2002: Roberts Victorian Cottage
Renovation, Motueka.
UPDATED 24 September 2003
See Also Awards Page for Roberts Cottage MBF 1st Place 2003
Having owned this old and tired
cottage for somtime as a rental property, the Roberts approached me first just for some
advice on what to do with the house. Being keen on preserving our housing heritage, I was
able to expound the potential that this old girl still had and explain how a full
renovation with new north facing living additions would make this house into a home with
renewed charm and character, while sporting all the conveniences for modern living.
Existing house from SE, note the ugly
front porch added in the 1930's (from the look of the windows). The Original veranda is
completely gone and the friezeboard (or bracketboard) has been stripped of brackets and
covered with fibre cement sheets. The little awning window was probably added about the
same time as the porch.
Painters still working and landscaping still to do but otherwise all
"tickety-boo" See a little further below for rear view photo.
Photorendering from SE. Bay window to east side of house kept, new bullnose
verandas wrap around the street facing (front) side of the house, Frieze board with new
decoration and a completely new lean-to at rear (north) consisting of Lounge, Dining,
Kitchen and Laundry, replaces the old lean-to shown below.
These old lean-to buildings were be
demolished to make way for the new additions shown below. The remaining 4 room cottage
contains 3 bedrooms with the 4th room extended under the veranda and converted to
bathrooms.
These additions were made as large as
possible but so as not to be out of proportion with the remaining 4 room cottage. Being of
Lean-to construction (for economy) it was difficult to achieve appearances in-keeping with
the Victorian/Edwardian Cottage/Villa style. I suggested therefore, that so long as
materials were matched and traditional timber joinery used, the additions were valid as
they could have been built like this as additions soon after the original house was built.
A Clerestory/Dormer above the dining room adds light and relief to the low
ceiling line.
North East view as proposed, Kitchen in
foreground.
North East view as completed (apart
from some tidying up and Landscaping) The two masts in the foreground are to be erected at
either side of the extended deck and will support overlapping shade sails.
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