Budget Breakdown: They Turned a Backyard Shed Into an Aging-in-Place Guest Suite for $140K
An architect couple made updates to accommodate their elderly parents, like Tasmanian oak handrails and a curbless floor plan.
An architect couple made updates to accommodate their elderly parents, like Tasmanian oak handrails and a curbless floor plan.
Jane McDougall and David Beynon didn’t quite know what to expect of life when they moved from their apartment in Melbourne to a standalone in Launceston, Tasmania. David’s new teaching position at the University of Tasmania, the reason for their move, meant that Jane, a generational Melbournite, would become the sole practitioner of the couple’s architecture practice, alsoCAN. It also meant that their new home would need space to host family, particularly their elderly parents, and friends coming from Australia and as far as the U.S.
Wanting to accommodate their aging parents during visits, Jane McDougall and David Beynon of architecture firm alsoCAN transformed their 600-square-foot backyard shed in Tasmania into a wheelchair-accessible guest suite.
Photo by Anjie Blair
The couple bought a 1920s California-style bungalow with apricot trees and an ample garden—a refreshing change from their inner-city apartment—that had a 600-square-foot shed in the back. It was previously used as a sleep-out, an outbuilding used to escape the heat before air conditioning became commonplace in Australia, but also held a garage/workshop, a derelict bathroom, and an outhouse (or a "dunny," as they say in Australia). It presented the perfect renovation opportunity to create a guest suite; it also felt right given the couple’s architectural ethos, which emphasizes using space more effectively instead of expanding unnecessarily.
The couple were living in an apartment in Melbourne, but now have a backyard with mature fruit trees and room for their dogs to play.
Photo: Anjie Blair
Beyond lending the suite its crisp appearance, the aluminum cladding, a product called FormFlow, also protects it against bushfires.
Photo by Anjie Blair
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: They Turned a Backyard Shed Into an Aging-in-Place Guest Suite for $140K
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