Lindsay Street

This project involved a two-storey extension to a heritage home whilst the clients lived in the front cottage! Buildsmart sealed the cottage from the rear addition works and prepared it for living. After the breezeway, kitchen, living, master bedroom, ensuite, study and walk-in-robe extension and outdoor areas were complete, the existing cottage received a bathroom and laundry renovation.

The project uses a beautiful and calming combination of earthy-toned materials including recycled brick, timber windows and doors, polished concrete and spotted gum flooring and a feature staircase using folded sheet metal and spotted gum timber treads and cabinetry.

The client and architect wished to achieve a maximum 3 air changes per hour (ACH) with the air tightness wrapping details specified. A blower door test putting the extension under pressure showed Buildsmart achieved 0.69 ACH!

Stevenson Place

Another award-winning project, this East End renovation and addition gave an old terrace a new lease on life while still honouring its heritage beauty. Our amazing client, hand chipped and stacked over six thousand of the original convict bricks demolished from the rear of the existing terrace to be reused in the renovation.

The project has resulted in connecting the kitchen and living with the courtyard and improving access to natural light. The green roofs and lush courtyard create new views from the custom window seat, fixed glass roof and new balcony. The first-floor renovation adds additional space to enable an office to also be used as a guest room. A deluxe ‘outhouse’ also pays tribute to the past whilst providing a bathroom on the same level as the living areas and a structure to house the green roof.

Bruce Street

This project is an award-winning visual feast incorporating many sustainable design objectives. A large, recycled brick gable and perforated screen wall appears to hover out over the driveway.

Once inside, the colours, curves and textures create balanced and authentic spaces. A smooth, folded steel pink staircase and railing is the immediate head turner. Curved voids accentuated with pink fascias host large soft, round pendants hanging from vaulted ceilings on the first floor above.

Curved grey and white recycled brick walls and arched doorways stand against warm spotted gum floors. A forest green kitchen with an arch-shaped white stone island bench looks over to the courtyard with its round brick planter centred in the middle.

But the house is also designed to perform: high levels of insulation well above BASIX requirements, double glazed and timber framed windows mostly face north, air-tightness was a priority with the building fully wrapped with the best membranes, a heat-recovery ventilation unit ensures the indoor air is filtered but doesn’t lose heat. Water tanks are concealed under the deck and a hot water recirculation system avoids water wastage.

Bar Beach Avenue

Another award-winning project, Bar Beach Avenue was designed by the Architect-owner who was thrilled with the final result. The build was on a narrow site with under 6 metres frontage and required building the project to a shared boundary wall with the neighbour. Buildsmart Constructions is experienced working on challenging, inner-city sites.

New Lambton

This second storey addition and ground floor renovation was a finalist in the 2020 HIA Awards in a very competitive category.

The second storey has asymmetrical lines and black cladding, contrasting beautifully with the  original charm of the white restored cottage.

The indoor-outdoor connection is next-level with living spaces connecting to the beautiful plunge pool.

Cooks Hill Cottage

This second storey addition and substantial renovation was also designed by Buildsmart Constructions and was a project finalist in the 2020 HIA awards its renovation and addition category and also for the Residential Building Designer category.

The existing cottage is contributory to the Cooks Hill heritage area and therefore required a design to ensure the additions did not detract from the original, or ‘host’ building.

The design achieved this by hiding the second storey behind the roof ridge of the front miner’s cottage.  The addition also enhanced the availability of natural light to the ground floor living area and an upstairs bedroom, which could not have any windows due to the external wall being built on the neighbours boundary.

We worked with our client’s budget and environmental goals to remove and re-install the existing kitchen, the ground floor flooring and some lighting fixtures.

Newcastle St, Mayfield

The grandeur and enormity of this home transformation is evident with its huge raked ceilings to the rear extension. It’s the biggest kitchen we’ve ever done!! Our client is a baker who now has an amazing space for baking her amazing sweets.

Anderton St, Islington

The Anderton Street project involved preserving the best of the original 1904 weatherboard cottage and adding a modern second storey and rear extension.  The rear extension makes use of the previous side driveway and widens the house enabling a much more functional and beautifully finished open plan kitchen, living and dining. The kitchen and living opens onto a rear alfresco and landscaped area and a more functional driveway (accessible from a rear lane). The alfresco area is sheltered by a double-height void created by the cantilevered second storey. The exterior void is walled with timber louvres to let additional natural light into the alfresco area and the master bedroom, as well as providing the master bedroom views of a green wall. The second storey, barely visible from the street view, houses the master bedroom, ensuite and walk-in-robe. The original ceiling details were preserved and repainted and the wall panelling and fireplace were updated in a way that honoured the traditional cottage and also connected to the modern extension and addition.

Museum Cafe

Civic Digest