Westbourne Villa Renovation & Addition
What we're building.
A renovation and addition to an existing villa, with Jack McKinney Architect leading the design. The structural story is the largest piece of work — a substantial in-situ concrete basement is being built underneath the original villa, with in-situ concrete walls forming the new addition.
Bringing a basement in under a heritage villa means lifting the existing building, holding it in temporary position, and excavating beneath it before the new concrete structure goes in. Once the basement is poured and the foundations and block work are complete, the villa returns to its position above the new structure, integrated with the new addition.
Where the project is right now.
The villa has been moved forward on site. Demolition of the elements not being retained is complete, civil works are under way, and barrier pile walls have been installed along the boundaries to retain the surrounding ground while excavation continues. Piles are progressing.
The next phase is completing the piles, cutting the site down to the basement level, and getting ready for foundations and block work.
The work that happens first.
Council reporting requirements were extensive ahead of starting on site — a long list of reports had to be completed and approved before any work could begin. That work happened before the first machine arrived, so once we were cleared to start, the site was set up to move efficiently from day one.
Site set-up and planning carry a disproportionate amount of the work on a project like this. Time spent on organisation, sequencing, and logistics in the first months pays back across the next eighteen.
Working with the architect.
A close working relationship with Jack McKinney Architect runs through every stage of this project. Communication is daily — email, phone, text — with site visits to the office when needed. That cadence is part of how a project this technically demanding gets built without surprises.
The team behind it.
Architect: Jack McKinney Architect
Landscape Designer: Jared Lockhart Design
Interior Designer: To be confirmed
Project Introduction
