Timberland

For architect, Sally Wilson, and her husband, renovating their home was a labour of love. Their goal? To give an untouched 100-year-old building – known as Timberland – a new lease of life and make it the home of their dreams.

Lined throughout with feature-grade blackbutt timber, the addition of the rear was all about creating a new living space for the family. “Most of all,” says Sally, “the house was completely orientated around this beautiful tree that we have at the back. The tree itself is 65 years’ old. It was planted by the previous owner and, luckily, it’s perfectly symmetrical where we wanted it to get aspect from the old part of the house.”

Creating the perfect transition between the old and new parts of the building required some out-of-the-box thinking. The solution was the addition of a very low, flat roof, “That low transition space is all about compression…feeling as if you’re about to transition into something with a completely different roof line, completely different feel.”

The owners also wanted to achieve a real connection to the landscape. “It was about creating almost an outdoor pavilion or a garden room,” says Sally. “We worked really hard with our manufacturer on the design of this. We knew what we wanted to achieve but he really guided us in terms of which profiles to use.” Sally was so impressed by the profiles, she now uses them all the time in her work. She also chose the 704 SlideMASTER to achieve the really big window spans. The system incorporates three big doors that stack back and can completely open out onto the gorgeous deck area.

“This space enhances our family life so much. It’s so functional. Sometimes we still sit out here and pinch ourselves, we’re so proud of what we’ve built. It’s such a fantastic space to be in, particularly at night when all the garden lighting comes on. It can be dark inside the house and you see out to this garden. The aspect’s just so beautiful!”