Blue Door Cafe

Corlette St, Cook Hill

This project was the winner of the 2015 HIA-CSR Hunter Housing and Kitchen & Bathroom Awards for the category Renovation / Addition Project up to $250,000.  The renovation and addition took the best parts of a Victorian weatherboard cottage and transformed it into a stylishly elegant and modern home.  Original floorboards, two fireplaces and stain glass windows were fused with contemporary wallpaper, colourful backsplash, gloss kitchen cabinetry and sleek light and bathroom fixtures.

The renovation created an indoor-outdoor connection for entertaining guests and uniquely rebuilt the small garage to an open carport cum additional outdoor living space. Buildsmart Constructions led the team of savvy clients and trusted subcontractors to ensure high quality finishes gave the project a ‘wow factor.’  We were thrilled to help the clients add significant value to their home with it selling for an additional $550,000 immediately after the renovation than it was bought for two years previously.

Bull St, Cook Hill

This renovation and second storey addition entailed a complete ‘gutting’ of the existing dwelling, retaining only the heritage-significant façade. The second-storey addition included a master bedroom, walk-in-robe, and ensuite whilst enabling the kitchen and living area on the ground level to receive lots of additional natural light. This contract was one of several cost-plus projects for the same client.

Brooks St, The Hill

This project took place over two phases. The first phase included the addition of an outdoor deck and associated living area. The second phase included a loft conversion and a bathroom, laundry, and ensuite renovation to the lower level.

Buildsmart were very proud of our workmanship on the custom concrete and timber staircase, which we offered to build for the clients after the stair contractor was unable to complete the stairs in the clients desired time frame. Buildsmart also installed a solar-powered, remote controlled skylight over the kitchen bench.

Hill St, Carrington

A project both designed and built by Buildsmart Constructions, we are thrilled that this custom built home was the winner of the 2018 HIA-CSR Hunter Housing and Kitchen & Bathroom Awards in the following categories:

• Custom Built Home > $500,001 to $600,000
• GreenSmart Sustainable Home
• Residential Building Designer

This two-storey family home with separate office achieves a surprising amount of living space on its 10.5 by 25.5 metre, flood-zoned block in Carrington. The home achieves:

• maximising solar passive design principles to indoor and outdoor living areas
• a thermally efficient building envelope
• incorporating solar and battery storage and aiming for a net zero energy building
• maximising privacy from close-quartered neighbours
• incorporating as much recycled and low environmental impact materials as possible
• ensuring a sufficiently sized and smartly designed garage to enable storage of a large amount of the owner’s business equipment, and
• ensuring all habitable areas were 1 metre above the ground level to comply with flood zoning requirements

Clarence Road

This project entailed a large, modern two storey addition behind the existing cottage front. The cottage was completely renovated and all finishes and fittings were high quality.

Swan St, The Hill

This project involved lifting the existing house 1 metre using specialised equipment, and building a new living level underneath. It was important to the clients that from the street front, the house retained its original Victorian cottage charm. However, the new lower level addition and the upper level renovations have a modern, industrial-chic aesthetic

The lower level includes a new kitchen complete with butler’s pantry and a cast-in-situ concrete bench, finished by the hands-on client, powder room, laundry, living area and separate activity room behind the stairs. The upper level has three newly lined and painted bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an office.