Way-Out-There Modern Living in Sydney

It could resemble a simple cottage from the front, but the back of this Australian home opens up to a surprisingly modern outdoor living room. Similar to the other houses on small lots in this eclectic area, in a suburb of Sydney, the house is constructed out to its unwanted boundaries with nominal front-yard and backyard space.

Architect Danny Broe worked within the website’s limits to create a space that adopts the Australian sun. Building a brand new back porch, forcing a third of the kitchen onto the patio and putting a small office in an outdoor shed opened the back of the house for seamless indoor-outdoor living.

in a Glance
Who lives here: A youthful, artistic couple with a small child
Location: Lilyfield, a suburb of Sydney
Size: 1,033 square feet; two bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Budget: About $130,000 AUD (approximately $133,000 USD)

Danny Broe Architect

The back of the house completely opens to the backyard. While this style is normal in Sydney, Broe decided to push the envelope and set a third of the kitchen outside. The laundry is also outdoors, beneath the bar top, which keeps it near the clothesline. “We wanted to take it a step further and place the kitchen, the most active room in the house, on the threshold,” Broe says.

Folding doorway: Architectural Joinery

Danny Broe Architect

The majority of the houses in this area are small brick and timber cottages that were built about a hundred decades ago. Broe altered little on the front of the house, maintaining the exact same scale and dimensions to suit the area.

Danny Broe Architect

Broe constructed a brand new, miniature home office on the website of this 100 year old home’s outhouse. Plywood sliding doors with an acrylic roofing infill (the exact same material used on the veranda) open up in the corner to create the sense of more space. A cantilevered roof allowed Broe to avoid using a corner column.

Danny Broe Architect

The back addition incorporates rough, raw materials, like wood and corrugated metal, for feel and to highlight the building methods. Broe made a point of using few cosmetic finishes. “The raw and overlapping materials elicit character,” he says.

Broe utilized recycled Australian red gum tree to the porch flooring. A local sail maker made the colour cloth attached to the left side of the veranda, which helps with solitude and reduces rain splash.

Before Photo

Previously, the back of the house was ruined and structurally unsound. The angle of the house made it chilly in winter and hot in the summer, and reduced any connection to the back garden.

Danny Broe Architect

Now the house and the outdoors embrace. New brick walls on each side help with privacy but still provide some connection with neighbors.

Danny Broe Architect

The website orients north, and Broe utilized passive solar techniques to benefit the home’s energy efficiency. “In Sydney 90% of the bad weather comes in the south, so the porch was shielded and facing north,” he says. “We oversized the big roof so it acts like a big umbrella.”

Unlike most verandas, which slope down toward the floor, the back porch cover angles up. The roofline allows the winter sun in, keeps sunlight outside and allows for a view of the skies from the patio. A gutter in the back of this veranda catches rainwater and filters it off the house.

Extra-durable laminate in the exterior portion of the kitchen means it could resist the toughest Australian weather. An overhang in the counter helps protect the laundry area. The majority of the primary kitchen appliances and storage are indoors, so the setup works in most weather.

Danny Broe Architect

Plastic laminate cabinetry and countertops plus a back-painted glass backsplash make for a durable, easy-to-clean kitchen indoors, also. The cabinet and countertop edging have contrasting colours for a playful touch.

Countertops, cabinetry: plastic laminate, Abet Laminati; pendants: Ikea

Danny Broe Architect

Since the house is closed in on every side by other houses, Broe had to use any natural light he could get. The long, slim, slot skylight in the living area fills the room with sunlight in the roof.

Danny Broe Architect

The interior’s colour and material palette feels modern but warm — much like the brand new exterior addition. “We wanted a modern appearance, but we did not need white minimalism,” says Broe. The home’s original hardwood flooring add feel to this clean appearance.

Danny Broe Architect

Stone tile makes for a soothing toilet that still has plenty of character. Broe custom made the dressing table with recessed light, and also the client’s dad built it as a Christmas gift to the family.

Danny Broe Architect

Original clapboard walls from the bedroom maintain a few of the home’s character. The black and white textile plot ties in with the rest of the home’s straightforward design.

Photographer: Karina Illovska
Structural engineer: Partridge Partners
Carpenter: Grant Bidwell

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