Overcliffe Cottage was considered of heritage significance. It was also a dark little house with, thanks to neighbouring buildings, very little opportunity to enjoy the morning sun. A large post and beam structure built from timbers reclaimed from the Blackwattle studios in Glebe, and placed adjacent to the cottage, changed all that.

The success of this project was due largely to the collaborative design process with Shelley Penn.

I very much enjoyed working with Adam Howe from Bellevarde Constructions on this project.

Bill Hollick and Andrew Murray provided the special paint finishes. Steve Jory manufactured the windows and crafted the exquisite joinery.

In 2004, this house was toured as part of the ‘Sydney Open’, an initiative established by the Historic Houses Trust.

photos: Patrick Bingham-Hall

published by Pesaro Publishing in ‘Houses for the 21st Century’. www.pesaropublishing.com