When the owners of this Edwardian villa decided on extensive renovations, they thought long and hard about the design of their home. They took their ideas to a draughtsman to draw up and to provide the construction drawings.
Once construction was under way and they were able to see their plans taking shape, it became evident that some of their design decisions were not the best, so they employed an architect to assess the design and suggest changes.
As the house was under construction, it was important that any new design had to:
- Involve minimal changes to any work already done
- Have a minimal impact on the progression of work
- Ensure work could continue even if council approval was needed for any of these changes.
Design changes suggested by the architect included:
- In the original design the stair to the upstairs main bedroom was accessible through the dining room. This made the dining room a circulation space with a cramped area left-over for dining.
- The revised plan moved the stair towards the back of the house between the dining room and kitchen. The dining room is now an elegant, well proportioned room unencumbered by circulation. Another benefit of moving the stair is that it would now be easy to convert the dining room into a fourth bedroom. Although not a requirement of the owners, the potential to do so will be beneficial for resale.
- By moving the stair, the lengths of the kitchen and family rooms were reduced. They are still well proportioned, however. The move also provided room for a small laundry under the stair, whereas the original design had the laundry in a cupboard accessible from the main hallway.
- The architect revised the layout of the bathroom; the new design showcases the new bath against a feature wall. It brings the bath closer to the fireplace and window, hides the toilet behind the feature wall and creates a generous-sized shower recess.
- The bi-folding doors in the family and living rooms were redesigned, their widths were made consistent. Fixed windows were added above each door to take advantage of the generous ceiling height and to relate to the proportioning of the existing windows in the front section of the house, thereby providing a cohesive design throughout.
Because of potentially unknown conditions, it is important to have realistic expectations when renovating. So it is smart to allow for a 20% overrun in budget and construction time.
It is recommended an architect be involved from the design stage. An architect should be able to take the needs of the client and, working within the limitations of the site, existing structures, council and building code requirements, as well as the budget, to create a living environment beyond the client’s expectations. \