Caristo House
2004 Wan Country / Croydon, NSW
This project consists of substantial additions to the rear of an Inter-war bungalow – one of a set of five heritage-listed houses, located at the end of a cul-de-sac, in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Croydon. The owner loved the existing bungalow, but felt that the cramped living spaces did not meet his needs, and did not take advantage of the backyard and the protected northerly aspect.
Our approach was to leave the existing bungalow intact and add a new and overtly contemporary living/dining/kitchen and bathroom/laundry space to the rear. Our inspiration came from the existing fibro lean-to kitchen and veranda at the rear of the house. We lifted the roof to catch the ample winter sun and formed a new expanded, rethought fibro addition.
Council wanted the rear addition, not visible from the street, to be detailed to match the existing house. But our client and heritage consultant agreed that in order to respect a heritage building, and in accordance with the ICOMOS Burra Charter, new work should be overtly new, not a poor imitation of the past. We argued our case with council, and succeeded in having our design approved.
Simple principles of passive solar design are employed – hot summer sun is excluded from the interior by the deep north-facing roof overhang, while warming winter sun is invited deep into the living space by the roof that tips up to the north. The dark vitrified tiled floor absorbs the winter sun – making the interior comfortably warm with minimal use of active heating systems. An otherwise slick white interior is tempered by the use of timber panelled joinery and primary coloured niches in the kitchen island-bench and splash back. The owner did a remarkable job in building the project himself, with a great team of tradesmen.
Published
Houses Issue 44
Domain Sydney Morning Herald, July 2005
Project Team
Sam Crawford, Jolyon T Sykes
Builder
Owner
Consultant Team
Heritage Consultant – John Oultram
Hydraulic Engineer – DP Consulting
Landscape design – 360 degrees
Land Surveyor – Rygate & Co
Quantity Surveyor – Jonathan Cave
Structural Engineer – Dennis Cowell
Council
Inner West Council
Photographer
Brett Boardman