Arriving in Strathmore, in Melbourne’s north, to visit Bob’s Bungalow by Blair Smith Architecture, I felt a quiet, neighbourly familiarity. The generous footpaths, streets canopied by large old trees, and flowering front gardens were reminiscent of a quaint childhood in the suburbs. A nostalgic image from a life that appears distant from today’s challenges of urban sprawl, housing affordability and focused private development.
The bungalow’s owners, Jacinta and Mark, engaged Blair Smith Architecture in 2018 with a modest budget to extend their family home, where they had raised four children and numerous rescue dogs (and where they intended to stay). Though this simple brief sounds common, it is one that is becoming rarer. Home renovations are increasingly perceived
