The challenge

A second storey on a busy road has to be built for the noise and built around the traffic.

• Meeting the site's acoustic requirements in the walls, windows and doors
• Getting materials in through tight access off a very busy road
• Keeping the shared driveway usable for the neighbours
• Framing the double skillion roof to carry raked ceilings
• Cantilevering the master deck with no posts to the ground

The build

The new level is timber framed and clad in James Hardie, under a double skillion roof finished in Colorbond.

The roof form carries through inside. The ceilings follow the skillions up, reaching 4.2 metres at their highest point.

The site's acoustic requirements start with the external walls. Double layers of 16mm Gyprock line the inside, and blue board sits behind the cladding outside, putting mass on both sides of the frame.

The walls only do their job if the windows and doors keep up with them, so every window and sliding door was double glazed.

The master deck is cantilevered off the new level and finished in spotted gum.

Deliveries were timed around the traffic, with the shared driveway kept clear for the neighbours throughout.

The result

The road is still out the front, but upstairs it sits in the background.

Once the second storey was up, the greenery surrounding the house became the view. Every bedroom opens to it through a Juliet balcony, and the master has a deck to sit out on.