A desire to retain existing outdoor living, adhere to strict planning controls and add space to this whānau home culminated in a pop-top. The contemporary cube took the house from three bedrooms to five, introducing an additional bathroom, lounge, and separate laundry as well as structural repairs and a practical rejig to the kitchen, dining, and living below.

Mindful not to tamper with the character of the original bungalow, the addition was grafted on in a new language that complemented the nostalgic style. Wide tray metal cladding contrasts the classic horizontal weatherboard below, while a cantilevered window seat plays up its modernity — a second-storey perch for the kids to interact with the backyard and passersby over the fence.