This pocket-sized Sydney terrace had one big thing going for it - a south-facing corner position. It gave architect Simon Anderson the key to designing its renovation.

Built in on three sides, skillful siting was the key to a new 7-star home in Melbourne.

With seemingly little going for it in terms of orientation or space, architect Shaun Carter turned to the site’s stepped levels to drive this ambitious renovation.

Architect Nathan Crump has designed a modernist, and modest, home for his family with a breathtaking view over Hobart.

Like many home renovators the owner/designer of this semi-detached had to juggle a set of competing demands, not the least being a fixed budget. Her solution was to focus on the simple ambition of bringing the northern light in to where it would be most appreciated.

When architect Luke Middleton transformed a grand 1920s Arts-and- Crafts-era property designed by Harold Desbrowe-Annear into a six-star entertainers’ home for his client, he tied old and new together using a sculptural ribbon fascia. It’s a striking but practical device inspired by the deep, exaggerated eaves of a designer Middleton describes as ahead of his time.

The striking coloured side wall of this worker’s cottage in Brisbane gives a large hint that this is no standard renovation. Inside, the absence of walls creates a flowing internal layout that embraces the outdoors yet has the option to bunker down when required..

Winner of two AIA (WA) awards, this renovation of a narrow, rundown cottage in inner- city Perth shows that more space doesn’t have to be the answer to improved liveability; it’s more about reconfiguring what you have.

Driven by the wish to live more sustainably, a Melbourne family has undergone a two-year project to transform a “renovator’s delight” into a highly efficient, individualistic home.

The central idea for this two-storey addition was inspired by Japanese courtyard houses that are, like this Sydney cottage, tight for space.