Rome wasn’t built in a day, but this Albert Park garage conversion (almost) was

As far as renovation projects go, turning an aged garage into a luxury home is as challenging as they come.

To pull off the project, owner Lola Smith and her team of architects and builders had to think outside the box.

“It was a very difficult journey because of space constraints,” Smith said. “Any smaller, we would have had huge problems, I think.”

Smith set out to transform the block after buying it at auction in 2020, when she and her husband paid $645,500, which was $245,500 more than the vendor’s reserve price.

The block had been subdivided from the adjoining block at its rear and sold to a plumber for $8000 in the 1980s. The plumber used the garage to store his tools.

The two-bedroom house is listed for sale as an expressions-of-interest campaign with Marshall White agent Nicholas Hoo and a quoted price range of $2 million to $2.2 million.

To make the best use of the tiny, roughly 50-square-metre block of land in Albert Park, they decided on prefabricated concrete slabs, which also helped to minimise the amount of time the street was closed.

“The prefab people are in Colac and what they do is they drive it overnight, they park close by here and in the morning they arrived and assembled it in a day-and-a-half,” Smith said.

The block was so small the builders couldn’t put up scaffolding — so an inventive solution was needed.

Smith’s builder, Willoworks’ Matt Williamson, helped overcome this shortcoming by suggesting the design of the concrete shell include the inner stairs, which meant the walls of the structure could go all the way to the edge of the block.

Lola Smith said she put a lot of thought into how to make the best use of the block’s tiny dimensions. Credit: Penny Stephens

Maximising space was particularly important to Smith. “My main thing was to basically give me as much space as possible. Every inch was vital.”

But it couldn’t come at the expense of a light-filled home. It was important to Smith that the main bedroom, at the rear of the house, had a small courtyard and skylight. A large, automatic glass hatch over the top of the stairwell doubles as a skylight, and lets sunlight filter into the upstairs living areas.

Williamson said he enjoyed the work put into the internal fitout. “We went through various designs to use the whole space on the block while keeping light … Once we had the external structure up and we were able to go through all the selections, it was a very fun project.”

The kitchen was thoughtfully designed, and featured custom-built cabinetry designed to fit a narrow yet deep fridge and meet the Smiths’ storage needs. The benchtops are deep, and Smith decided on an induction stove top, so its glass surface could safely be used as extra bench space if needed.

The city is visible from the rooftop terrace. Credit: PENNY STEPHENS

The best feature by far is the rooftop terrace – a rarity in the usually restrictive Albert Park planning environment – from which the residents have a direct view of the CBD.

Smith lived in the house for a year with her husband, and said entertaining on the terrace was a dream, particularly on New Year’s Eve.

Hoo said the home’s design was impressive. “She’s been able to get full site usage of that block of land, so there’s no wasted space whatsoever over three levels,” he said.

“It’s a very high-spec design and finish. What sets it apart is the low-maintenance nature of it, which I think will attract a lot of buyers, other than the central location.”

A courtyard and skylight brightens the main bedroom. Credit: PENNY STEPHENS

Williamson said the house had already attracted acclaim. “We’ve actually just been nominated for an excellence in housing award with Master Builders for that project.

“It’s a project we’re super-duper proud of. It’s definitely my favourite project I’ve ever built, and I’m rapt with it. In the area, it shows what you can achieve in small spaces.”

Smith engaged Plico Design Studio’s Angus Wallace to design the home.