Lis with her sons
Tom (left) and Jonah.the family
DISHEVELLED
LEAN-TOArchitect Sally Holbrook
advises this Melbourne
family to build a new
extension, including
an additional ensuiteLis Blake and husband Karl Charikar bought their three-bedroom
Victorian terrace in Northcote, in Melbourne’s inner-north, in July 2013.
However, Lis admits it was the location, rather than the house itself, that
prompted the purchase. “We had moved down from Sydney because
of Karl’s job and were renting the house next door,” she says. “After
four years, we wanted to buy but realised we’d missed the boat and
couldn’t afford this area any more, so we started looking further afield.
“Then, my next-door neighbour said, ‘Do you want to buy my house?’
It meant that our son Tom could stay at his school and we could stay in
the street where we’d made lots of friends.” So, while they were happy
to stay in Northcote, Lis admits the house was less than perfect.
“The house is long and thin but surprisingly big,” she says. “With three
bedrooms and two living areas, it’s great for our boys, Tom, 12, and Jonah,- The main problem is the 1980s lean-to at the back that houses the
kitchen/living/dining space – the kitchen is falling apart and it leaks. The
house is also dark and dated with an ad-hoc collection of furniture and
is in need of interior design advice and clever storage solutions.”
the story so far
$350k
WORDS JOANNE HAWKINS PHOTOGRAPHY EMILY WEAVINGthe expert
“
”
THE PROBLEM:
We don’t
know what to
do with our^
dodgy ’80s
extension
INSIDE renovation
110 / Inside Out