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:
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Carlton Apartment (AKA Kathryn) by Tom Eckersley Architects
Featured Project
Space-efficient Apartment Renovation Finds Room for a Home Office
Rearranging this apartment opens it up to the views, builds in lots of storage space and finds room for a home office space to boot!
21 October 2020
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Manly Apartment by Annabelle Chapman Architect
Featured Project
Dark '90s Apartment Is Now a Bright Home Full of Coastal Style
The owners of this whole floor apartment in Manly loved the location, but not the dark unfriendly spaces. Luckily, there was a solution!
Small Grand Apartment by Tsai Design
Featured Project
Compact Apartment Feels Luxurious with Hollywood-esque Dressing Room
Clever planning allows this small apartment to feel grand and glamourous. Wait until you see how the dressing room transforms...
Shadow Play by Inbetween Architecture
Featured Project
Inspired by the Original Home a New Pergola Improves Outdoor Living
This new pergola uses the original home's roofline as inspiration to provide additional shade without blocking light and views.
Über Shed 2 by Jost Architects
Featured Project
Far From Your Average Shed, This is an Über Shed...
An avid collector needed a place to display and enjoy his assortment of quirky objects. Enter Über Shed 2, a shed/rumpus room/gallery.
Daylesford 1863 by Moloney Architects
Featured Project
This New Addition Creates a Sunny Courtyard Shared by Old and New
Originally a parsonage for the neighbouring church, this historic home has been transformed with a contemporary addition.
Beaumont Apartment by Anna O'Gorman Architect
Featured Project
Tired Apartment is Updated to Better Suit Queensland Living
Despite facing north-east, this apartment felt small and dark not at all appropriate for the capital of the sunshine state!
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
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8 Home Improvement Projects to Consider in 2019
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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.