Tag: California Bungalow

Architect renovates own California Bungalow home with great results

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date February 14, 2022
No Comments on Architect renovates own California Bungalow home with great results

It was January 2017 when architect James Pilcher and his wife Alice moved into their first family home in the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove. Alice was pregnant with the couple’s first child and they had plans to update the solid yet tired California Bungalow into something much more liveable for their growing family. Over the course of four years, the couple undertook two separate renovations (one cosmetic and one structural) while adding three babies and a Labrador puppy into the mix. What a ride!

“We did both renovations while I was pregnant and/or managing a newborn. I must be crazy!” says Alice, who is currently on maternity leave from her marketing role at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), but has always had a passion for interior design. It’s an interest that complements her husband’s work as an architect in his business Mileham, which focusses on residential renovations, knockdown/rebuilds and new builds in Sydney.

The bungalow was in pretty original condition when Alice and James bought it, save for a little 1990s-era extension at the back. They decided to move into the home and get to know it before making any changes but within six months, had removed myriad internal walls and undertaken a full cosmetic renovation at the front of the home. “We only did the front part of the home as we knew we would eventually knock the back down. For 18 months, we lived in this gorgeous house at the front while stepping out the back was like stepping into a time warp!”

The home followed the usual California Bungalow layout, with many large, disconnected spaces. “In the 60s, people started adding things on the back of these bungalows. This original house was a typical rabbit warren style with room after room and people in the past didn’t care so much about indoor/outdoor living,” says James, who has since ensured that the house flows beautifully out onto the back yard.

The renovated home features a two-storey extension at the back and now features three levels. The lower level has a wine and rumpus room while the middle level has a kitchen, outdoor terrace, powder room, three bedrooms, family bathroom, laundry plus both casual and formal lounge and dining areas. The third level features two bedrooms including a master bedroom and ensuite.

The original home featured rough stucco over masonry walls as well as external shingles which have since been replaced with James Hardie Linea weatherboard – a material that features on the back extension too. “This ensured there is a consistency of materials between the old and new,” says James.

And while the home has a breezy, Hamptons-inspired feel, Alice was sure to include a variety of fun fixtures and fittings to really put her stamp on it. There are Colonial-inspired rattan ceiling fans that you might find at Raffles in Singapore, lemur wallpaper in the powder room, black-framed shower screen doors and mottled gold bathroom fittings. “We got the tapware from Bunnings and sent it away to have it dipped to match the other aged brass finishes in the home which saved us about $5k. I also sourced the master ensuite cabinetry stone and brass knobs from Etsy and they are beautiful quality,” says Alice who ordered curtains and blinds from Blinds Online in another cost-saving move.

As for renovating as an architect, there were many tense moments – especially with Alice experiencing self-confessed hormonal fluctuations throughout her pregnancies. “Here’s my wife Alice thinking she’s the client and I’m the architect. She kept forgetting that I’m half the client as well!” says James who had to balance creating a home that was reflective of his work whilst working as a functional family home too. “I’m proud of what we’ve created, and Alice is continuing to add to the décor to make it feel more like a home. It’s satisfying that we’ve created a beautiful home for our kids to grow up in.”

Photography: Phu Tang

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Home renovation expert advice: BuildHer Collective’s top five tips – The Interiors Addict

While COVID-19 has changed our lives in so many ways there’s no doubt that the focus on our homes has never been greater. Re-examining how we live in our homes,…

Tags architecture, California Bungalow, interior design, interiors, renovating, renovation, sydney

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California Bungalow given beautiful new lease on life by design experts

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date July 7, 2021
3 Comments on California Bungalow given beautiful new lease on life by design experts

Having renovated many California bungalows over the last 15 years, Melbourne based architecture and interior design studio Splinter Society has become something of an expert in the space. Characterised by wide corridors, deep front verandas and textured plasterboard, the bungalow lends itself incredibly well to modernisation, as demonstrated by the recently renovated family home that we’re bring you today.

The hallway from the original home at the front — The hallway from the original bungalow at the front

“Bungalows make great family homes, and this modest renovation, designed to celebrate the simple joys of suburban life, is no different,” says Splinter Society’s Asha Nicholas. Making as much use of the home’s existing layout as possible, they added a north-facing extension to the side. “It cuts along the site, creating a distinct triangle to re-orient primary spaces to the north,” adds Asha.

Created with a robust natural materials palette including timber, concrete and stone, the new extension is designed to withstand the wear and tear of life with a young family. “The house is indestructible for the owners’ young children and will grow with them over the years,” says Asha.

But perhaps the most striking thing about the renovation is its nod to Japanese design – clean vertical timber panelling features throughout, most notably in the kitchen and dining space. The overall effect is clean and modern yet warm and timeless.

The centre of the space, the kitchen features a central timber shelving element suspended from a bulkhead. Aside from adding visual interesting, it also increases storage while connecting the kitchen and dining zones; both of which spill out to the backyard to create quite the urban oasis. “The architecture promotes constant connection to landscaped gardens and carves away ample outdoor spaces to allow for exercise and safe areas for the children to play.”

Photography: Mitch Lyons

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Real reno: Melbourne Bayside bungalow’s modern makeover

Located in a heritage overlay precinct within the Melbourne Bayside suburb of Hampton, this weatherboard Californian Bungalow was overhauled recently by the talented team at Bask Interiors. “We were restricted as…

Tags architecture, California Bungalow, interior architecture, interior design, melbourne, renovating, renovation

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Hard to sell house transformed into forever home

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date May 6, 2020
2 Comments on Hard to sell house transformed into forever home

A savvy husband and wife real estate agent and interior decorator duo picked the street before they picked this home. And although they planned to flip it, once they started renovating, they soon knew it was going to become their forever family home.

“We picked the street before we picked the house, after inspecting a house for sale in a nearby street,” says Amanda Smythe. “We liked the feel of this street so my husband called on some real estate contacts to see how often homes came on the market. They told him that one had been on the market for nine months and not sold and that if we knocked on the door the owner might be receptive.

“We looked and whilst it was very dated (think original California bungalow at the front with a nineties extension at the back) I knew I could do something exceptional with it. It is elevated, north-facing, and flooded with light. After a previous buyer resurfaced and a bidding war ensued, the house was ours.”

It was easy to see why the home on Sydney’s popular Lower North Shore had stayed on the market for so long with its dark timber, blue walls, floral curtains, and a large previous reno, which wasn’t appealing to today’s buyers.

“It also had no parking and the main bathroom (that all five of us used for five years) is now the powder room,” said Amanda, who has three children aged eight to 16.

“Our initial thoughts were that we would renovate and flip it in a relatively short period of time. However, over the five years we ended up living in it pre-renovation, we fell in love with the block, the street and the area.

“It’s a leafy cul-de-sac where everyone knows each other, we are in and out of each other’s houses and the kids are best friends and spend their weekends running from house to house. So, by the time we were ready to undertake the reno, we knew we were going nowhere!”

Only one room in the house remained structurally untouched in the 18-month renovation project. The couple drew on their extensive knowledge of property and decorating when choosing the finishes.

Amanda adds: “We knew we wanted a classic style that would stand the test of time, that was slightly coastal in feel (though no shells in sight); what I like to call contemporary Australian coastal. Drawing on light timbers (engineered oak floors), white walls and natural textures to complete the look and feel of a laidback, airy abode.

“It also had to be practical and hardwearing for a busy family of five. I implemented the advice I often give to my clients, in that you can have a beautiful house with young children that is still functional and liveable.”

They wanted the house to reflect their taste and style with light colours and natural textures, and, in an increasingly technology-driven world, they wanted a large focus on nature within the house as well as outside.

“We wanted the feel to be light and airy and provide as much as exposure to nature as possible. This can be seen especially at the updated rear of the house, which is north-facing, with floor to ceiling windows that look out onto an elevated leafy district view and receive an abundance of natural light all day long. We also invested in the highest quality double glazed glass for improved energy consumption, requiring less heating and cooling.”

There are plenty of open spaces so the family can enjoy the outdoors without being in the backyard all the time, and the transition between indoor and outdoor living is seamless, with them doing plenty of entertaining during the summer months.

“What other buyers saw as old and tired and too much hard work was my inspiration, ” Amanda says. “The result is a contemporary Australian family home that is much loved and a joy to live in.”

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Photography by The Palm Co and Emmy Etie Photography

Tags amanda smythe design, australian contemporary coastal, California Bungalow, forever home, lower north shore, reno

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Real reno: flipped floorplan works wonders on California bungalow

Post author By Jodie Bowker
Post date February 11, 2015
No Comments on Real reno: flipped floorplan works wonders on California bungalow

Buying their 1929 California bungalow in 2002, it took Jennifer French and her husband Ian a whole decade to complete their renovation. But looking at the finished project, it was certainly worth the wait!

“When we bought, we knew we would renovate but it took us about five years to employ some architects,” explains Jennifer. “They came up with so many things we hadn’t thought about. We were just going to update the kitchen and take out a wall, but they were thinking so much bigger. So it then took us four years to finally decide to do it! I’m married to an accountant so the shock of how much everything cost had to sink in with him!”

Taking off two fibro 1070s additions and rebuilding in the same area — but with a larger footprint — the three-bed, one-and-a-half-bath home became a four-bed house with four toilets (one ensuite, one bathroom and two powder rooms), a studio, formal and informal living rooms and a dining room.

The biggest job was definitely the transformation of the kitchen and dining area, creating an open plan living space that had previously been lacking. “We took out the adjoining wall between the kitchen and TV room, and put the kitchen where the old TV room was and the casual dining room where the old kitchen was. We then added another room for the TV room. We really opened up the floor plan, as originally they had all been individual rooms and the kitchen had four walls. Now the kitchen is completely open and goes out onto a covered deck, perfect for entertaining.”

Situated in the Sydney suburb of Roseville, the original property had standout architraves and skirtings and ornate bedroom ceilings. Jennifer wanted to stay true to the house’s design. “Our brief to the architects was that we wanted the house to look like it had always been in this format; that the additions weren’t just tack-ons. So we matched the architraves and skirting boards to the existing ones, stained the four different types of timber floors the same dark colour and gave all the bedroom ceilings (bar the master) the same ornate design.”

While the renovation was the result of 10 years of preparation, the actual construction only took seven months (but then another two years to do all the gardens and painting!). Jennifer and Ian did a lot of the labour themselves, painting the whole house inside and out, as well as picking the finishes, fittings and colours. Even so, the whole reno wasn’t cheap, costing around 60% of what they paid for the property. Yet while they have no plans to sell, the current market value is about two and a half times the original purchase price, meaning the project is sure to have been a fine investment.

Having done multiple personal renovation projects herself, Jennifer also runs her own interior decorating and colour consulting business, Inside Out Colour and Design, where she helps others with their renos.

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Tags California Bungalow, design, extending, gardening, Inside Out Colour and Design, interiors, Jennifer French, landscaping, real reno, reno, renovating, Roseville, sydney