Architect David Hartree has designed his own family home, undertaking a major renovation of a 1950s house in East Fremantle.

architecture
Before

After

There were a few things the architect wanted to achieve in this personal project:

Create agile spaces for the family (including teenage twins)
Ensure the house can adapt to harsh climatic conditions
Celebrate salmon brick
Maximise views to Fremantle Harbour
Deliver the project on budget

In response, Hartree decided to remove the roof of the existing home and graft a new level on top which would host the primary living spaces and the master bedroom. This includes the kitchen, which features the best views in the house.

“Like most families we connect around our kitchen and food, however with a narrow frontage, locating the kitchen in the position with the best views seemed controversial at the time,” says Hartree.

In future, this level will become the parents’ “apartment”, leaving the ground level to the children.

This level has been stripped back and re-organised to create living spaces that engage with the landscape and views, as well as the passage of the sun and breezes. The entry gallery also connects elements of the home to the street, extending through the “gatho-room” to the verandah, succulent garden and pool.

“We enjoy looking out to the organic form of the swimming pool; set amongst the succulents it seems to respond to nature. I’m also pleased to have achieved a pool that is safe without the visual imposition of a pool fence,” says Hartree.

Experiments with low cost and no maintenance materials/landscaping were a signature of the project, adds Hartree, who feels that sustainable design principles should be a basic requirement for all buildings. And after all, “who has time to maintain a house and garden on the weekend?”

PRODUCTS/SUPPLIERS

Builder: Hollycrest Construction
Aluminium Joinery: Westec Doors & Windows
Tiles: Original Ceramics
Lighting Design: Flynn Talbot
Light fittings: Lighting Options Australia
Security: Intelligent Home
Carpentry: Wayne Rogers Timber
Stone pavers: Absolute Stone
Miele induction cooktop
Issey Sunshades
Danmar Garage Doors
Admiral Air
TGI Steel Fabrication

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