Beam me up
FINDA TRADIE
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Display The Kirra 236 by Montgomery Homes covers all the bases 12
Gardens The jobs you need to do now to be ready for lazy days 18
November 26, 2016
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It can be hard to imagine ways to redesigna semi-detached home when a neighbour shares one wall.
But architect Fadi Fadhil not only createdan innovative semi-detached design, he has built a home perfect for his own family.
Fadi and his wife bought their house in original condition back in 2007 and lived there for several years before deciding to change it. There were originally two bedrooms downstairs and two on the upper floor, although the home was quite compact.
Fadi says they had been coming up with ideas for their home since they moved in, but it was only two years ago that he started working on it in earnest.
Considering it was a semi, the block the house sat on was quite large at 370sq m, and it gave them scope to increase the footprint.
Taking a wider viewIn the end, Fadi decided to knock down much of the old house and start again.
“Nothing was left except the front room facing the street, the flooring and footings,” Fadi says. “Everything else was rebuilt.”
That included removing the entire upperfloor, which was a considered decision.
“We started everything again to widen thebedrooms and we extended the back as well,” Fadi explains. “The roof also had to have a completely different configuration, both on the ground floor and the first floor.”
They extended the side of the house by 2.5m and into the backyard by 6m, as well as adding a 3.5m deck.
Fadi says they wanted a big and open-planhouse, so they arranged their kitchen, dining and living space to overlook the backyard.
The downstairs level now has a bedroomfor the couple’s eldest son, along with a study,
An architect’s own home offers a blueprint for reinventing semi-detached designs, writes Jennifer Veerhuis
Going halfway to paradise
OwnersArchitect Fadi Fadhil, hiswife and their two sons
Architectcreativespacesarchitects. com.au
The problemA semi-detached home in Chatswood that lacked light and space for a family of four
The siteA relatively large blockfor a semi, at 370sq m
Design solutionTo demolish the upper floor and extend the footprint downstairs with a new deck and open-plan living space
How long did it take?12 months
P R O J E C TThe new first floor opens up to the north, letting in light and releasing hot air via louvred windows.
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bathroom and the main living space.The upper level, built from timber,
blueboard and timber cladding, includes their younger son’s room and parents’ suite.While the backyard faces west, northern sun streams in through clerestory windows including louvres on the northern side.
“In summer regardless of how hot the upper level is, once you open the louvres it takes the hot air up straightaway,” Fadi says.
Heavy metalOne of the most complicated aspects of the project was creating the steel structure needed to support the home.
The steel starts at the party wall that separates the two semi-detached homes, and it goes up, taking the shape of the roof, coming down at the other side of the house.
“The steel structure is massive, it’s a big span without any columns at all,” Fadi says.
“I took the design to three or four steel fabricators and they said it was too hard,” he says.“I finally found one who took the job.”
The stairway was also replaced with a suspended version, which has become a stylish feature in the home.
Construction of the house took about a year and the family now love the new light-filled home, including the new deck and swimming pool in the backyard.
“It’s a really good size now,” Fadi [email protected] Willem Rethmeier
tipUSE LOUVRED WINDOWS
TO DRAW HOT AIR UP& OUT OF THE HOUSE
IN SUMMER
Bathroom, laundry and pool tiles Di Lorenzo Tiles, dilorenzo.com.au Doors and windowsTrend Windows and Doors, trendwindows.com.au Joinery J L Group Joinery and Interior, jlgroup.com.au Kitchen Degabriele Kitchens, degabrielekitchens.com.au Spotted gum timber flooring Sydney Flooring, sydneyflooring.com.au Timber cladding North Shore Timber and Hardware, nst.net.au Timber decking and stairs in spotted gum Sydney Timber Supplies, sydneytimbersupplies.com.au
T H E S O U R C E
The stylish bathroom(above) balances light
with the need for privacywhile extensive use of
timber beams in the open-plan living area (right) adds
to the sense of warmth.
