So we kept the front and designed a new rear pavilion, set apart from the existing structure by a courtyard. A link back to the old house splits the courtyard in two: a small swimming pool sits on one side, while the other opens straight into the main living area of the new pavilion.

That living space also opens south, pulling in views over a public reserve and the bush beyond. Above it all, a roof floats high and kicks up to the north, drawing winter sun deep into the interior - the very thing missing from that first conversation on the balcony. The horizontal lines this creates at the rear of the house sit comfortably within the Griffin ideals of the surrounding Castlecrag conservation area.

Tucked away from the main living space, the master bedroom looks south to the reserve through a generous bench seat and picture window, a quiet retreat from the busier parts of the home.

Brick detailing, drawn from the original front of the house, runs through the new work both inside and out - a subtle thread tying old to new. Native planting wraps around the front and rear of the site, the rear blending seamlessly into the adjacent reserve.