Going Up.

Murray and Lindsay had lived comfortably in their typical single level three bedroom character bungalow in Onehunga for some time. However now that they had two young sons and parents from the UK who wanted to be able to visit and stay with their grandchildren, the house was starting to show its shortcomings.

The Brief

The brief from Murray and Lindsay was to add more bedroom space, a second living area and to provide the visiting grandparents with their own master suite where they could live comfortably when they came to stay.

They were also keen to ensure the renovation project maintained the character and street appeal of the existing house.

The Solution

Due to site coverage restrictions, an extension off the existing home was not feasible and, with two growing boys needing plenty of outdoor space, Murray and Lindsay weren’t keen to compromise on the size of their garden either.

Adding a second level meant the whole footprint of the existing house could be used to fulfil the brief. The design included a spacious master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite along with two generous sized bedrooms and a family bathroom upstairs. Whilst downstairs, the reconfiguration of two rooms, provided the space for the stairwell, a home office and the eagerly sought after second living area.

The house has nearly doubled in size and is now a spacious 4 bedroom home with two living areas, 3 bathrooms and home office.

The Challenges

• As a single level timber framed house, it wasn’t built to withstand the weight of a second storey so additional bracing needed to be installed. We took the approach to minimise the amount of steel in the construction of the second level so that the number of point loads in the walls of the existing house could also be decreased. We were also careful to select the correct type of bracing to reduce the disruption to the existing wall linings which meant lower plastering and painting costs.
• To ensure the exterior of the new second storey worked in with the existing house the designers looked for design elements that could be replicated. The large bay window at the front of the house was a direct result of those efforts and we installed traditional cedar shingles to make it look authentic.
• The layout and routing of the plumbing pipework for the new bathrooms on the upper level was a challenge. The building code does not allow flooring joists to be cut out to make way for pipes otherwise the structural integrity of the framing is at risk. As we were building above existing ceilings we were unable to hang the pipes under the joists as you would normally, so a lot more thought and planning had to be done to find an alternative solution.

Murray and Lindsay are thrilled with their newly renovated home. It now ticks all the boxes. When their visitors from the UK stay with them for several weeks at a time, everyone has their own space. Many friends and neighbours have also commented that the house looks like it has always had two levels – the time and effort to get the design right has paid off.