Roseville
Alteration & Addition
Recognition: Winner 2010 Master Builders Association Young Builder of the Year
Architect: Design Confidential
Year Completed: 2010
Project overview: The owners of this home were determined from the onset to create a family home that complimented the original house, without the addition appearing obvious. The challenge was to seamlessly blend the existing structure with the new and resurrect the existing internal structure by bringing it into the 21st century.
Our first challenges arose during excavation. The site was previously filled and not compacted making the soil conditions virtually impossible to work with let alone pour a suspended slab on. The weather wasn’t helping either, with rain battering the site for almost 2 weeks straight, restricting the machinery from further activity.
The first step was to source a brick that match the existing. After several consultations with a representative from the brick company and the clients, we finally agreed on a batch that consisted of mixed bricks that needed to be laid in a particular ratio to achieve the same consistency of the existing brickwork.
The bricks had come from different suppliers and from different states resulting in a 9 week delay in brick work. This then changed the dynamics of the project.
Determined to get the clients in before Christmas, we decided to pull the scaffold down, so that we were able to continue with the ground floor extension, then erect for the scaffold for the second time to continue with the brickwork.
Once the brickwork had started, we needed to ensure the bricklayer was mixing the bricks correctly otherwise it would create concentrated spots, and inevitably ruin the entire project. To add to the challenge every wall had a different mix ratio that needed to be established by counting brickwork. All sills and headers had to match .This required onsite brick cutting that took almost 2 weeks.
Site access was extremely difficult with the project located in a small cul-de-sac with limited parking and a very tight turning circle made receiving deliveries and trades a challenge in itself.
The elevated site also posed difficulties in maintaining sediment runoff. This meant daily upgrades and maintenance of sediment control barriers were vital.
Once we had successfully completed the brickwork we advised the clients to re-point the existing brickwork to match the new. We also matched the timber window section and replaced all the old terracotta roof tiles.
The client had decided to run with idea of a vaulted ceiling in the new family room which we had pitched to them earlier. This called for a redesign in the structure of the roof , calling for steel beams and threaded rod that ran through the cavity to tie the top plates down.
The result was a fantastic addition and interpretation of the existing 1920’s house that was transformed to meet the clients growing needs and create a wonderful modern home behind a historic façade.
We are extremely proud of this home and hope it is what you are looking for in a winning project.
Client Testimonial
quality and performance of Micrah Projects in the successful completion of our major
renovation project.
We have undertaken a number of renovations in the past, but this latest project was by far
the largest and most demanding of which we did not fully appreciate until construction
commenced.
One of the biggest contributors to our successful renovation was the hands-on Project
Manager of our project who demanded a high standard from his staff and the tradesmen he
engaged. His attention to detail and attitude that nothing was too much trouble made
dealing with the typical day to day building issues very easy and relatively stress free.
The Micrah Projects team were very approachable and we valued their opinion when
working to resolve any issues we had during construction and the director of the company he was able to make immediate decisions with our consultation on any matters. This personal approach not only assisted the building timetable but enabled us to have a full appreciation and input into the building process and agreement on any cost variations.
Our place looks great and we just love our kitchen and family room. The overall finish is a
much higher standard than that of friends who recently undertook a similar renovation (with
a different builder) and the whole place flows beautifully.
We would have no hesitation in recommending Micrah Projects to others planning any
building renovations. We are delighted with our finished product thanks to Charlie and his
professionalism and would happily use Micrah on our next building project.