Staying in Fitzroy

• Construction: 8 months
• Builder: Aztec Builders
• Photography: Yvonne Qumi
• Location: North Fitzroy

This project was a renovation to an existing worker’s cottage. The client has lived at this location for about 20 years and has developed a strong sense of community and connection to the local area. For this reason the client had decided to renovate this tiny cottage rather than sell and move away from the area she had grown to love.

The site was very small – only 4.1m wide x 24m – or about 90 square metres and the condition of the original dwelling required considerable work. Due to the proximity of neighbours + the various local council issues, such as heritage and rescode standards, we needed to consult widely to gain support for the project. Contrary to many experiences with town planning the neighbours supported this project as a way to ensure the client could remain at this address. The approach to the renovation was to make the most of the original rooms so as to minimize the disruption to the fabric of the original building.

The proportion and scale of the new work takes its lead from the existing dwelling so that there is a connection between the new + old sections of the house.