Architect Jamie Sormann snapped up a tired townhouse because he knows good bones when he sees them.

An architect’s own home is often used as a testing ground for ideas, as was the case in this new build in inner-Brisbane. Equally important, however, was affordability and that meant keeping it simple.

When architect Lisa Cummins helped her partner renovate a chilly Brunswick cottage, she was careful to improve light, space and comfort without emulating the over-development surrounding them.

When the owners of a turn-of-the-century Fremantle terrace called on architect Philip Stejskal to update their home, their brief was simple but challenging: inject northern light, storage and space.

With little going for it except its inner city location, this Victorian terrace needed some serious work. Architect David Boyle’s brilliant redesign creatively employed a number of tricks to solve some fundamental problems.

An old bungalow on a great plot in inner-city Auckland has been transformed by architects McCoy + Heine into an expansive home for two siblings and their young families.

Hidden from view in the heart of the city, a new home is encouraging us to rethink sustainable residential design, and to start right in our own back gardens.

With views towards the Melbourne city skyline, this new tri-level high spec family home is designed for 21st century living.

Take a heritage-listed house on a 330- square-metre inner city block and create two sustainable dwellings to house three generations of a family. It must be child-friendly, have enough space for a vegetable garden, off-street parking for one car and plenty of bicycles, and offer privacy for the occupants — from the outside world and each other.

When the owner of a weatherboard in Marrickville, Sydney, wanted to renovate she had to face a tough decision. The house was too frail to add onto, but the block was large, so she decided to team with architect David Boyle to build not just one but two houses.