The only hint of the existing dwelling from the street is the master bedroom with a regular pitched roof (top left of this picture). The double garage, planting and fencing, first floor entertaining area and balcony are all new additions. The clients opted for a coastal colour theme with a combination of pale greys, deep blue acrotex render, white washed weather boards and splashes of rich cedar lining. 

The client owns a pool building and refurbishing company, 'the Pool Renovators', and of course opted to build a beautiful concrete pool at the front of the existing home. The existing entrance was converted into an alfresco area at the side of the house. A new balcony overlooks both the pool and the ocean. 

An old bedroom wall was knocked down and made way for a new entrance and meals area, open plan to the existing living room. 

An open plan Kitchen, meals and living area makes the home feel a lot more spacious than when it was previously three separate rooms. 

The existing entrance is now access to the new Alfresco and pool area, a study nook is positioned at the end of this corridor. We converted an old formal dining area into a new bedroom and walk in robe to the right of the study nook.

A parents retreat now acts as a landing and buffer between the downstairs living area and the new entertaining area upstairs.  

The master ensuite was renovated with new fixtures, fittings and tiling throughout.

Utilising the entirety of the block, the new pool was positioned in front of the existing home and seamlessly connects with the new alfresco area. A secure gate gives access out towards the new entry of the home. 

The design of the rear addition was quite complex and required the demolition of the existing homes garage and meals area (that were replaced in other locations of the site). 

With careful thought and planning, we were able to wrap the home around the front corner of the site to maximise the space we had available. This let us comfortably fit all of the required accommodation the clients asked for, including the request to keep the existing pool and to not encroach too much into the garden. In doing this, it also creates more of a defining street frontage and sense of address, while also reducing the length of the driveway to the street. 

The bedrooms were positioned towards the rear of the site and are all well sized for families; they include fitted robes and share a bathroom and an ensuite between them. The living areas are bright, warm spaces orientated north, overlooking the pool and garden. 

Entry is gained either through parking in the garage, with easy shopping access through the laundry and into the kitchen, or along the southern side of the house, through a feature framed passageway, past greenery and gardens towards the porch canopy. The entry way is a fabulous double storey volume with a winding staircase up to the first floor.

The bulk of the upstairs is zoned intentionally towards the street, which is a very tricky part of the site to deal with. Not only does this zoning allow the balcony, the master bedroom and sitting area to have spectacular ocean views, but it also satisfies council requirements for street supervision from a habitable room, of which we would have struggled to be granted approval without it. The clients opted for a studio style upstairs, this lets both rooms enjoy the ocean views and makes the entire upstairs feel a lot larger than we were allowed to make it. 

The massing and general elevation treatment is largely a result of the councils stringent overlooking, overshadowing and bulk form requirements, of which was particularly difficult to achieve because the site was not only perched higher than neighbouring lots, but the existing home in the centre of the site forced us to build quite close to the boundaries. 

The skillion roof, material selection and general detailing are contemporary and coastal; feature elements and material selections make big statements yet are very economical.

The client, as owner of The Pool Renovators has an excellent flair for backyard design and fit-out. It is truly special when building and landscaping come together and create an entertaining area like this.

Entry in to the home is gained by walking through a landscaped passage way and in to a bright and beautiful double storey volume, the winding staircase leads the eye up in to this volume as you walk in.

A timber tread concrete staircase with glass and stainless steel balustrade climbs around the trapezoid like perimeter of the entrance.

Entry through to the living areas is gained via access under the staircase, from a planning perspective this opened the entrance right up while still using a much smaller footprint than if we were to totally separate them. On a very restricted corner of the site this made all of the difference to make the house feel much larger than it really is.

The kitchen, meals and living areas, with access out in to the outdoor living areas are all orientated due north overlooking an existing concrete pool. This creates a bright, open and warm space with a beautiful outlook year round. 

The clients opted for increasingly popular black tap ware and stainless steel fixtures & appliances.

The clients spend a lot of time cooking and entertaining for guests, this kitchen functions well with multiple wall mounted ovens, large amounts of open bench top serving and prep space and easy access out in to the Alfresco for entertaining duties. 

The living room, overlooking the beautiful outdoor entertaining areas. 

Cedar lined Alfresco, outdoor Kitchen and 'The Pool Room' in the background.

Every effort to wrap the home around the existing pool was well worth doing, demolition and relocation was just not an option. 

'The Pool Room'- a great way to relax at the end of the day and enjoy what this outdoor space has to offer, it features a hidden bathroom to avoid walking through the home after a dip in the pool, bar/ kitchenette and a storage room behind. 

The bedrooms are very spacious and fitted with built in wardrobes.

A half and half powder room/ ensuite for one of the guest bedrooms. This double purpose ensuite was a requirement to give overseas guests their own private quarters when visiting, but year round functions normally as a large powder room off the entry way. 

All secondary bedrooms are accessed from the entry way downstairs, zoned separately from the master suite upstairs. 

This particular bedroom features a privacy glass panel and hi-light windows for privacy from the entry walkway.

At the top of the stairs overlooking the entry, we slotted a study space which also acts as a buffered zone between the entrance and master suite. 

A last minute change opened what was meant to be an upstairs entertaining and bedroom into more of a resort style master suite. A great decision by the clients which led the upstairs to feel a lot larger than strict planning codes allowed us to make it. An added bonus is that they get to enjoy ocean views throughout the entire upper level.

The master suite features a resort style ensuite and walk in robes.

The master ensuite with feature tiled wall over the freestanding bath.

The privacy glass necessary downstairs was used in a similar manner upstairs, with hi-light windows satisfying the remaining light and ventilation requirements.

Spectacular sunsets and ocean views are available from the entire upper floor, something you would have thought was impossible given its location at the rear corner of the subdivided site.

The massing of the front elevation increases privacy between the two dwellings on the subdivided site. Landscaping and lighting leads visitors down a passageway to the entry on the right. A simple skillion roof was used to tie in with the extension of the front home and give a contemporary feel to the entire development.