‘The architect came back to me saying, “Where is the rest of the block I need to achieve all this?” Tom laughs. However he achieved all this, and more, by utilising three-storey design on a tapered footprint that follows the site’s boundary line to maximise internal space.
The 18-month build began with demolition of the existing 1940s-era cottage, followed by major excavations for the basement level. Tom and his team met a few challenges that can be typical to urban construction; all solvable, he jokes, with ‘time and money’. Significant water ingress that appeared during the excavations was addressed through design reconfigurations (rather than installing a sump pump), to make the house completely self-draining. Additionally, ‘because of the incidence of water and the narrowness of the block, all the earth started falling in from the neighbouring homes, uncovering their footings. So we got the engineer back in…shotcreted all the sides and put temporary retaining walls on the boundary lines.’
From the outset, Tom’s motivation was to build a home that he himself would love to live in. As a second-generation builder who spent his childhood on his father’s building sites, learning the various trades, Tom has a true passion for his craft. He thrives on the creative freedom of building spec projects; unrestrained by clients’ wish-lists and budgets. ‘It’s my painting,’ he says. ‘I immerse myself in the home as if I’m going to live in every room and every space.’
To that end, every element of this home was lavished with care and attention to detail. Constructed ‘the old-fashioned way’ from double brick and suspended slabs, it offers a surprisingly imposing street presence, with its dramatic, angular roof projection and a 7.5-metre blade wall. The three storeys unfold invitingly all the way up to a rooftop terrace with views that extend out to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (The separate studio, accessed from the rear lane, is separated from the main house by a lengthy stretch of lawn.)