click on image for further images

Case Study 1 - Armadale

These clients knew exactly what they wanted when they came to Sherbrooke. Extremely fastidious, our clients wanted to retain the Victorian charm and blend this era with today’s modern lifestyle requirements so a contemporary/minimalist approach was taken.

Our experienced team listened intently to our clients’ requirements and set out to design, create and interpret their dream home. A number of features of the building were carefully restored to retain its wonderful Victorian charm. The front façade, the detailed leadlight surrounding the front door, open fireplaces, Victorian gutter cornices and lacework all played a major role in preserving the graceful charm of this old home.

Sherbrooke integrated the minimalist look effortlessly with the period. Fine attention to detail combined with our design team’s flair and finesse make this home unique. Features include a large full height pivot door acting as a thermal and acoustic divide that is fully concealed when opened. The main bathroom features a full width window looking out to an overflowing glazed urn water feature with golden bamboo acting as a screen makes this home a delight to experience.

An enormous amount of thought was involved when designing this home that has an open and spacious feel. This feature is highlighted where all main living areas overlook the rear garden through full length Artisan bi-fold doors, creating a huge indoor/outdoor entertaining area.

Our clients are thrilled with their new home and it also featured in The Herald Sun Home Magazine to the admiration of many.

click on image for further images

Case Study 2 - Canterbury

Our clients knew they were taking on a large scale renovation of their grand Victorian home and entrusted Sherbrooke to do the job. The project entailed substantial demolition of part of the house, rebuilding to match the original and renovation of all the remaining rooms.

Sherbrooke was employed to create a grand home where all living spaces were to have their own identity and a direct association to the large surrounding gardens. A second storey was added and all works carried out were seamlessly integrated by maintaining the brickwork detailing, slate roof, timber framed windows and doors and verandah elements as much as possible.

As the feeling of space is extremely important with grand Victorian homes, the Design included a tower staircase which acts as not only a central focal point, but provides a distinct separation between formal and informal areas and a link to the upstairs bedrooms.

As you can see by the pictures, Sherbrooke’s expertises in construction and joinery have produced a graceful home of grand proportions. Our clients are extremely happy with the quality result they have received by Sherbrooke Design & Construction. As a testimony to our business this project was also a finalist in 2006 HIAV Best Renovation & Addition over $500K and featured in The Herald Sun Home Magazine.

click on image for further images

Case Study 3 - Beaumaris

Creating a family home with a number of zoned living areas and a kids retreat was high on the wish list for these clients. As always Sherbrooke listened and constructed a home that is unique in appearance and perfectly suited to a busy family life.

The site was located on a corner block with generous proportions with an existing 3 bedroom single level weatherboard home. The new design was to construct a double story 4 bedroom home with 3 living areas and to retain the majority of the existing home. As the existing plan contained many different angles and was similar in shape to the capital letter H, there were a number of design and construction elements to consider.

The floor plan proved to be perfect for our clients’ needs, where two separate wings provide both adult and children’s casual living zones connected by a central spoke. All of the new inclusions were carefully chosen to match and retain the existing home’s characteristics making the extension almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

Externally the home is striking with its’ combination of different textures. Stained Tasmanian Oak lining boards, horizontal pine shiplap lining boards, merbau timber decking, and the Indian "tandoor" slate stonework pillar contribute in making the front façade quite unique. The landscaping is also a feature with a new fence surrounding the property in a combination of render and Merbau decking, with timber sleeper retaining walls, slate edging and a wonderful use of native plants.

Once you step inside, the feel is modern contemporary with a distinct feeling of warmth and friendliness. We matched new timber to the existing Victorian ash floorboards on the ground floor and the staircase and used stainless steel cable rigging for the balustrading. To assist in noise reduction, carpet was used for most of the first floor, except for the wet areas.

Being the main hub of the house, the kitchen cleverly combines a selection of products and textures making it not only a striking feature but an inviting and relaxed area for family and friends to congregate. Solid Victorian Ash timber is used for the kitchen bench tops, stainless steel splashbacks and vinyl wrap gloss doors & panels in “Colourforum cielo” along with Miele kitchen appliances make this kitchen quite unique. The wet areas are just as striking with their emerald green marble bench tops and Kohler basins.

For extra warmth in winter, the existing fireplace was restored in the family room and a new Jetmaster gas log fire makes a great feature in the living area surrounded by a Windsor mantelpiece and marble hearth in “Bottscino”.

Our clients were ecstatic with their extension of what was earlier a comfortable home on a great block of land to a visually attractive and extremely functional family home.

click on image for further images

Case Study 4 - St.Kilda

When our clients purchased this property they clearly had a vision. Purchasing a 1910 two storey dwelling consisting of 5 separate apartments our clients’ instructions was to convert the building into a single home that retained its heritage externally, however internally it was to be modernised and restored.

The renovation was to include 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 living areas, separate meals & dining rooms, a cellar, library, study not to mention a greenhouse, garage and store area at rear. Our clients chose Sherbrooke to do the job because of our reputation, wealth of experience and strong attention to detail.

To retain the Victorian era many features were retained and restored or replicated. The entry is typical Victorian style. Decorative rosettes, honed bluestone steps and grey & bone checkered pattern pavers lead to the front door with arch architraves & fleur de’lyse arches. A lot of attention has been given to the colours used within the home assisting in the mood and emotions felt in each room. Walls, the area above picture rails and the ceiling roses were each considered as separate entities and therefore received their own colour.

Lounge and dining rooms were renovated back to their original period detail and the existing “Karri” timber floors were retained in the entry, lounge and dining rooms. New “brushbox” timber was laid in the living, meals, pool/games and kitchen areas.

The upstairs verandah was completely dilapidated and demolished and rebuilt to its original condition. This was quite an involved task as the lacework had to be matched to the downstairs verandah.

The clients decided to introduce the “modern" feel to the main living areas by using an open plan design. This large open space is further expanded via French and multifold doors to a courtyard covered in beautiful wisteria which overlooks a 15m pond and fountain water feature.

The kitchen is stunning using Jarrah timber veneer joinery, granite bench tops and top of the range stainless steel appliances. These luxurious appointments are continued throughout the house such as in the games room which has a curved feature wall, the central bathrooms’ spa bath and the library and study’s floor to ceiling shelving and open fireplaces. Our clients strong attention to detail together with our professional execution make this home a delight and a pleasure to retreat to after a busy day.

The grandness of this home is even more enhanced at night with ample use of ambient lighting in areas such as the pond, in ground up lights to the boundary wall, path lighting and garden mood lighting.

The features of this home are quite endless including video intercom/security system, picture rails, ceiling roses, acoustic insulation, ducted heating/cooling, wrought iron fence and all ceilings over 3 metres. For Sherbrooke, seeing the transformation of this home and our clients’ satisfaction is what makes our job so rewarding.