An Australian Builder’s Cramped Family Cottage Gets an Industrial-Inspired Extension

After running his construction company for nearly 20 years, Anthony Adams finally took on one of the few projects he’d never tried before: renovating his own home. Together with Australian studio OOF! Architecture, Anthony, a builder, and his wife, Natasha, a dietician, set out to update their “sweet but cramped weatherboard cottage” into a home, warehouse, and workshop for their three sons and two beloved dogs.

Located on a quiet street in the Newport suburb of Melbourne, the home’s traditional exterior is preserved from the street view, revealing only a hint of the bold, new extension that peeks out from behind it. 

The rear facade, however, showcases one of the renovation’s most notable features: an exposed steel truss that transitions from a robust orange to a demure blue as it extends out from the interior into the backyard. The raw material palette of timber, reclaimed brick, and perforated steel add to the home’s industrial character.