In a quiet backstreet of North Bondi, Mather Beere Architecture has transformed a compromised family home through strategic removal and careful addition. The project centres on a prefabricated Cross Laminated Timber volume, craned into place above the existing structure — a response that restores light, reinstates connection to the garden and accommodates the needs of a growing family.
The existing house’s rear addition blocked natural light and severed access to outdoor space. Its removal was fundamental to the project, reconnecting the dwelling with the garden and restoring openness throughout. The site descends a full storey from street to rear boundary, allowing Level 1 living spaces to open onto an elevated west-facing terrace while the northeast-facing garden enjoys optimal solar access throughout the day.
The new upper level takes the form of a simple extruded gable that echoes the original footprint, maintaining a respectful dialogue with the existing architecture. It’s strategically recessed from the primary façade to form a private terrace off the master bedroom, bordered by integrated planter beds that mediate views and enhance privacy. West-facing windows are protected by steel plate hoods, while to the rear, bedroom windows are deeply recessed behind planters to soften the built edge. Operable blackbutt timber screens provide both solar control and visual privacy.
The reconfigured layout accommodates multiple living areas, four bedrooms anchored by a generous master suite, a dedicated home office, gym and wine store — a diverse and flexible program shaped around family life. The original entry sequence has been retained, with a landscaped courtyard garden leading to the front door. A straight-run stair delivers occupants to Level 1 living areas, where a new double-height void connects the primary living zone with the upper floor. A sculptural staircase, paired with a vertical south-facing window and a skylight above the Level 2 hallway, introduces filtered daylight into the heart of the plan. A glass floor panel below the skylight further animates the kitchen and central spaces with shifting light.
Architecturally, the new upper level is expressed as a timber-clad volume, contrasting with the robust masonry base. A tactile palette of white-painted ribbed timber cladding, rough-rendered walls, slender steel detailing, blackbutt timber window frames and travertine crazy paving lend warmth and material richness. Internally, the beachside character continues with a restrained palette of oak and terrazzo flooring, blackbutt timber joinery and natural stone, establishing a cohesive dialogue between form, materiality and context.
The project demonstrates that thoughtful intervention need not be wholesale. By identifying what to remove, what to retain and where to add, Mather Beere Architecture has delivered a home that feels both considered and responsive—anchored to its coastal context while accommodating the practicalities of contemporary family life.
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