Houzz Tour: Addition Preserves Original Postwar Beach House
A wood-and-glass box atop an Australian beach shack captures ocean views while blending into the bush
“A couple of years ago, [the owners] showed us around their beautiful beach shack and asked us how we could add a clear and elevated view of the ocean without demolishing, damaging or dominating their beloved shack,” says Andrew Maynard, co-director of Austin Maynard Architects. The firm’s answer was to craft a wood box that hovers independently above the existing house, on Australia’s southeastern coast. Set back behind the ridgeline of the original shack, it’s designed to weather and merge back into the bush landscape.
The elevated addition contains an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area. It sits atop a wood structure that accommodates the master bedroom and walk-in closet. The original house was tidied up and painted; little has changed otherwise except for the old kitchen being transformed into a bathroom and laundry.
The size, scale and positioning of the wood box and its substructure are sympathetic to the original home, so as not to dominate it.
The new living space is behind the ridgeline of the old house. Lightweight polycarbonate clads the infilled space below the heavy wood structure without adding mass.
Exterior paneling: silvertop ash shiplap, Timber Cladding Melbourne; polycarbonate cladding: Lexan Thermoclick, Ampelite
Exterior paneling: silvertop ash shiplap, Timber Cladding Melbourne; polycarbonate cladding: Lexan Thermoclick, Ampelite
The new wood box is a large open space with a kitchen, living and dining area accessed via a spiral staircase. It has a northern and eastern exposure, and the open space allows for unimpeded lines of sight through the room.
Although the couple asked Austin Maynard Architects to capture the views, they also wanted to create a space not solely focused on the vista. “What could easily have been a white plasterboard box full of downlights is, instead, detailed and well-considered,” Maynard says. “It’s a space that has character and responds to the seasonal changes and hours of the day.”
A palette of three materials creates a unified and harmonious space that is warm, welcoming and meticulously crafted. “In doing so, the interior does not fight for attention with the view,” Maynard says. Silvertop ash lines the walls, floors, ceiling and kitchen cabinetry, and is punctuated by black steel and studs. The black stone backsplash complements the steel and wood.
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A palette of three materials creates a unified and harmonious space that is warm, welcoming and meticulously crafted. “In doing so, the interior does not fight for attention with the view,” Maynard says. Silvertop ash lines the walls, floors, ceiling and kitchen cabinetry, and is punctuated by black steel and studs. The black stone backsplash complements the steel and wood.
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Set against the southern wall, with views north and east, the wood-clad kitchen is an integrated component of the interior space.
The lighting is evocative and controlled, so it doesn’t compromise the view.
Suspended fireplace: Bathyscafocus, Oblica; browse other modern fireplaces
Suspended fireplace: Bathyscafocus, Oblica; browse other modern fireplaces
Maximizing windows for views without compromising thermal efficiency can prove a challenge. Austin Maynard Architects achieved this by using double-paned windows with thermally separated frames.
A hood above the northern windows shields the interior from the summer sun while achieving optimal passive solar gain in winter. Full-height windows slide open for sea-breeze ventilation.
The Passive House: What It Is and Why You Should Care
A hood above the northern windows shields the interior from the summer sun while achieving optimal passive solar gain in winter. Full-height windows slide open for sea-breeze ventilation.
The Passive House: What It Is and Why You Should Care
A spiral staircase joins the new addition to the infilled space and original beach shack below. As with the upstairs, the interior of the first floor is exceptionally well-crafted, with silvertop ash lining boards, flooring, hardwood portals and beams. The exposed bolts and plates are well-considered.
Staircase: Enzie Spiral Staircases; laminated cypress structure: Durabeam, Laminated Timber Supplies
Staircase: Enzie Spiral Staircases; laminated cypress structure: Durabeam, Laminated Timber Supplies
Click image to enlarge
The master bedroom and walk-in closet are located in the structure beneath the wood elevation. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with a laundry) and a second living room in the original house.
How to Read a Floor Plan
The master bedroom and walk-in closet are located in the structure beneath the wood elevation. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with a laundry) and a second living room in the original house.
How to Read a Floor Plan
Austin Maynard Architects carefully removed the existing exterior wood decking and relaid it inside. Newer wood boards were laid outside where, exposed to the weather, they create a cohesive continuation of the deck.
“As a result, the weathered timber floor inside appears as though it was always there, with the structure seemingly having been built around it,” co-director Mark Austin says. “It further retains and emphasizes the charm of the original postwar timber beach shack.”
“As a result, the weathered timber floor inside appears as though it was always there, with the structure seemingly having been built around it,” co-director Mark Austin says. “It further retains and emphasizes the charm of the original postwar timber beach shack.”
The couple originally envisaged the area beneath the addition as a recreation room. However, they loved it so much that they decided to make it their bedroom.
“We added heavy curtains and huge sliding doors so that the space could have as much light and openness as they wanted,” Maynard says. “They can leave it open on a moonlit night and sleep with the sea breeze rolling in, or close it up and curtain it into darkness for cool summer afternoon naps.”
“We added heavy curtains and huge sliding doors so that the space could have as much light and openness as they wanted,” Maynard says. “They can leave it open on a moonlit night and sleep with the sea breeze rolling in, or close it up and curtain it into darkness for cool summer afternoon naps.”
The ivory-colored brick walls and flooring have a creamy, textured look and feel, while the fireplace adds warmth and glowing color. The polycarbonate lining allows for an abundance of natural light.
Architectural concrete brick in ivory: Adbri Masonry; fireplace: Chimenees Philippe
Architectural concrete brick in ivory: Adbri Masonry; fireplace: Chimenees Philippe
The master bedroom opens to the outdoor deck area and is linked directly to the old house via sliding doors.
Seen here, the deck is a place for the family to spend time outside in the sun.
There is a large rainwater tank that collects water used for the toilets and garden. Whenever possible Austin Maynard Architects hired local craftspeople and used local materials.
How to Harvest Rainwater for Your Garden
How to Harvest Rainwater for Your Garden
In addition to the passive solar design and sustainability initiatives used throughout the house, the most sustainable factor is that the existing home was retained.
“It is irrelevant how sustainable you make a new house if you knock down an existing structure,” Maynard says. “The carbon debt in the demolished house takes many decades to repay.”
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“It is irrelevant how sustainable you make a new house if you knock down an existing structure,” Maynard says. “The carbon debt in the demolished house takes many decades to repay.”
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple and their two teenage sons
Location: Lorne, Victoria, Australia
Size: 2,411 square feet (224 square meters), including an addition of 1,033 square feet (96 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Architect: Austin Maynard Architects
“The shack is located in bushland near the ocean along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, and it contributes to the popular imagery of the area,” Maynard says. “In the postwar period, many Australians aspired to own a bush or beach shack in addition to their suburban home, but today, sadly, we see the steady demolition of the modest and humble shacks.”
These owners instead chose an addition that preserved the beauty and history of the original house, but reworked it for a modern lifestyle.