How to make the most of small spaces without upsetting the neighbours

As the theme of Australia’s most iconic soap Neighbours goes: Everybody needs good neighbours, next door is only a footstep away.

For three architects whose projects are shortlisted in this year’s NSW Architecture Awards for new homes, being good neighbours was more than being professional.

For architect Jo Bastian it was personal. She did not want her new family home, an infill project in an old part of the Newcastle suburb of Stockton to scream: “We are from Sydney, and here is this big house. We didn’t want to build a two-storey house and plonk it in the middle of this suburb with modest weatherboard homes.”

Originally based in Sydney, Bastian built her new home after subdividing the block where her family had been living in a small miners’ cottage.

Named Olive Tree House for one of the many trees that were retained, the solar-powered house by Bastian Architecture was designed to be different and more energy efficient, yet use familiar materials. While the house is painted red, the olive tree obscures it.

At 120 square metres, it is half the size of an average new build today. Unlike many homes in the area, it is designed to be social with no fences. Front and side steps are designed for neighbourly chats while children play. To avoid overshadowing neighbours, the roofline rises from one storey near the street to match the height of taller properties at the rear.

People drive to Stockton to see the house. Bastian heard one woman say, “Look at this house. It pulls the plan apart to let light and ventilation inside.”

In Paddington, the brief one couple gave to Sydney architect Phillip Arnold of Plus Minus Design was simple: “Don’t upset the neighbours.”

The owners wanted to raze a dilapidated terrace and build a colourful modern home, one that was warm in winter and cool in summer.

“It was barely a step away from living in a tent,” owner Haissam Aoun said of the old home where the temperature indoors and outdoors rarely varied by more than a degree.

‘The housing around here is like the Bruce Lehrmann tomahawk steak – quantity over quality.’

Architect Eddie Page of Maxwell & Page

Arnold designed a 192 square metre modern and light-filled home, called Kidman Lane, with three bedrooms and a tiny garden that can fit two cars if needed.

Though different from immediate neighbours’ terraces, it fits the suburb. The roof is sawtooth, similar to small factories nearby.

During construction, an older neighbour asked Aoun if he was the owner. When he said he was, she said: “Shame on you.”

After the project was completed, though, responses were positive. A neighbour told Aoun, “You’ve renovated the whole street.”

Arnold said many people may fear contemporary architecture, “afraid someone will do something too modern. These suburbs have a particular charm, and I have an obligation not to upset that. I don’t want to draw attention, I want people to notice it only after they’ve walked past a few times.”

In Tamworth, architect Eddie Page of Maxwell & Page built a very different home from the usual houses in a new subdivision close to his mother-in-law’s home and near where his wife grew up.

“I want that, but I want it to be sustainable,” his client requested, pointing to a large brick veneer project home near her lot.

In contrast to the typical boxy-shaped homes nearby, the new home called Dachshund House is angled around a courtyard (with a small window for the dog) featuring a small pond that cools the north-facing home.

The home was 186 square metres, about half the size of houses nearby which average 300 square metres. This gave the family additional space to grow vegetables and run chickens.

“The housing around here is like the Bruce Lehrmann tomahawk steak – quantity over quality,” he said.

By locating the bedrooms at the rear, compared to most layouts where they are located facing the side boundaries, Page said the layout enhanced the privacy of the owners and their neighbours.

Like Bastian’s Olive Tree, it has a breezeway connecting the home with the street for children to play.

Page said by using an architect, rather than buying a home off the plan, his clients got a unique green home that was half the size and more energy efficient.

When Page took a group of 40 residents for a tour of the home on a cool windy day, they had never seen anything like it. “They don’t get it until they see the courtyard, and the light streaming in.” One said, “We live in East Tamworth and our house is as cold as a fridge in winter, and we can’t cool it down in summer.”

Julie Power is a lay juror on the NSW Architecture awards for new houses. The winners will be announced in late June.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.