This new house in Russell Lea has been constructed next door to the owner’s previous home of 27 years. The residence is efficiently laid out with central stair and lift access from the garage/workshop/home theatre area downstairs to the open plan living spaces and landscaped backyard above. The house is compact but spacious and filled with natural light from expansive north-east facing highlight windows and an internal courtyard. Various energy efficiency measures include a full solar panel array, 10000L underground rainwater tank, hydronic underfloor heating, double the minimum required insulation, double glazing in key areas, and motorised blinds and louvres to control sunlight.

The kitchen layout has been designed to hide the necessary items of equipment and instead present a joinery pod to the living space. The laundry doubles as a bar/servery during parties and large family gatherings. The front façade is expressed with a cedar base which hides the garage door and leads visitors into the entry foyer, and an oversized window frame which forms nearly the full front elevation of the first floor, cantilevering over the entry and framing the master bedroom and ensuite behind. 

Architect Mark Szczerbicki Design Studio

Photography by Tom Ferguson