The Recycled Brick Barn (aka The Glasshouse Residence)

After staging a number of renovations to their modest timber cottage in the Glass House Mountains, Andrew and Katie were ready for a more ambitious challenge. For the centrepiece of their home, they wanted to create a barn-like structure to house the kitchen as well as dining, living and play spaces. 

Built primarily from salvaged materials with a traceable lineage, the extension alludes to the history of the adjoining timber cottage while offering a contemporary solution for a communal living. A mezzanine sheltering the kitchen island bench provides a play space for three young children, and built-in seating around an outdoor fire pit and wood-fired oven has become a favourite gathering point. 

The double-height extension is a single multi-use space that brings vitality and connection to family life. To achieve this effect, we worked carefully on the scale and proportions of space to ensure it feels warm and homely despite its openness. The clients poured just as much care into the space, taking the reins as owner-builders to bring it to life by hand. 

• Location

  Gubbi Gubbi Country
  Glass House Mountains

• Client

  Andrew and Katie

• Builder

  Owner Builder

• Year Completed

  2014

• Design Time

  12 Months

• Build Time

  12 Months

• Value per m2

  1,800

• Photography

  Toby Scott