Stonehaven Alterations is a residential alterations-and-additions to an attached single storey house in Deakin, ACT.

Canberra residential alterations — Stonehaven project by Typology Architecture

Stonehaven Alterations is a residential alterations-and-additions project in Canberra that reworks an existing home to improve daylight, comfort and spatial connection. The design focuses on gentle, site‑responsive adjustments that strengthen the way the house is used across seasons.

The work involved removing the existing roof, reconfiguring the ground level and adding a new second level. Landscaping, a pool, and a series of private outdoor spaces reinforce the home’s connection to its landscape and views. The site falls significantly from front to back, leaving the existing house elevated toward the rear. With views to Black Mountain, the new design capitalises on this condition. A second‑storey addition — a rectangular volume overhanging the existing ground floor at both front and rear — curves gently toward the view. Furthermore, the curve expresses itself both externally and internally as part of the architecture. In addition, it forms part of the interior design.

An open stair and new entry sit along the southern boundary. Timber cladding creates a private and intimate arrival sequence.

Ground floor spaces include open‑plan living areas, a guest room and utility spaces. The living area opens onto stepped terraces that follow the natural fall of the site and lead down to a pool at the rear. The terraces provide places to sit and gather. This maximises sunlight and offering a gentle transition between interior and landscape. They sit beneath the curved overhang of the level above, supported by a twin pair of slender steel columns that contrast weight with lightness, enclosure with openness.

The upper level includes new bedrooms, a wet area and storage. Children’s rooms flank an ante‑room — a flexible space for play, visitors and shared use.

A palette of copper and light pinks on the external cladding creates a warm, calm finish that glows in the afternoon sunlight, filtered through the surrounding vegetation. Bagged and painted brickwork creates a textural finish that thickens the experience at the ground plane. It also contrasts against the use of timber to the entry porch and garage.