Leith Architects retained the original Enoggera cottage and added a light‑filled 113 m² extension, linking old and new with a courtyard and bridge to restore indoor‑outdoor connection while keeping scale and budget in check.
Retention over demolition: the existing 197 m² cottage was converted into the children’s wing and rumpus, avoiding a full rebuild.
A 113 m² rear extension contains main living, kitchen and parents’ bedroom, joined to the original house by a central courtyard and bridge that bring light and cross‑ventilation into the plan.
Design choices—mid‑century palette, cork floors, raked ceilings, terrazzo and stainless steel—balance warmth and durability while keeping the build efficient for a family of five.
# Project snapshot
Location: Enoggera, Brisbane (Turrbal + Yugger Country)
# What was the brief
A family of five wanted a home that supported Brisbane's pattern of indoor‑outdoor living without erasing the existing post‑war cottage. The clients asked for light, open, generous spaces but within a modest budget. They preferred keeping the original cottage because it was in good condition and had potential.
# The design move
Leith Architects kept the existing weatherboard cottage and reconfigured it as the children's bedroom wing and rumpus. The new intervention sits at the rear: a 113 square metre extension that contains the main living areas, kitchen and parents' bedroom.
A central courtyard and a bridged entry mark the junction between old and new. That gap is both spatial and environmental: it pulls fresh air and natural light into the house, improving ventilation and strengthening the indoor‑outdoor relationship that the original layout lacked.
# Materials and palette
The team used a mid‑century inspired palette to bridge the eras. Key materials include:
These choices were selected to be visually cohesive while meeting family durability needs and budget constraints.
# Spatial strategy and flexible rooms
The existing cottage remains modest in scale, which keeps the street presence intact and the overall project lighter on cost and intervention.
# Environmental and practical considerations
The courtyard and bridge are environmental devices as well as spatial ones: they draw cross‑breezes and daylight into both wings. Retaining the existing structure reduced demolition waste and kept embodied carbon associated with a full rebuild to a minimum, while also lowering costs.
# What's next
Stage two of the work will update the original bathroom, add a carport and install a pool—an important lifestyle feature for Brisbane family life. These follow‑up stages continue the approach of small, targeted interventions rather than wholesale replacement.
# Why this matters locally
Beyond its beautiful facade, this 1904 worker’s cottage in Lilyfield was a dark labyrinth. For homeowners Dean and Fran, the challenge was to open up the home without losing the original details that tell its story. Working within strict heritage constraints, architects Adam Higginbotham and Michiru Cohen of Michiru Hi
Interior designer Carlene Duffy took one look at the ‘drab’, grey interior of this Currumbin home on the Gold Coast and knew she could turn it into a welcoming, colour-drenched abode. Armed with a bold palette of ’70s ‘Australiana’ tones, she amped up the cosy factor — adding a reading nook, custom bench seat, and laye
Melbourne-based architects CARD have a reputation for doing more with less, often helping clients with modest budgets unlock the untapped potential of their homes. This latest project in the city’s inner north, dubbed Thornbury Eucalyptus House, is no different. See how a series of clever, cost-effective strategies hel
Tucked into the backyard of her family’s Newcastle home, artist Madeline Jovicic has put a cool-girl spin on the traditional ‘granny’ flat. Described as a little bit Scandi, a little bit Japanese and a little bit retro, the 50-square-metre home pairs butter-yellow joinery with playful pops of colour, glass bricks and c
The Melbourne family home of architects and founders of We Are Humble, Kim Lai and Tom Orton, might be one of the most unique studio apartments we’ve ever seen. After buying two off-the-plan apartments inside a new Neometro development in Brunswick, the couple worked with architects MA+Co to combine them into one sweep
Once an abandoned piggery, now a fine example of elemental architecture, The Makers Barn goes to great lengths to honour its agricultural origins. Borrowing its robust pitched roof from the nearby Tudor cottages—and clad with vertical larch planks—the barn cuts a utilitarian silhouette against a meadow of tall grasses
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.