Chatfield House

Chatfield House, designed by Altereco Design, is a character-filled inter-war weatherboard cottage with a playful materials palette that draws from a workers cottage scheme.

This is by no means a large house: three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living area at the back. But Altereco Design made the house extremely functional with versatile spaces during the day and through the seasons.

When Altereco Design first walked into their client’s house, the first thing noticed was that the windows were quite small.

And even though it had a north-facing frontage, it was cold and dark inside the main living room.

The two bedrooms were accessed off the living and kitchen rooms and the bathroom was situated awkwardly off the back porch.

So it just wasn’t a very comfortable house to live in and had no connection with the backyard.

Even though it had a double-fronted facade, the front entry porch entered directly into the living room, resulting in no central corridor through the house.

So separation and zoning of the spaces was problematic.

For a family of three, this house didn’t require a lot of additional space, but it definitely needed a lot more light, far more comfort, and a connection to the backyard.

Altereco Design’s strategy was quite simple: separate the living areas from the bedroom areas, and try and get as much light into those living areas as possible.

This resulted in a separate new side-entry that linked the two zones.

And this side entry resulted in a small central courtyard, providing a generous north facing window to the living room.

Altereco Design selected native Australian hardwoods, zincalume wall cladding on the exterior, and a paired back internal palette with an exposed concrete floor balanced with warming timbers and brass tones.

The light-filled open plan living, dining and outdoor entertaining area operates as the heart of the home, highlighted by an introduced central light passage and generous raked ceiling.

A series of intimate nooks are dotted through the home and framed by generous windows to allow for adaptive spaces to gather for moments, and potentially read a book in solitude.

The materials palette was not only considered to stand the test of time, but to be healthy and have a low impact on the environment.

Some of the key elements included non-toxic paints, native FSC Certified timbers, and natural fibre carpets.

Beauty and practicality were key attributes to the Altereco Design client brief.

But the design also had to provide a high performance solution to the existing envelope and the rear extension.

The existing weatherboard envelope was re-insulated to enhance thermal comfort and the rear living and dining space was constructed upon a waffle slab with 8 star wall and ceiling build-up.

The Altereco Design scheme maximised passive solar principles, allowing natural ventilation during summer and north facing windows to ensure solar gains during winter.

Altereco Design credits their clients for wanting to minimize their footprint and prioritise and maximize the efficiency of their home, which empowered them to execute high-performance features.

Some of the sustainability considerations for this project included:

Energy

All electric home, heat pump hot water, single split system to new living zone, ceiling fans and electric radiators to bedrooms.
Decommissioned the gas connection.
Existing solar system with the capacity for future expansion.

Insulation and Airtightness

7 walls, R2.5 timber floors, R5+ ceilings.
No lighting or power penetrations into the insulated envelope.
Sealed window & door openings.

Water

Stormwater collection from new additions, primarily for use in gardens.

Building Materials

Sustainably sourced and FSC certified hardwoods for timber cladding, decking, posts, and beams.
VicAsh timber doors and windows with Low E coated double glazing.
Low-VOC internal finishes, concrete sealant, Dulux paint, E0 joinery carcasses.

Altereco Design’s work on Chatfield House will age with character through time.

Project Details

Project Size – 141 m2
Site Area – 372 m2
Project Budget – $550,000
Completion date – 2020
Building Levels – 1

Project Team

Building Designers

Altereco Design

Altereco Design is a boutique building design practice creating beautiful and functional homes in Melbourne’s leafy suburbs and throughout regional Victoria in Australia.

They draw inspiration from the site and surrounding environment. Natural materials play a big part in their ethos, along with efficiency, sustainability, and practicality.

www.altereco.net.au

Photography

Jade Cantwell

Jade Cantwell is a Melbourne-based architectural and interiors photographer.

www.jadecantwell.com