ARCHITECT FOR ESSENDON, MOONEE PONDS AND ASCOT VALE HOMES

Moonee Valley is full of houses worth keeping: Victorian and Edwardian homes, interwar bungalows and timber weatherboards on generous blocks. Many of them are cold, dark at the back and laid out for a different era. Guild Architects designs the renovations, extensions and new homes that make them work for the way families live now, without losing what makes them special.

You work with director Penny Guild, a Registered Architect in Victoria, from the first site visit to the final inspection.

WHAT DO WE DESIGN IN MOONEE VALLEY?

  • Rear extensions to period homes. Light-filled living areas that open to the garden while the original front rooms stay intact.

  • Weatherboard renovations. Re-planning tired timber homes, adding insulation and double glazing, and extending in a way that respects the original.

  • Second storey additions. More bedrooms without losing the backyard, set back and shaped to reduce bulk from the street.

  • New homes. Custom homes for knock down sites, designed around orientation, light and the street they sit in.

  • Sustainable upgrades. Passive solar planning, cross ventilation and efficient heating and cooling, built into the design from the start. See how we approach sustainable home design.

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DO I NEED A PLANNING PERMIT TO EXTEND IN ESSENDON OR MOONEE PONDS?

Often, yes, if your property sits in a heritage overlay. Moonee Valley City Council says a planning permit may be needed to construct or extend a building, make external alterations, or demolish, and in some cases to paint externally or remove trees. Council also requires a pre-application meeting with its Statutory Planning team before you lodge. Routine maintenance and repairs generally do not need a planning permit, though a building permit may still apply.

Council's heritage program has been running since the Essendon Conservation Study in 1985, and its Moonee Valley Heritage Study 2023 is described as the final stage. If you are buying or planning in the area, check whether your property is affected before you commit to a design. Source: Moonee Valley City Council, Heritage.

We prepare designs with these controls in mind from the first sketch, so the scheme you fall in love with is one council can support. We have a strong track record of steering projects through heritage overlays in inner Melbourne, including Seddon House and The Light Garden in Clifton Hill.

HOW DO YOU EXTEND A HERITAGE HOME WITHOUT LOSING ITS CHARACTER?

Keep the front rooms and the street view, and let the new work be clearly new. In practice that usually means:

  • Retaining the original roof form and front facade, so the house reads the same from the street

  • A link or lower roof between old and new, so the extension sits behind the original rather than over it

  • Reusing what can be saved, such as leadlight windows, timber boards and fireplaces

  • Upgrading the old part too: insulation in walls and floors, sealed draughts and better glazing, so the whole home is comfortable, not just the extension

WHAT DOES A WEATHERBOARD RENOVATION INVOLVE?

Timber homes are flexible to extend, but they need care. We look at the condition of the stumps and frame, how much of the original cladding can stay, and where an extension can sit to catch northern light. Weatherboard homes are also among the easiest to bring up to modern comfort levels, because walls and floors can be opened up and insulated as part of the work.

Nearby, our Mid Century home in Pascoe Vale took its external palette from the 1950s house that stood on the site before it, and Coburg Deco extends an Art Deco home with a timber picture rail that picks up the original detailing.

WHERE IN MOONEE VALLEY DO WE WORK?

Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale, Aberfeldie, Strathmore and Niddrie, along with neighbouring suburbs across Melbourne's inner north and west. Our studio is at 1 Tripovich Street, Brunswick. See our residential architecture across Melbourne and our work in North Melbourne.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When should I talk to an architect if I am buying in Moonee Valley?

Before you sign, if you can. A short site visit can show whether a heritage overlay, the block's orientation or the condition of the house will shape what you can build.

Can I knock down a house in a heritage overlay in Moonee Valley?

Demolition in a heritage overlay generally needs a planning permit from Moonee Valley City Council, so check before you plan around it. Many owners find a well designed extension gives them the space they need while keeping the house.

Do you only design large projects?

No. We design small extensions and renovations as well as new homes. What matters is a brief you care about and a budget we can design to.

How do we start?

Call 0423 714 729 or email info@guildarchitects.com.au. We will talk through your home, your brief and your budget, then arrange a site visit.

TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR MOONEE VALLEY HOME

Call 0423 714 729 or email info@guildarchitects.com.au. You will work with Penny Guild every step of the way.

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