Fleet Foot House

Our Fleet Foot House project sits on the land of the Wurundjeri people, who have been the traditional custodians of this area for generations.

Fleet Foot House is a cream brick house on a generous, north-facing block in Fitzroy, under a heritage overlay. It’s home to a family of four who have lived in the area for twenty years and plan to stay. The brief wasn’t about getting bigger. It asked us to respect the original house, make it warmer and more connected to its garden, and find room for a family whose kids are fast becoming teenagers. So rather than start again, we’re keeping the house and changing only what doesn’t work.

The biggest move turns the old double carport into a glazed winter garden. It’s a room for plants and people, with a retractable roof that opens fully in summer and holds the sun in winter. The carport used to cut the front of the block off from the back. The winter garden joins the two, and gives the house some privacy from the street.

Inside, the ground floor is reworked so it’s less broken up and easier to heat, with the living spaces pulled toward the northern light. Upstairs, a modest side extension and a planted balcony off the main bedroom give the family more room to spread out. New skylights bring daylight deep into the plan, and Victorian ash glulam beams carry the timber of the original house through the new work.

Wherever we can, existing fabric is kept and upgraded rather than replaced: thin vacuum-insulated glazing fitted into the original timber sashes, a well-insulated new roof, and all-electric services. Together they’ll make the old house far warmer, without losing what makes it worth keeping.

Right now the house is almost hidden under ivy. In time, the new work will be too.

Construction started in November 2026. We’ll add photos as it comes together.