Ranu House - Manly
Areas:
Site = 357sqm, Existing floor area = 146sqm, New floor area = 184sqm
Construction:
Concrete slab and Ritek sandwich panel, skillion roof
Construction Budget:
$350k +
Heating and Cooling Energy Use / Annum:
143 MJ / sqm or 40 kWh / sqm
Status:
Completed late 2005
Brief:
This existing 1930's 2 storey house located on a difficult hill-top site, required extensive remodelling to improve the quality of the spaces. The interior was tired, dark and cold with limited flow and access through to interior and exterior living areas.
The client wanted a design that would transform the building into a spacious and light filled home, that would capture the north east hill-top breeze, and which considered simple construction methods for this owner / builder project.
Solution:
The final design involved completely demolishing the unsightly hipped roof, and the rear half of the house, along with stripping bare the remaining interior and completing some site excavation.
This makeover's success is governed by the skillion roof design, which collects sun over the top of the neighbouring house with the use of clerestory windows, allowing sun to every room. This new substantial roof casts less shadow onto the neighbours than the previous hipped roof did.
The new 140mm thick roof consists of polystyrene foam sandwiched between two sheets of Colorbond. It required no beam for the 6m span, resulting in reduced engineering costs and straightforward installation.
Neutral colours, combined with timber veneer and joinery finishes, created a warm and comfortable interior, with clean and simple lines maximising the new open plan design of the home.
Based on the thermal rating system used at the time, this house achieved a 4 out of 5 star rating from what originally only achieved 1.5 stars.
With a sensible and cost effective design, this once dark and tired building has been completely transformed into a modern and efficient home. This house has since been sold, and the new owners have been in contact to complement on the thermal comfort they have experienced since living there.