A modern house with glowing interiors and warm wooden decks overlooks a lush green yard with a large tree and a swimming pool in the foreground, at dusk.

Fairfield House

Project type - Alteration and addition

Transforming a Queenslander into a theatre-like space for the drama of growing up

Built in the early 20th century, this Queenslander house suffered the usual problems: tacked-on additions and uncovered decks that were not very useful and had a poor relationship to the landscape. The family wanted to create more functional space, celebrate the existing poinciana tree in the back garden and encourage their young children’s love for performance.

Instead of building under the home, we designed a compact extension that concentrated the ­family’s activities in the north-facing garden around the poinciana. The addition contains a new family area and main bedroom. Both are carefully proportioned and have soaring pitched roofs that enhance the generosity of space and promote a strong connection to the garden and new swimming pool. Behind the bedroom is a storage area, walk-through robe and ensuite bathroom, where the owners can open the doors of the shower to the garden. 

The timber floor is elevated just off the ground to embody a sense of lightness and provide a stage for the children. Lightweight fabric eaves are attached to the roof and slender metal poles to block the high summer sun. The eaves are dappled with the shadows of the poinciana during the day and form a lantern-like effect at night.  

A contemporary elevated house with a sloped roof and wooden facade, featuring an open bedroom through large glass doors, set amidst a sunny, lush garden and framed by a large tree.

New bedroom with translucent fabric eaves.

 
A minimalist modern bathroom features white subway tile floors, a long floating wooden vanity with a white vessel sink, a glass shower, and a large louvered window revealing green foliage outside.

The new ensuite. The towel rail extends through the door. The glass shower doors have solid louvres, should a little more privacy be desired.

 
A man stands on a wooden platform built around a large tree in a sunlit green backyard, with a modern house featuring white siding and wood accents visible behind him.

The additions were carefully placed around the old Poinciana tree, oriented to the north for winter light. Tree shadows come through the lightweight fabric eaves.

 
A modern building corner features a light-colored overhang dappled with leaf shadows, textured brown vertical panels, and clear ribbed transparent walls, set against a blurred green natural backdrop.

Detail of the polycarbonate and western red cedar cladding. The eaves are of translucent fabric to allow dappled light through the Poinciana tree.

 
A person reads a book on a cushion by expansive windows, connecting a bright modern room to a lush backyard with a treehouse and an adjacent bedroom.

New parents' retreat in bedroom with a view over the garden.

A modern home features an open white bathroom with louvered walls on the left, contrasting with a wood-paneled exterior and large glass doors revealing a bedroom and a person walking on an outdoor deck.

View from the east. Ensuite to left, new bedroom at right.

 
“More than most it embraces the change of season, particularly summer when the surrounding poinciana erupt in red bloom and the seasonal rain fills the creek-bed, inviting bird life to linger longest here.”
— Michelle Bailey, Green Magazine
A modern house with large glass windows and an angled white roof overlooks a green lawn where a dog runs towards a swimming pool, while a woman looks out from a bedroom and a large tree frames the left side under a bright, cloudy sky.

View from the north. The new additions open up for northeastern light and admire the old Poinciana tree. Ground level has been raised to meet the existing deck with a new lower deck and generous 'theatre' stairs.

 
A contemporary home with warm wood and white paneling features open glass doors leading to a wooden deck and grassy lawn, beneath the canopy of a large, leafy tree.

Junction of new living area (at left) with the old house at right. The ground has been adjusted to allow a comfortable height between the old part of the house and the new ground level. The wide stairs allow for casual use.

 
 
Monochrome view of a raised house with a prominent staircase leading to a front porch, set amidst a grassy yard and dense foliage.

 Old house pre-renovation from the east. The existing ground was lifted to get a much better flow to the garden, allowing the balustrades to be removed.

 
A black and white view of a raised timber house with a white-railed deck and stairs leading to a grassy yard, framed by dense, dark trees.

View of the old house pre-renovation. The new additions were worked around the old Poinciana tree in the foreground. The back garden becomes a 'theatre' for family living.

Floorplan (existing shown in grey).

Routines.

 

Team

Tim Bennetton, Simon Martin and Sophie Sachs

Collaborators 

Builder: Albury Projects
Sheet metal: Studio Steel
Cabinetmaker: Des Shields
Awnings: Creative Canvas and Blinds

Year Built

2016

Location

Fairfield, Brisbane

Country 

Turrbal and Jaggera peoples 

Press 

Green magazine 

Photographer 

Shantanu Starick

A minimalist white house with a winding driveway is nestled on a sun-drenched, tree-covered hillside, with long shadows cast across the path by tall native trees.

Get in touch

Every project starts with a conversation. We’d love to hear what you’re planning, whether it’s a new home, a renovation or just an early idea.

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