Ask any architect, and you’ll quickly find out that one of the biggest challenges of a typical renovation is the cost.

But this backyard studio by Curious Practice proves how creativity can help stretch out even the most modest of budgets.

The project was designed as a cost-effective way to expand a young family’s two-bedroom, one-bathroom weatherboard cottage in Newcastle, where clients Wes and Carmen had raised their three children.

‘The original brief was to provide an additional bedroom, bathroom, extend the living space, update the kitchen and strengthen the connection to the backyard,’ project architect Warren Haasnoot says.

‘This was for a considerably tight budget, and we had concerns for how we could manage costs if the project was a typical addition to the existing house.’

Instead, they proposed a separate building that could accommodate the family’s desired spaces, while providing more certainty with cost, avoiding structural changes to the original abode.

With the clients on board, Curious Practice designed a new 35-square metre pavilion that rests lightly in the backyard, nestled beside the home’s decking.

Inside, there’s a second living room, bathroom, sleeping area, study, and moved the laundry into the addition, which freed up space inside the weatherboard home. A ladder leads to a mezzanine level with another sleeping space.

‘By separating the project from the existing house, we were able to remove a lot of the complexities and unknowns of doing a typical addition,’ project lead Chloe Goldsmith says.

‘The clients were able to stay in the house during the build. The project also gives them more autonomy around usage.’

Cost-effective plywood was used across the floors, walls, joinery, and roof, elevated with terracotta tiles on the exterior. Translucent cladding filters sunlight through, as sliding glass doors help maintain a visual connection between the two dwellings.

Thanks to these savvy solutions, the resulting studio ended up costing $200,000 when it was completed in 2022. With today’s inflation and the rising cost of materials, Warren estimates the same build would be closer to $300,000.

Ultimately, the addition goes beyond the limitations of the original brief to provide something more flexible for the clients, while also serving as a potential prototype for future affordable, small-format homes.

‘There is something very pleasant about going outside to move between buildings,’ Warren describes of the connection between the old home and new studio.

‘The temperature change and observation of the sky provides an opportunity to connect back to the site and appreciate your setting.’