Edwardian House Renovation in Melbourne

Edwardian Period Extensions and Redesigns

Does your Edwardian architectural home need a revamp? Or would you like to improve it to better fit your lifestyle? Cameron Construction is here to help. With years of experience in heritage renovations, our building experts know exactly how to design and reconstruct your home within the heritage laws while preserving the authentic Edwardian architecture style. We can incorporate any modern elements you wish to include, finding the best solutions to revive and add value to your home.

Ways to Renovate an Edwardian House

There are a number of ways you can remodel Edwardian weatherboard or brick houses to infuse modern and period elements. Whether you need more space, functionality or your home just needs renewal, Cameron Construction can make it happen. A range of renovations that you can consider to remodel your Edwardian house are:

• First or second storey extension
• Floor layout redesign
• Additional inbuilt storage
• Home automation
• Edwardian style skirtings and architraves
• Sound proofing

Edwardian Architecture Restorations

Cameron Construction are specialists in the remodelling and restoration of heritage period homes, one of which are Edwardian period homes. Our incredibly skilled craftsmen can recreate any feature of your Edwardian house to refresh and restore its quality while retaining the vintage look. Using original source materials or very high quality heritage replicas, we ensure to preserve the heart and character of your Edwardian style home. We can restore or rebuild features such as:

• Facades
• Verandahs
• Cornices, corbels, timber fluting, parapets, iron lacework
• Fireplaces
• Mantels
• Brick and mortar
• Windows

Modern-style Edwardian Home Restorations

If you’re looking to take a modern approach to restoring an Edwardian house, Cameron Construction can also assist you with that. When adapting your Edwardian period home to suit a modern lifestyle, you have to consider how it will complement the character of the home as well as meet the requirements of the heritage laws. As something that we specialise in and understand well, we would love to discuss your options with you to make your home more livable while preserving the beautiful heritage style.

Cameron Construction completed Edwardian home project

The original house was a single storey Edwardian weatherboard with tiled roof, 3.35 metre high ceilings and polished timber floors. There was a previous addition at the rear stepped down from the main house.

The clients engaged Cameron Construction to construct an upper floor addition and to extend the house at ground floor level.

The upper floor was to consist of a bedroom, bathroom and living area with balcony, while ground floor level was to have a new Study and enlarged Family/ Meals area.

The clients had two main concerns: that any ground level works should allow an easy access between the house and the rear entertaining area, and that the upstairs living area be able to take advantage of the views towards Port Phillip Bay. The clients also wanted a soundproofed room as somewhere to play loud guitar.

They were also concerned that any additions should continue the look and feel of the original house through the use of roof materials, construction of the eaves, eave treatments, finials, polished floors, and that any new windows should match in with the existing.

Consideration was also to be given to utilising the roof space as storage area, to the soundproofing of the upstairs room, and to the positioning of the stairs to minimise lost existing floor area to the new addition.

While the main focus was upon the house it was decided that a new carport at the front was required, both as car protection and as a way to present more strongly to the streetscape. Accordingly the carport was constructed using materials and finishes to integrate in with the rest of the property.

The final project is further enhanced by substantial landscaping works to both the front and rear of the site.

Get in touch with the heritage renovation specialists

Cameron Construction have completed many projects over the years restoring and remodelling Edwardian style homes. We specialise in rebuilding the home with original materials while staying true to the authentic architectural design. Should you want to redesign the home to suit your lifestyle, we can make it happen and give you exceptional solutions. Contact us today and we can offer you a free quote or consultation. We offer our services across Melbourne and have offices in Eltham, Camberwell, Brighton, Essendon and North Strathfield. We can also assist with renovating and restoring Hampton style homes and Modern Federation style homes.

FAQs

What is the Edwardian Period?

The Edwardian period refers to the era between 1901-1910 in which King Edward VII reigned England, following Queen Victoria’s death.

What is Edwardian Architecture?

The Edwardian architectural style alludes to the period of 1900-1918, also known as ‘Federation’ due it coinciding with the Australian Federation. The Edwardian style was inspired by a range of both Victorian and Queen Anne’s period (1865-1915) features. Architecture styles up to 1914 are included under ‘Edwardian’. Houses of Edwardian architecture are known for their well-thought out designs and high quality materials.

What are the key characteristics of Edwardian homes?

The Edwardian architecture is characterised by features such as a weatherboard or red brick exterior, red terracotta or galvanised iron roofing, timber details, brackets and gables on each outer facing room. The interior details included various ornate details such as stained glass windows, marble, tile or timber carpentry, beautiful fretwork, white decorated ceilings sometimes featuring roses as well as intricate skirting and architraves. Simplicity, brightness and cleanliness were highly valued in the colour scheme which is why whites and neutral, pastel tones are often present in Edwardian homes.

What is the history of Edwardian houses in Australia?

Edwardian architecture houses became more popular in Australia after the monarch’s death in 1910. You can find Edwardian houses in suburbs such as Middle Park, Armadale, Kew, Camberwell, Hawthorn and Ascot Vale. in particular, Edwardian houses built between the 1860s and 1920s are now in high demand, and have skyrocketed in market value, even more so for renovated properties.

What is the difference between Edwardian and Victorian houses?

Edwardian architecture drew some inspiration from Victorian styles while revolutionising others. Edwardian style houses introduced brighter colours, bringing more light in the home, less complexity in decorative patterns on walls, ceilings and interior compared to Victorian styles. Edwardian homes were also much more spacious, set back from the pavement to allow more privacy and had more windows. In contrast, Victorian houses had a gothic style, ornate floral detail wallpapers, narrower rooms and hallways, multiple fireplaces and small windows.

How do you renovate an Edwardian home?

An Edwardian home can be renovated in many ways depending on whether you want to just restore worn down features or would like to add modern elements to make the home more functional. This can include first or second floor extensions, redesigning the floor layout, adding inbuilt storage as well as other modern features like home automation, sound proofing and more.

Are Edwardian houses well built?

Yes, Edwardian houses were built with a high level of craftsmanship compared to houses from previous generations. Built with quality materials, Edwardian homes are known for lasting and enduring time well unlike other period homes that require high maintenance. Even cheaply built homes were designed to a high standard which is why today, Edwardian homes are of the most highly sought for period style houses.