MAKEOVER REMETE HOUSE
INVESTOR
private
LOCATION
Zagreb
YEAR
2017
FLOOR AREA
270.00 m2
Reconstruction of the existing building always poses a special kind of challenge since it entails a series of already predetermined circumstances and limiting factors which do not exist when you build a new structure. Although it’s a demanding task, we are always happy when we are given the chance to transform an ordinary, worn-out house into an attractive and modern home equipped to cater to the needs of a modern family. The family house in question is in Remete, at the end of a dead-end street. It is surrounded by greenery and empty plots. Although the spatial arrangement of rooms is inadequate, its construction is good and it has a favourable orientation and, therefore, the investor wanted to use its excellent location potential to the maximum.
The house consists of three storeys: ground floor, first floor and attic. Major setbacks were: relatively low ground floor, badly positioned house entrance and internal staircase, a lot of small, non-functional rooms and limited utilisation of the attic. The said low ground floor, which is partially built into the terrain, has been designed in accordance with the investors’ wishes in the manner that it will be used as utility rooms (closet and laundry room), wine cellar intended to be used as a man cave connected to the back yard, and a small hair salon, street-oriented, in the space formerly occupied by the garage.
With the intention to adapt the first floor to include a big living room with the dining room and the kitchen in the part of the house which offers the most attractive view of the surrounding landscape, it was necessary to relocate the staircase and partially remove some load bearing walls. To compensate for the lack in surface area, we added a cube which accommodates a kitchen and extends to the open plan of the living area. The same floor contains the master bedroom, the pertaining bathroom and the entrance hall.
The attic will be torn down completely and in place of the double-pitched sloping roof, we envisaged a recessed floor with a flat roof and open terraces. This floor will contain a real, little children’s empire with two bedrooms, a big bathroom and a living room.
In designing the house, the idea was to accomplish a contemporary, minimalist appearance, match the existing and the new façade openings and reconcile various façade elements. For that reason, we chose white for the dominant (non) colour, and wooden cladding enveloping some parts of the façade, such as the added cube on the south-western façade, recessed terrace of the children’s living room and the main entrance door, provides the sense of warmth and playfulness to the structure itself.
The existing auxiliary building in the back yard has been replaced by a wooden overhang which serves as a roof for the large terrace and, during the warmer months, becomes a living room in the open. In addition to the fact that the material used to build it corresponds to the one used for the main structure, we utilized the wooden material which remained from the torn down attic promoting in that way a rational and environmental-friendly approach to construction.
MAKEOVER REMETE HOUSE
INVESTOR
private
LOCATION
Zagreb
YEAR
2017
FLOOR AREA
270.00 m2
Reconstruction of the existing building always poses a special kind of challenge since it entails a series of already predetermined circumstances and limiting factors which do not exist when you build a new structure. Although it’s a demanding task, we are always happy when we are given the chance to transform an ordinary, worn-out house into an attractive and modern home equipped to cater to the needs of a modern family. The family house in question is in Remete, at the end of a dead-end street. It is surrounded by greenery and empty plots. Although the spatial arrangement of rooms is inadequate, its construction is good and it has a favourable orientation and, therefore, the investor wanted to use its excellent location potential to the maximum.
The house consists of three storeys: ground floor, first floor and attic. Major setbacks were: relatively low ground floor, badly positioned house entrance and internal staircase, a lot of small, non-functional rooms and limited utilisation of the attic. The said low ground floor, which is partially built into the terrain, has been designed in accordance with the investors’ wishes in the manner that it will be used as utility rooms (closet and laundry room), wine cellar intended to be used as a man cave connected to the back yard, and a small hair salon, street-oriented, in the space formerly occupied by the garage.
With the intention to adapt the first floor to include a big living room with the dining room and the kitchen in the part of the house which offers the most attractive view of the surrounding landscape, it was necessary to relocate the staircase and partially remove some load bearing walls. To compensate for the lack in surface area, we added a cube which accommodates a kitchen and extends to the open plan of the living area. The same floor contains the master bedroom, the pertaining bathroom and the entrance hall.
The attic will be torn down completely and in place of the double-pitched sloping roof, we envisaged a recessed floor with a flat roof and open terraces. This floor will contain a real, little children’s empire with two bedrooms, a big bathroom and a living room.
In designing the house, the idea was to accomplish a contemporary, minimalist appearance, match the existing and the new façade openings and reconcile various façade elements. For that reason, we chose white for the dominant (non) colour, and wooden cladding enveloping some parts of the façade, such as the added cube on the south-western façade, recessed terrace of the children’s living room and the main entrance door, provides the sense of warmth and playfulness to the structure itself.
The existing auxiliary building in the back yard has been replaced by a wooden overhang which serves as a roof for the large terrace and, during the warmer months, becomes a living room in the open. In addition to the fact that the material used to build it corresponds to the one used for the main structure, we utilized the wooden material which remained from the torn down attic promoting in that way a rational and environmental-friendly approach to construction.