Elwood Bungalow: a Modern Build with a Classic Facade
Build Date
May 2021
Location
Elwood, Victoria
Architect / Designer
Branch Studio Architects
Value
$1.16M
The ambitious dream that sparked this inner-city Melbourne build was the owners’ desire to preserve their classic Elwood bungalow’s double-brick shell. So, the home would look the same as always from the outside, but the interior would undergo a complete rebuild to create a perfect contemporary space for modern family life.
However, complex site conditions – namely Elwood’s characteristically soft, swampy soil – and the original structure’s compromised integrity, made for a serious return to the vison board.
Once MDC Building Group was on-site, and the interior of the building was gutted, it became clear that retaining the original exterior walls was structurally impossible without considerable work. In fact, it was necessary to demolish the entire home, apart from a three-metre-wide section of the front façade. Having this section intact, however, maintained the home’s familiar street presence, and its connection to its neighbourhood.
It’s hard to imagine telling a client that their dream isn’t going to look the way it did in their minds. But with clear communication, the offer of clear solutions and comparative costings, and an outline of the demonstrated advantages and disadvantages, it becomes easy for the client to determine which is the best compromise for them.
In this case, the clients were provided with the costings, process and timeline for working on the walls to make them structurally sound, as well as the costings to demolish the entire back of the house, create a new build incorporating the façade and including insulation in the walls.
With only an insignificant cost difference between the two options, the clients chose the new build, and the added warmth that insulation would bring to their Elwood Bungalow. With that decision, and the freedom that comes with not having a heritage listing on your property, came greater flexibility to select better and additional window placements and different external doorway options. The client was able to easily decide and happily readjust their vision, based on the benefits they could see to the result.
Then the technical work began. With the building gone, and ready to start the foundations, we discovered massive, concrete footings that had provided solid foundations on the swampy block for a previous structure. With no way to remove them, it was back to the drawing board for the engineers as well. Strategic connection points were identified in the old footings, which were reinforced, and the new slab was intricately tied in to ensure a solid foundation for the new build.
Then there were the technical challenges that came from needing to fit a lot of materials, equipment, machines and workers on a small block. One solution was for the roof line to be stick-framed on site.
Branch Studio Architects worked expertly to create the desired modern living space within the constraints of the bungalow’s original 144m² footprint. They utilised an internal loft design to feature four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two living areas in a compact, highly efficient plan that is surprisingly spacious.
The roof features a number of vaulted skylights to bring in abundant natural light.
The bungalow’s interior is pure craftsmanship. The custom build is defined by the extensive use of Polytec laminate board. It lines the interior walls, curving up toward the skylights to create a gallery-like atmosphere.
Those bespoke curves were achieved through precise on-site craftsmanship, which involved the careful layering and shaping of flexible plywood before the application of the final laminate finish. This refined detail is complemented with the natural warmth of raw brass handrails and trims. The finish will patina and evolve with the home’s occupants and the lives they live within the space over time.
While the owners’ original vision had to be amended, the home’s appearance was able to remain largely unchanged from the street. So it still presents a familiar face to those in its neighbourhood. And a detailed, technically sophisticated new build, defined by perseverance, innovation and elite craftsmanship has emerged from the demolition. Not the classic bungalow it used to be, but a beautifully evolved home and masterpiece.
