No design and construction project is without its challenges, but when your brief is to take a heritage listed building and modify it to meet the needs of today’s modern family, challenges are aninevitable reality. Perhaps that is why this Tallwood Homes project in North Fremantle is so special. Despite the considerable challenges the resulting home is impressive in every way. A delight to its owners and to the industry, who awarded it the HIA WA Award for Renovation / Addition Project of the Year.

In the homeowners’ eyes, everything about the project was successful, from start to finish, “From the first minute of meeting Alex and his Tallwood team our gut told us that these were the builders to use and our gut was proved right, time and time again,” said Matt and Nancy Clarke, who felt it was largely Tallwood’s passion and enthusiasm that resulted in such a beautiful yet practical home. The Clarkes were full of praise, going on to say that Tallwood had, “an instinctive feel for building beautiful things, a work ethic rarely seen, excellence and an ability to handle all those involved with tact and consideration without ever sacrificing the vision. The result has been a journey that, thanks to all those involved and particularly Tallwood, we have loved.  More importantly, the result has been our incredible home which, as a living and breathing thing, reflects not only those within it but those that built it for us.”

This revered home is now a seamless combination of old meets new. Modern touches include the polished concrete floor while the recycled red brick driveway and gorgeous tessellated tiles give a nod to the past. An open and modern kitchen brings the home up to today’s style of living and the entire ground floor is bright and open thanks to the large curved sliding door out to the Alfresco. And while modern features such as home automation and intercom systems have been added, the shell of this home remains a Heritage Listed Building fitting of its location in historical North Fremantle.

From the front, this older home in Cottesloe retains its traditional charm, barely giving away the fact that a spacious and ultra-modern addition has transformed the rear of the home. This now modern beauty was created by Tallwood Homes and was named a finalist in the HIA WA Award for Renovation / Addition Project of the Year.

While the original home was given a face-lift with new fixtures and fittings, tiling and paint, it is the new addition to the rear that steals the limelight. The open plan living area incorporates the new modern kitchen, dining and lounge and features an in-ground spiral cellar with glass trapdoor access and a suspended Fireorb that serves as both a design feature and as a source of heat the room. Floor to ceiling frameless Skyframe panels and doors open out to the large Alfresco and provide a view to another of the home’s highlights, the swimming pool. Its large feature glass side panel adds an extra touch of fun to this stylish family home.