Though it’s hard to believe, this is part of a cottage. On the street, the house still appears as a character home, while at the back, the new extension – which doubles space for the owners and adds light and views of the green valley it overlooks – is a different story. It has a retro-influenced vibe with floor-to-ceiling glass and parquet floors. The two are undeniably distinct forms yet are connected through their materials and roof lines. White-stained weatherboards and off-white aluminium joinery fit comfortably alongside the existing material palette of the cottage. In the addition, two pop-up roof elements with windows have a pitch that matches the angle of the existing cottage roof. Everything flows as one, thanks to the builders’ skills and attention the detail.

The dark little house has grown into a three-bedroom, two- bathroom 205sqm home with two living spaces. The addition is loosely arranged as a square. A quarter has the main bedroom and ensuite; another has the sunny kitchen and dining space, which connects to the lounge quarter on the diagonal. The final quarter is a deck recessed into the corner of the house and connected by sliders. The reworked floorplan of the cottage created two kids’ rooms, a bathroom and a living room with a home-office. Sustainable features include roof- water storage for use in the house and garden. This is a sterling example of how to blend old and new.