Oatley House is a bayside family home transformation that is complemented by a new separate garage, granny flat and pool house on a site that falls about 15 metres from street frontage to the river frontage at the rear. Owner Anita’s brief outlined the need for spacious accommodation for an energetic family of three young children, with the granny flat planned for future use by grandparents.

To avoid significant costs and potential environmental risks often associated with steep aspects, careful retention and adaptation was an early priority.

The design approach pointed to a narrative respectful of the existing original structure, while addressing the potential intergenerational needs of the owner’s family. With river frontage maintained by the existing home, the new build extended up the slope to create a series of interconnected pavilions under a unified roof system. 

Notable changes were managed during construction without delays to the building timelines. The first was to create a granny flat atop the garage. The dining room and kitchen were moved from the first floor to the inviting views over the sparkling pool, just perfect for entertaining dinner guests year-round.

The challenge of building on an existing structure meant using as much of the existing floor plan, including window locations. On the lower ground floor, two new bedrooms were placed in an area with an existing raised floor and lower ceiling height, while locating the children’s playroom where the existing floor level was lower to give a spacious high ceiling. The middle (ground) floor has the family living room, study and three bedrooms, while the entry and another living room on the top (first) floor captures the best river views and also views of the pool and cabana further up the hill. 

An efficient new room layout within the original home utilised space-saving overlapping staircases. Northern sunlight drenches the west-facing first-floor family room via a large highlight window tucked under a skillion roof. 

The interior colour palette complements the exterior, with a combination of light grey tiled floors, paired with fresh white walls, stone benchtops, and timber flooring, adding texture, warmth and earthiness to the open, sun-filled kitchen and living areas. Constructed with bushfire rated materials, the external surfaces feature fibre cement cladding boards, sandstone walling and metal deck roofing.

Privacy from the southside neighbours was addressed through thoughtfully placed screens and strategic placement of the windows. The creation of courtyard spaces between the new pavilions, including the dining/living room wing, strengthened the connection between the indoor and outdoor areas while creating a welcome retreat in the home.

Oatley House is a functionally elegant response to a site with significant level changes to achieve a cost-effective integration of old and new, created for the enjoyment of generations to come.