Season 2
House 4: From 1920’s Cottage to Modern Home
A Charming 1920’s Cottage but it’s time for an update
In this episode the team has got the call out to Earlwood in Sydney’s inner west, to have a look at this character filled home built in the 1920’s.
The owners are currently overseas and have enlisted a trusted team in Architect Jodie Dang and Project Manager Joseph Wallhouse to look after this property, getting it ready for their return.
This house was purchased in 2010 for around the $800,000 dollar mark and since then the median house price in Earlwood has risen to a whopping $1.8 million dollars.
Whist the home has plenty of charm it also has plenty of issues not suited for modern living.
Joseph and Jodie have been charged with getting the home ready for this young family when they return from living in the UK.
Whilst the home has plenty of charm the owners are ready to bring the home into the 21st century.
They want a passive house that can retain 24 degrees temperature inside, all year round, without air conditioning.
The home needs better natural lighting, and better flow from inside to outside.
They also want to use sustainable materials, have little to no energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.
Finally, they are also interested in exploring prefab building solutions.
The Team
Norm and Jess
Norm and Jess are perfect for this project.
Legendary Blockheads from 2018 and tv and radio superstars, they have lived in Sydney for a number of years now, they know this city and what works.
Jess likens the existing house to Norm, “born in the 1920’s and desperately needing to degas”.
Norm is all for knocking the old home down and starting with clean slate.
DESIGN OPTIONS
Team Renovate
The renovate design will keep the facade as is with cosmetic touches only. This 1920’s home has plenty of character and great street presence that would be a shame to lose. A new car port will help round out the look and bring better functionality.
Also, with its new placement, allow more natural light to come into the house.
The addition at the rear of the home is where the real magic is taking place. Using a prefabricated construction method the key elements will be built off site and craned into place with the new kitchen and dining well positioned to lead out into the backyard area. A bathroom, laundry and multi use room also bring great functionality to this single story home.
The light weight construction materials used, with great insulation and orientation of the windows, like the north facing windows above the kitchen, all contribute to a comfortable and healthy home.
With a few improvements to the old part of the home the design achieves an energy rating of 7.5 stars which is right on brief.
The overall estimated cost is around the $700,000 mark.
DESIGN OPTIONS
Team Rebuild
Starting from the facade, the rebuild design is a knockout. This modern style home with square features, really takes advantage of the available land and still allows for great side access.
The rebuild design goes up to accommodate more space for this family.
The second level will also enjoy the breezes and better outlook from this elevated position.
With two bedrooms on the first level, and the kitchen and living situated in prime position to access the outdoor area, the rebuild can start anew and place everything where it is supposed to be in regards to orientation and lifestyle.
Upstairs sees the master suite well placed for a parents retreat and again, the elevation helps connect the second floor to the sloping backyard.
The home ticks the energy efficiency box as it has been designed to the internationally recognised ‘Passive House’ standard, that means the home will be very quiet, comfortable, have very clean air and use 80-90% less power for heating and cooling all year around.
The house achieves a whopping 8.2 star energy rating.
This rebuild design is absolutely stunning to look at, and with its passive house design will be comfortable to live in all year round and it will be extremely energy efficient. A potential winning combination for team Rebuild.
The estimated cost of the rebuild is $1.1 million.
The Big Decision
The Verdict
Both designs hit the brief perfectly and Joseph had a difficult choice to make.
In the end the expert advice from Real Estate expert Dean Owsnett helped Joseph to make a recommendation to the clients and they decided to go with the safer renovate option.
Keeping the 1920’s charm of the existing home kept it in keeping with the suburb and the new modern living space at the rear created the right balance between nostalgia and modern living.
THE RESULT
A Change of Plans
In an unexpected twist, rising interest rates led the home owners to make a difficult decision to sell their home in Earlwood and instead renovate an investment property they had in Ashfield.
The winning renovation design was adapted to this 1800’s terrace in Ashfield.
Just like the Earlwood project, this design will keep the facade as is with cosmetic touches only. The interior of the old terrace will get some cosmetic touches, new paint, resealed floors and the removal of a non-structural wall downstairs.
The addition at the rear of the home is where the real magic is taking place.
A new modern kitchen and living area which is filled with natural light brings this home into the 21st century. The addition of a study, bathroom and laundry round out this home – perfect for the young family who will be returning from overseas.
The build was also delayed after the home owners changed the kichen benchtop to porcelian.
Whilst not quite finished in time to make the broadcast time for the show the finished home is only a month or so away and we have included some photos below from only a few days ago.
Quick note from the Producers
Rule no 1 when renovating is to expect the unexpected.
This was the case for the Sydney build. We started in Earlwood with a 1920’s cottage in need of an update and then at the 11th hour with rising interest rates and cost of living pressures the owners decided to sell and renovate a different home.
A new design, approvals, and appointing a builder and the build got underway… but then as the health issues with engineered stone was becoming better understood the owners put the build on hold whilst an alternative to the kitchen benchtops was found.
In the end the final build couldn’t be completed in time for our broadcast dates – we held off as long as we could and this episode was only filmed a few weeks ago.
Renovate or Rebuild is an independent production and an unscripted show with real projects and real people – sometimes like in real life these projects don’t go to plan.
This season of the show will be rerun later this year and we will check in with this project and update the episode so make sure you tune in then.
We have included a few photos of the progress from just a few days ago.
Thanks for watching and we hope that the show has given you some ideas for your own Renovation or Rebuild and we have shown that you can have a beautiful and practical home that is also energy efficient and good for the planet.
See you in season 3.
Shop the look
Explore the brands featured in the show
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Each Fanco product is designed, built and packaged with a brand-wide commitment to innovation and sustainability.
Bondor® is Australia’s leader in complete thermal building solutions and lightweight architectural panels.
Energy Matters is an award-winning company dedicated to all things energy, with a passion for sustainability & clean energy. Get quotes for your solar and battery storage needs.
Prestige Plus are Sydney’s market leading manufacturer of high-quality, Australian made uPVC Windows & Doors for residential & commercial premises
Dean Owsnett has been a Director at Professionals Padstow in Sydney’s South West for over 20 years, Dean has an in-depth local knowledge of the area and experience of the industry that is second to none.
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