Janemount
Bordered on the east by a groove of mature beach and sycamore trees the house benefits from an unusually verdant setting in the city centre. This Victorian house was developed as a semi-detached house in the late 1800s. The south elevation of the house was designed in a symmetrical manner around a central brick chimney. Internally, the house has fortunately retained many of its period features including suspended timber floors on the ground floor, dado lines, plaster cornices, original internal doors, fireplaces and most importantly the main staircase which extends from the ground floor to the second floor. Our brief was to extend the living quarters for the property. A new extension to the rear is placed around a private courtyard. This courtyard serves to retain light in the main house, while also allowing a series of “long” views to be generated through the property from the living room to the rear patio. The new extension takes its proportions from the rooms of the original house. Therefore, the new extension and external spaces have a familiarity in scale derived from the internal rooms.
