The Back House was recently featured in Sanctuary magazine: “It’s a small building, but it carries years of thinking,” says Kulja Coulston – former Sanctuary editor – of the self-contained studio she and partner Andy recently completed in their suburban Melbourne backyard.
“We talked about adding a small second dwelling for nearly a decade – our home suited young kids, but we knew it wouldn’t work as well once they were older.” When updates to the legislation removed the need for a planning permit for a self-contained garden unit, they knew the time was right.
“The brief was for a space that could accommodate two adults, with areas for study, relaxing, cooking and music making,” says building designer Elizabeth Wheeler.
She gently steered Andrew and Kulja away from their tiny-house instincts, encouraging them to increase the footprint to around 38 square metres.
“That decision allowed for a living area with a raked ceiling and a generous separate bedroom, giving our adult children the ability to continue living independently at home,” says Kulja. “It also future-proofed the building in case we ever choose to live there ourselves.”
They gained garden space thanks to the removal of an old shed, a big trampoline and an overgrown hedge.
“Many urban blocks have poorly utilised space that could be leveraged to increase density,” says Elizabeth. “This ‘studio’ feels like a proper house, has no negative effects on neighbours, and was achieved despite several very significant site constraints. As proof of concept, it doesn’t get any better.”
The owner-built project was “deeply collaborative”, Kulja says, with valuable assistance from her dad Mick, who is skilled in working with both new and reclaimed materials.
They chose lightweight construction, using a Mega Anchor foundation system and an AlphaFloor concrete-panel floor to provide thermal mass beneath reclaimed messmate floorboards.
Material reuse is woven throughout.
