Urban

A renovation of an inner-city Sydney terrace by its architect owners, Peter Rush and Heidi Seemann, has produced some surprising results working with only a minimal budget and the existing bones of the house.

It’s not often an architect is given completely free rein when it comes to designing a house, but an interesting St Kilda subdivision in Melbourne’s inner south offered Fiona Winzar just that. Her playful response to a small, park- side site so charmed her clients they decided to sell their existing home and move right in.

With a south-facing rear, one of the key challenges for architect Christopher Polly in his renovation of a cramped, dark, single-fronted terrace was to get more light into the house. The solution to this and all other aspects of the design was to fully realise the potential - and be bold.

Architect Viv Faithfull and his partner Anna, veterans of several home renovations overseas, were determined to build a sustainable showcase from scratch when they settled in Melbourne four years ago. After one false start they found the answer to their prayers in a subdivided site down a nondescript back alley.