An architect lives here - here's how he designed the facade

This project is close to the heart of Fabric Architecture Studio co-director, Damien Furey, as it's also his own abode.

The architect says he wanted to create a sophisticated, well-detailed extension to a classic house, that caters for his growing family while respecting and keeping as much of the old dwelling as possible.

"I had a small budget and an existing red brick 1970s home that I turned into what you can see, without removing any of the existing walls," he says.

"It doesn't have the big budget and complete luxury interiors of high end larger homes, but I really wanted to show that, especially in this climate, design can still be considered and functional while sticking to a budget.

"I am also proud of being as sustainable as possible and not wasting a perfectly good home."

Furey's approach was to touch as little of the existing structure as possible and let the design organically grow out of this form.

Sustainable timber cladding and batten screening made using Abodo has been partnered with hard-wearing Barestone cladding, with the north-facing facade's palette taking cues from the surrounding bushland.

This approach was cost effective and crucial in creating a unique design that responds to the feature tree out front, while respecting the original house.

Passing by, you'd never guess it concealed a classic piece of Australiana.

Talk about breaking the stereotypes of how architects live.