Enoggera – Modern Pod
Owners Dream
To add space without adding a lot of debt to their modest three-bedroom cottage.
Site Condition
Typically open to a classic suburban backyard all summer, this modernist 50s cottage with low-to-the-ground timber floors retained an easy casual connection with the outside. Inside, rooms were compact and the bathroom felt cramped.
Design Solution
Minimise the costs with minimal alteration to the original structure and instead add value with a two-storey pod outside the kitchen to house the family room and the laundry on the ground floor, and a master suite at the top of a winding stair. Bump out under the eaves to enlarge the bathroom and tuck the shower behind the red tile wall at the back of the vanity. Boundaries between old and new are blurred with the use of materials, roof shape and colours that echo the original house. Stacker doors and windows encourage easy flow from inside to outside. Open corners make compact rooms appear much larger. Storage is everywhere and built into a long window seat under the stairs. The owners’ subsequent design decision to open up the existing kitchen to the living room created even more space.
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Our Happy Clients
I have been working with Jan on small and large projects for over 15 years. These ranged from small extensions to very complex projects, one which was awarded the Master Builders best renovation over 250 k and the quality and workmanship award. Working with Jan has always been a pleasure, and despite whatever difficulties a large renovation throws your way, Jan always displays the ability to work though it, providing the best result and a pleasurable working relationship. Jan’s designs are practical, efficient and work for the needs of the client. I can speak for this as Jan designed my home in Camp Hill.
Stewart Harris BuilderOur experience with Placemate Architects was outstanding. They did three
things we appreciated, and nothing we didn’t.
They focused on understanding our needs and what we wanted.
They, Jan specifically, consistently generated creative design options to
assist in the extraordinary number of decisions that need to be made from
the very big to the very small.
And they matched us with exactly the right builder, the excellent Harris
Constructions.
Our decision to work with Placemate Architects meant we got what we wanted,
on time and on budget.
Jan, you did a fantastic job translating our unformed ideas into a classy home, fulfilling all our requirements. We are most impressed that you were able to design such a unique and spacious home on a small block and yet one that blends in with the ambience of the suburb without being ostentatious. Your choice of building materials was inspired and the design incorporating the high ceiling in the living/dining/kitchen area impresses everyone who sees it. We also appreciated your no-nonsense, straightforward, approach to the whole project. Congratulations on a great job
Lola & Ian Binch Owners
Best use of a steep site
PlaceMate designs topped the state at the Queensland Master Builders Association Housing & Construction Awards for best use of a sloping site over $250,000 for two contemporary townhouses built on a 500sqm site that dropped 10 meters from a busy road. All four bedrooms and living areas captured the city views.
Best renovation $250-$500,000
PlaceMate designs took home the prize at the Queensland Master Builders Association Housing & Construction Awards for the best renovation $250,000 – $500,000 for a 1910 cast concrete Californian bungalow-style house in Indooroopilly. The winning design unified alterations undertaken in the 50s, 70s and 80s and added a new wing.
Recognised in The Courier-Mail
PlaceMate’s skills were recognised in The Courier-Mail in January 2016 for our transformation of a Shorncliffe residence originally built around 1910.
Registered with Board of Architects Queensland
Registration Number 2457
Our Client Success Team
Placemate Architects works with successful and innovative clients. Together we achieve significant and lasting transformations of cities, houses and landscapes.
