Dulwich Hill Rear Extension

At the back of a period house in Dulwich Hill, a new extension brings the kitchen, dining and living spaces together in one room that opens straight onto the garden.

The front of the house keeps its original character: a long hallway with ornate cornices, deep architraves and timber floorboards, ending in a short flight of timber stairs to the back. [Greg: roughly when was the house built, and what was at the back before?] The owners wanted [Greg: what did they ask for – more room, a better link to the garden?]. [Greg: were there any council or heritage constraints, and was it a Development Application (DA) or a Complying Development Certificate (CDC)?]

The extension is one long open room: the kitchen and island bench at the house end, then dining, then living, with the garden beyond. One side is a full-length wall of face brick in mixed tones, left exposed, against polished concrete floors and plain white walls and ceilings. The garden end is nearly all glass – a wide black-framed sliding door, glazing that turns the corner, and a tall, narrow louvre window. A deep flat-roof overhang shades the glass. [Greg: is the brick recycled, and was the level above part of this project?]

The kitchen, dining and living areas now share one room, with the garden in view from the kitchen bench. With the doors pulled back, the concrete terrace and lawn become part of the room, and the established tree screens the back of the house. [Greg: is there a line from the owners we can use?]