Renovations

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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.

Here are just a few incredible architecturally designed renovations:

Woodworker's Cottage and Barn by Fabric Architecture

Featured Project A Renovation Project for a Woodworker Captures Laid-back Beach Vibes An incredible collaboration between the owners of a furniture company and the architects creates a light and bright coastal home.

Wickham Point House by Arcke Architecture and Interior Design

Featured Project Beach House Renovation Has a Minimalist Touch But Maximalist Results Can you have too many beds at a family beach house? A reno retains the character of this beloved beach house but maximises flexibility.

Cressy Road House by H2o Architects

Featured Project Here's a Very Apropos Addition to a Heritage Bluestone Farmhouse This addition to a historic bluestone farmhouse doesn't match the original building, but it pays its respects in its own way...

Barton House by Julie Firkin Architects

Featured Project Dramatic Timber Ceiling Soars Over This New Addition The dramatic timber ceiling sails over new living spaces and outside, shading the home but retaining the best views.

St Kilda Apartment Renovation by

Featured Project The Surprising Way They Managed to Extend This First Floor Apartment Originally a simple apartment renovation project turned into something more after discovering air rights would allow them to extend...

Surfmist House by Sandy Anghie Architect

Featured Project This Beachside Home Goes From Daggy and Confused to Surfmist Cool Friends said they were brave to buy their home. But who's laughing now after a breezy makeover transforms this 1970s hot mess.

23 December 2018

Article 8 Home Improvement Projects to Consider in 2019 Growing tired of the layout and design of your most home? Here are 8 home improvement ideas for 2019...

Type Street Apartment by Tsai Design

Featured Project This Compact Apartment is Like a Transformer to Maximise Space A tired 1970s apartment undergoes a massive transformation without relocating structure or services.

House Burch by Those Architects

Featured Project A Breezy Beach House Designed for Byron Bay's Sub-tropical Climate Sub-tropical climates require a special approach to design to ensure they are comfortable in the sticky summers and the cool winters.

Green Shutter House by OOF! Architects

Featured Project A Dour Old Post Office Finds Its Mojo As a Sunny Summer Beach House A house that was once a post office felt frustratingly disconnected from the outdoors has been transformed into a breezy beach house.

L-House by Alexander Symes Architect

Featured Project From Partially Completed Project Home to Modern, Energy Efficient Home Working with what was already there to create a modern family home had its challenges on this bushland site in the Blue Mountains.

Burrill Lake House by Jost Architects

Featured Project This Classic Fibro Beach Shack is Updated for a Young Family This home holds special memories for the architect, Pat Jost, making it important to retain the elements that fill it with character.

Limerick House by Solomon Troup Architects

Featured Project A Poetic Addition Reorients the Home to Take in a Spectacular View Inspired by shearing sheds in the area and rhyming with the original home, a clever addition transforms this weekender.

Dark Light House by MRTN Architects

Featured Project A Small Addition Creates a Home Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts Light and dark, east and west, new and old, Dark Light House's new living pavilion contrasts without simply doing the opposite.

Saturn II by McManus Lew Architects

Featured Project A New Rear Living Area Creates a Better Connection to the Outdoors 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...

Saturn II by McManus Lew Architects

Saturn II by McManus Lew Architects

Saturn II by McManus Lew Architects

Boya House by Maarch Architecture

Featured Project A New Glass Box Protrudes to Transport this Family into the Landscape Breaking out of the old, brown-brick home, this new glass box for living is surrounded by birdlife and the sounds of insects at dusk.

Brunswick House by Chan Architecture

Featured Project How to Create a Modern, Flexible and Bright Space on a Narrow Block Renovating an older, inner-city home comes with a peculiar set of challenges - how to make it seem bright and spacious when it's not.

Crisp House by Robert Nichol & Sons

Featured Project Heritage Homes Are Romantic, but They're a Challenge to Renovate An architect wrestles with the romance of renovating a historic home and the challenge of meeting planning and regulatory requirements.

Beyond House by Ben Callery Architects

Featured Project What to Do When You Outgrow Your House but Love Your Neighbourhood? Craving more space (and sun) and considering a move? Are you really better off uprooting your family and moving somewhere new?

Joyful House by Mihaly Slocombe

Featured Project This Joyful House Brings in Light and Opens Onto the Garden A family of five create a joyful home with a series of open, colourful and light-filled spaces for their energetic young family.

Northcote House by Winwood Mckenzie Architecture

Featured Project Some Simple Modifications Transform This Unrenovated Family Home Simple, yet intelligent changes, which reference to the home's post-war cream brick heritage create a period drama of a difference.

Bluestone Terrace Pavilion by

Featured Project A Sunny Glass Box Helps This Bluestone Cottage Connect to the Garden Owned by a landscape gardener, this 1880s bluestone cottage is now connected to the garden and full of natural light and sea breezes.

Nest House by Zen Architects

Featured Project A Cozy, Nest-Like Mezzanine Studio Floats Above This Living Space To unite all living spaces without creating one large space, a unique nest-like studio sits above the living area in this reno.

House Au Yeung by Tribe Studio

Featured Project A Quirky Renovation Beautifully Reinterprets this 1930s Bungalow Inspired by the whimsical flourishes of the original 1930s home this renovation reinterprets brick sunbursts and Tudor detailing.

Brunswick Cottage by EM Architects

Featured Project A Compact Home Was Made Even Smaller but the Outcome is Extraordinary This compact home was made even smaller yet better, proving the amount of space you have is less important than how you use it...

Villa Unit Reinvigorate by SWG Studio

Featured Project Removing Internal Walls Gives This Home a Modern Open-Plan Vibe By removing the internal walls of this unit and incorporating plenty of built-in joinery, it feels more spacious and modern.

St David Street House by Drawing Room Architecture

Featured Project With Good Design Even the Smallest of Spaces Can Live Large This compact addition proves small spaces can be highly liveable with plenty of storage, daylighting and a connection to the outdoors.

D+K House by buck&simple

Featured Project These Owners Take Their Love of Gardening to New Heights A deep soil green roof improves this home's environmental credentials, looks great and satisfies the owners' love of gardening.

Glass Link House by Robbie Walker

Featured Project New Master Bedroom Pod for a "Very, Very Deserving Mum"... After buying a "rough" knocker-downer in the 'burbs, builder/designer/snow boarder, Robbie Walker decided to renovate instead.

Casa de Gatos by WOWOWA Architecture

Featured Project Crazy About Cats? We May Have Found Your Perfect Inner-City Abode... If fur-babies, travel, colour and fun are ticking some mental boxes for you, you'll love Casa de Gatos (or 'House of Cats' in Spanish).

Like Living in the '70s by Steffen Welsch Architects

Featured Project Modernist 1970s Home Addresses its Shortcomings For 21st Century Life A home rich with character is updated to improve comfort, privacy and connection to the landscape without losing its vintage feel.

Avalon Beach Apartment_G by Studio Benicio

Featured Project 1970s Apartment Update for a Professional Couple and Their Bulldog By opening up to kitchen to the living area and creating a better connection to the deck, this apartment makes better use of its space.

Ethel by Lisa Cummins Architect

Featured Project What Surprises Are Hiding Behind This Humble Victorian-Era Facade? 'Ethel' has a number of delightful surprises up her sleeve, proving there's more to this humble Victorian home than she lets on...

Jindalee Outlook House by Trace Studio

Featured Project 1970s Home Opens Up Front and Back to Connect Indoors and Outdoors A series of small additions left this home's living areas dark and detached from the garden, but Trace Studio have changed all that.

Studio Garage by Krisna Cheung Architects

Featured Project A Translucent Studio Creates a Soft Backdrop for an Inner City Yard A garage and studio with seperate access from the laneway is a flexible and sensitive space at the rear of this inner-city terrace.

Waverley House by Sam Crawford Architects

Featured Project Could You Live Overseas During the Construction of Your Home? With a good architect, much of the stress of building can be alleviated. This home was renovated while the owners were overseas!

Brunswick Extension by ArchiBlox

Footscray Apartment by BoardGrove Architects

Featured Project Footscray Apartment Renovated for More Flexibility and Light An unorthodox, but clever, renovation creates a series of light-filled flexible living spaces and creates the illusion of space.

Riverside Alterations and Additions by Lachlan Shepherd Architects

Featured Project Clever Renovation Creates New Building Over Bones of the Original Renovation uses half of the original roof structure to create a new raked roof and wraps the original fibro shack in new cladding.

Adelaide Terrace by vittinoAshe

Featured Project Apartment Renovation Turns Out to be the Perfect Retirement Plan In this woman's retirement plan? A desire to downsize and determination to age in graceful style in a city central apartment.

Loft House by CHORDstudio

Featured Project A Building at the Back of the Garden Solves a Lot of Problems A building at the bottom of this Perth garden contains a music studio and sleeping loft while connecting to semi-outdoor living areas.

Clinker Charm by Detail 9 Architects

Featured Project You've Heard of Flipping Houses, But This Home Gets a Different Flip With a living area facing a busy road, a separate and congested kitchen and an under-utilised backyard, this home needed flipping...

Green West House by Source Architects

Featured Project Dark 1980s Home in Rural Australia Gets a Modern Reboot Like all good '80s movies, this dated home has been given a modern reboot. The home was transformed within the existing footprint.

White Delight by POLYstudio

Featured Project A New Verandah Enhances the Liveability of This Inner-City Home Never underestimate the power of a well-designed outdoor living area to transform your home. This clever verandah is a great example.

Monolith House by Rara Architecture

Featured Project A Home Designed for Light and Family, Not 'The Market' When you need to fit a lot onto a small block, forget market expectations and look for light and functionality to suit your family.

Project M by Studio 15b

Featured Project A Home That's Been In the Family for Generations Gets a Lift After a series of ad-hoc alterations, this long-time family home was in need of a major overhaul - it was raised, built-in and under.

Bonita Room by Irving Smith Architects

Featured Project This Addition Was Architect's Gift for His Daughter's 13th Birthday A small addition and internal reconfiguration of a '60s home designed by a renowned New Zealand architect makes it fit for a family.