has a light-filled space to inspire his creativity.

Buying an extra slice of land from the owners' corporation enabled this 1960s one-bedroom unit to become a modern three-bedroom home.

This family were miserable in their south-facing living areas, but thanks to a clever addition, their home is now light and bright.

A south-facing backyard can feel like a curse, but an unconventional roofline could come to the rescue to let direct natural light in.

A strong visual and physical connection to the garden is achieved without significantly altering this inner-city terrace.

It's not the size of an addition that counts, it's the functionality it adds to your home. This micro addition achieves hefty results.

For Victorians, Democracy Sausage Day is just around the corner. But this is not just an article for Victorians...

Extending heritage homes respectfully is a challenge. Allowing this addition to recede into the shadows was the sensitive approach.

We might turn to psychologists or drugs to improve our mental health, but are we missing a solution that's closer to home?

New additions help this home to perform more like a traditional Queenslander, helping it fit perfectly with its site and climate.

Settling into regular life takes some adjustment for a fly-in-fly-out worker who spends a month away from home. This new home helps.

The good qualities of both old and new are highlighted by creating an addition which is the binary opposite of the original.

On a tight, south-facing site, the various spaces of this addition are expertly arranged to ensure maximum benefit with minimal fuss.

The aperture-like addition to this heritage home carefully frames the best views and lets light into the new living spaces.

We can build better houses in the suburbs, the houses we featured this week show us how.

From the street, this looks like a house with no windows, but once inside you realise it's the exact opposite...

A new addition prioritises light and a connection to the garden, transforming this 1940s house into an uplifting and modern home.

Once the excitement wore off, the fear started to set in. I pored over the floor plan, convinced there wasn't enough space...

This modern addition is more like a supporting actor, allowing the charm and beauty of the original home to shine through.

Having greater rental profits comes down to a very simple equation: more rent and fewer complications. Here are a few tips...

Instead of sacrificing their productive garden, plants are encouraged to grow up the walls of this clever backyard studio.

This home takes advantage of its location near the Botanic Gardens to create a living area which feels like an extension of the garden.

This home had good bones, but forty years of use left it feeling tired. A clever facelift offers a fresh start for its new owners.

We've heard of tiny houses and micro-apartments, but could a micro addition be the answer to your space issues? Let's see...

Hiring an architect to design your new home or renovation is a big commitment. So how do you know you're making the right choice?

This house had become a squat and burnt down during the design stage, but Dean and Lisa transformed it into a modern, sustainable home.

Splitting this home into two separate pavilions creates flexible spaces which also solves a number of challenges.

On a long, narrow site, a courtyard is cleverly cut into this addition to allow the sun to stream into new living spaces.

A decked courtyard connects this existing home and extension, providing light, breezes and an indoor-outdoor connection to old and new.

Just because you have a narrow block without a north-facing backyard doesn't mean you have to sacrifice light, views and ventilation.

When you've got active young kids, your home must be robust enough to withstand a lot of punishment. This kitchen is built to last.

It's rare that we feature a dual-occupancy project on Lunchbox Architect, but the attention to quality makes this one stand out...

The new living area of this heritage home captures glimpses of the sky and opens seamlessly to the outdoors.

Architecture as a political statement. What should our suburbs look like as we attempt to squeeze millions more into our cities?

Sometimes, reevaluating and reconfiguring what you have proves that you already have enough. It did for this family of five...

Rather than dedicate space to rooms that will rarely be used, create versatile spaces and spend your remaining budget on luxuries...

Australians have long been told natural gas is the cheapest and cleanest energy choice for their homes. Is that still true?

Living at home while your extension is built sounds like a nightmare, but this clever idea allowed the owners to live disruption-free.

It's not often you get to build a new house in the inner city. What would you do if you had a clean slate?

Many old terraces are dark and pokey, but thanks to a tricky secret behind those doors, this terrace is now light, bright and spacious.

Life can change a lot in 10 years, so what do you do if your home no longer fits in with your life? Move or renovate?

If you're noticing a bit of an underwater theme in this home, it's no accident. This is a home for a keen scuba diver!

A simple, yet considered pavilion connects the home to the garden and brings greenery and light into the living area.

The history and beauty of this old home are respected and celebrated by a bustle dress-inspired addition.

A new house, in an old area, on a tight site, with space for a family of four that won't upset the neighbours? Are they dreaming?

Inspired by the spaces and ornamentation of the original home, this home plays with light and space to create a dramatic addition.

This adventurous renovation transforms an ugly duckling into a fun and functional family home, celebrating the owners' hobbies.

Three sculptural walls create nooks and niches within a larger open-plan space, creating the opportunity to mingle or seek solitude.

Perched dramatically on a steep slope overlooking the ocean, this separate studio is the perfect retreat for work, rest or play.

In a street of Californian Bungalows, it was important to maintain the status quo. It's a whole other story at the rear of this home...

And he said, 'Let there be light', and there was light. Thanks to a new double height space, this cottage is transformed.

This modern home captures the spirit of mid-century design, with a taste of American diner-style breakfast booths for good measure.

The '80s was responsible for numerous crimes against taste (but some pretty fabs music). What can you do to right some of those wrongs?

With a passion for sustainability, these owners salvaged whatever they could to reduce the carbon footprint of their renovation.

This home's meticulous maintenance record details upkeep such as 'biannual repainting'. It was in A1 condition, but still needed modernising.

Cubby Office to the rescue! A fun, connected, yet separate space for the kids to play while the parents get back to work.

These owners decided to work with what they had rather than start afresh. The result is a functional and character-filled home.

Terrace renovations are a challenge. How do you get light and a sense of space into a narrow block with neighbours all around?

A home on a corner block maximises light without sacrificing privacy by reorienting to the north and some strategic clerestory windows.

We love simple projects that make a big difference. And it doesn't get much simpler than a sunroom and a fence.

We love to get out and enjoy the backyard, but too often our homes are disconnected from our outdoor spaces. Here's what you can do...

Floating above the original milkbar is a recently renovated pavilion which makes this unique family home feel like it's a treehouse.

With a slim budget, demolition of the rear of this home was not an option. But an even slimmer bathroom was part of the solution...

Typically, a lean-to with a laundry and kitchen tacked on to the rear of an older home is the first thing to go in a reno. Not here...

It's a tale as old as time: dark, dank terrace seeks space and light. And yet architects are still finding new ways to tell the story.

If there's an old tree in your backyard, don't cut it down to make way for your new reno. Instead, make it the centrepiece.

Considering an eco-friendly upgrade to your home? Look no further for inspiration than Collingwood Compact.

'This house was purchased by Kasimiersz and Lucia in 1955', reads a plaque on the wall. One of the ways this home remembers its past...