PRODUCTS
Feature Projects
Modern History.
Set amongst a quiet suburb in Brisbane’s north west, This 1920’s bungalow style home set out to integrate own personal design ideas with careful consideration of the homes original front façade.
34 Banksia Ave, Ashgrove was a renovation in a Character Control Precinct. Brisbane City Council had strict requirements that the design was to retain the Kentish Gables on the front roof and that the front façade must remain a rendered finish as it was flanked either side by rendered houses of a similar age.
The clients, a newly married couple wanted a house that would suit their future family and the house was on a reasonably steep sloping block with a back outlook over a reserve a beautiful mature trees. The block had double street access from Banksia Ave and also Woonga Drive.
The original house was on stumps with only one living level and a miss match of enclosed verandas and an unfunctional floorplan.
Today, stand in the street and the house appears as a cultural replica as intended, a short front path that leads up to a front porch and traditional stain front door – step beyond and it’s a different story. The home has evolved into a double storey house with 4-5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 2 living areas, study, laundry, large kitchen and optional theatre room. Ample storage has been created on both levels.
One of their most important requests was the construction of a separate “Granny Flat”. This building become a 2 storey structure with a double car garage under on the lower Woonga Dr level and once the back yard had been filled the living section of the Granny Flat was just 2 steps higher than the back lawn and serves as an entertaining area over looking the pool or back up accommodation for guests thus becoming a 6th bedroom within the premises.
The exterior of the homes utilises a variety of materials, including LOSP primed pine cladding, external handrails, arches and decking chosen to suit existing style of the home as well as meeting the requirements from Council.
To the passing observer, this home frontage doesn’t indicate the vast space inside - an uplifting unification of art, nature, a clever embellishement of space and a rewarding juxtaposition of modern and period signatures.
The interior of the house has a predominantly more modern look, with modern cons such as Cbus, and inbuilt vacuum system, a laundry chute, square set cornices in the main open areas and colour back glass. Polished brush box flooring features throughout the home and compliments the hardwood exterior decks.
If there is a dominating design feature in this project it is surely encapsulating in the lounge and its brilliant marriage with the outdoors.
The house incorporates environmentally friendly features such as ceiling fans, vented eaves, large bi-fold doors and windows, sun and wind activated awnings, louver windows, low energy lighting and a large (35,000lt) underground tank and watering system.
When asked why the use of Finlayson’s product, Nick Higgins, HG Homes explains:
"HG Homes has had a working relationship with Finlayson’s for the past 17 years. HG Homes is a family business specialising in renovation of character and architectural homes."
"As a Builder I appreciate the fact that I have been able to communicate with the same Sales Representative (Andrew Turner) and a lot of other support staff over those 17 years. This really is a credit to how the business operates."
"Other Hardware stores have consistently quoted against and promised better service but I have never had a relationship with any company that is as strong as with the Finlayson family business. Their envirowood joinery is of the highest standard and often specified by architects and owners that I do business with."
Nick added "Finlayson provide a fantastic service to all my clients, personally showing them through all aspects of the building process from choosing door handles to front door selection, and the Green Room is a must see for all renovators."
In its entirety this home is somewhat of a design feat – partly demolished and reborn for modern ethos, yet crafted so as not to disregard the heritage in which it was born.
Winner of SE QLD Master Builders Home Renovation/Remodelling Project $401,000 - $1.5 million
Winner of SE QLD Master Builders Kitchen of the year
For more information on this project:
Builder - HG Homes - Nick Higgins
P. 0419 713 619 E. hghomes@bigpond.com