Home Improver

March 24, 2016

Home Improver

This article originally appeared on October 8, 2006 in The Age.

SURROUNDED by a sprawling garden, the potential for this two-bedroom home in Ashburton is limitless. In his Archicentre Design Concept, architect Andrew Czapnik seeks to reconfigure the dysfunctional interior of the vintage weatherboard and extend it with a contemporary-style concertinaed living area.

Out front, veranda piers and a charming bay window give the house a welcoming facade. Inside, Mr Czapnik focuses on taking the rooms up a notch and making them a little special. For example, the existing living area becomes a master bedroom with its own bay window and, by knocking out part of the south wall, it gets an ensuite and a walk-in wardrobe.

He eliminates the walls between the two bedrooms and creates a new north-facing lounge and dining area. And by keeping the existing fireplace he separates the two areas and creates a two-way fire encased in glass, or a converted, recessed shelf to showcase artefacts.

Mr Czapnik rebuilds the east wall to the boundary, gutting the kitchen area and fitting it with a bedroom and a central family bath and powder room. The demolition of the existing rear porch and laundry makes way for new construction, including a study, a much needed storeroom, a bedroom and a major kitchen/living/laundry extension.