The House of Yellow

The House of Yellow is the result of a highly serendipitous crossing of paths. Clients who had long wanted to do something special with their quickly deteriorating mid century home had tried on multiple occasions to find the right team to guide them through. Having struggled to find a design team or builder who appreciated the home the way they did, they attended a local home expo and were quickly directed to The Mill’s booth. On introducing themselves, multiple connections were quickly realised and a level of trust was established that allowed the family to take the leap of engaging The Mill to design a considered renovation of their much loved home.

Originally built as a Pettit and Sevitt Low Line, common across the east coast of Australia in the 1960s and 70s, the house had been extended previously but was in dire need of maintenance and updates to allow it to continue in a more modern world. The kitchen, laundry and bathroom were all in need of updating, and the ensuite had become unusable. The original timber fascias were rotten and collapsing, and the roof no longer drained adequately.

As the home had ample space, the renovations were to focus on improving thermal comfort within the dwelling. During the first site visit, the Mill team were instantly enamoured with the original details within the home, including highlight glazing, feature timber panelling and yellow doors (yes, they were original!). The biggest issue facing the home, after the overdue maintenance, was the lack of natural light to the living areas, and the team set about convincing the family to agree to removing an enclosed sunroom used primarily for storage. The sunroom, whilst original to the design, was positioned on the northern side of the house and blocked solar gain to the living and dining rooms as well creating an overall sense of disconnection to the beautiful gardens beyond.

Most people renovate homes to add more space, and advice to reduce the footprint is often a difficult to idea for a client to accept. The owners of the house of yellow were given plenty of feedback from friends that they were crazy to take away space, but we are so very grateful they took the leap of faith that allowed us to open up a disused space to the winter sun, fresh air and garden beyond. The removal of the sunroom has introduced much needed light and warmth to the interior of the home, and provided a new, far more usable space as a deck with pergola. The addition of retractable shade will only increase both the usability of the space and the performance of the dwelling.

The final project, delivered with great care for our mid century legacy, saw a reduced footprinted home full of natural sunlight, warmth, and an interior as playful and welcoming as the garden around. The new roof and improved insulation levels, combined with the rooftop solar array, mean the house is now net positive in terms of energy production and usage.

Builder: Vdara Constructions

Photography: Kasey Funnell Photography