It’s hard to believe that this elegant home in Brisbane’s bayside is virtually a new construction, so easily does it sit in a neighbourhood of old Queenslander homes. But although its bones were tired and in many places broken, it has been resurrected from ruin to take on a new lease of life through the vision of its owners and building company L.A.K. Constructions.
A magnificent view induced the owners to purchase the property to renovate – but structural deficiencies meant that of the original Queenslander home all that was left to work with was some roof framing, the floor of the old house and a couple of walls. In addition, the site was steeply sloping so retaining and terracing the site before work commenced was essential – and costly!
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Over a period of ten months of painstaking construction, the house was recreated and updated to conserve the period features, while creating a modern home in terms of facilities and comfort. The house was extended at the rear to increase the area of the living spaces upstairs, and at the front the verandah was extended and wrapped around on the left hand side of the house to create a more balanced appearance from the street.
Downstairs, three bedrooms, a bathroom, living room, wine cellar, storage, a laundry and a double garage were added, but only after the house had been moved 500mm sideways – given that the site sloped and the existing foundations were problematic, you would need nerves of steel to even watch the process!
After all that, what the owners have is a magnificent home which looks the very picture of a classic Queenslander, but which delivers modern comfort in a period setting – and they have the rear living areas which open out to the view and provide an ever changing picture of the many moods of the bay. A project like this one brings with it a hundred headaches and massive satisfaction. As Luke Kruberg, owner of L.A.K. Constructions says “Renovating is a huge job not only for the builder but also the client. It’s our job to make the process easier and less stressful by being able to work with the client and provide valuable advice, based on our experience.” Using tried and true suppliers and cabinet makers, Luke has delivered a modern, practical interior which allows the view to take centre stage. A spacious deck opens off the living room and the kitchen, and glass balustrading ensures that the view from here is floor to ceiling.
Bedrooms and bathrooms are elegant and understated – as indeed is the whole house. A double sided gas fireplace warms the library and the living room – what could be more welcoming on an unpleasant day than the comfort and warmth of a fireplace? And that sums this home up – it is a renovation which has saved what was a lovely old house and made it new and welcoming while keeping all the character detailing. As Luke says “ Restoring and adding to original Queenslanders is something we are very passionate about. These homes are unique and require a great deal of vision, care and attention to detail.”
Project Partners
- Archiscape
- Edge Concepts
- Edge Tile + Stone
- Maytain Cabinets
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