Extension is invisible from the street

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How do you add modern functionality without ruining a traditional street-facing facade? Here's one approach
Story by: David Renwick
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Kitchen, dining and office all share one space ceiling, dining room, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, table, white
Kitchen, dining and office all share one space
Kitchen, dining and office all share one space ceiling, dining room, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, table, white
From the street, it's hard to imagine there's cottage, facade, fence, home, house, neighbourhood, plant, property, real estate, residential area, road, tree, walkway, black
Extensive use of timber create a log cabin architecture, cottage, estate, facade, home, house, property, real estate, blue
The new kitchen features expansive hardwood floors and countertop, dining room, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, real estate, table, wood, wood flooring, gray
The bedroom – located in the older part bed, bed frame, bedroom, ceiling, daylighting, floor, furniture, home, interior design, real estate, room, suite, window, wood, white
This study area opens out onto the deck architecture, ceiling, daylighting, estate, floor, flooring, home, house, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, window, white
The lounge faces the large glass doors ceiling, estate, floor, hardwood, home, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, white

Architect: Mark Lam ArchitectAbout the project (text supplied): Invisible from the street, the stealth house is an extension to the back of an existing post war weatherboard home in West Footscray.

The brief for the project was for a larger living space for a growing family and their art and furniture collection. The angular cut to the pitched roof creates the feature form which is reflected in the shape of the deck.


From the street, it's hard to imagine there's cottage, facade, fence, home, house, neighbourhood, plant, property, real estate, residential area, road, tree, walkway, black
From the street, it's hard to imagine there's anything behind

The form maximises natural light from the north and east to the living spaces. The bulk of the materials are reclaimed or recycled.

The owner and builder is a highly skilled furniture maker and the results show in all the meticulous timber finishes to the home.

Dec 01, 2017
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