Steph and Gian’s Cladding over Brick Renovation in South Sydney

Steph and Gian reveal new cladding over brick renovation in South Sydney

What was a typical suburban, double-brick, heritage home in south Sydney’s Bexley North has been lovingly transformed by winners of The Block 2023, Steph and Gian Ottavio. “Naturally I design in a Japandi way but this house has more Scandinavian elements in its architecture, so I wanted to create a modern extension that was sympathetic to the existing house,” Steph told us.

Bexley North was a unique project. Steph and Gian used Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding with Hardie™ Axent™ Trim for the Board and Batten look on the front facade of the home and this made up the cladding over brick component of the renovation. To complement this, Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture was used to add a contemporary spin to the Modern Heritage rear extension.

Here, Steph and Gian share:

• What the owner-builder brief was for the cladding over brick renovation and extension
• Why Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture and Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding were the ideal products to use
• 5 design features of Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture
• Top tips for cladding over brick

Street appeal was key in the owner-builder brief

When Steph and Gian were given the brief for Bexley North, the key focus of the owner-builder was to minimise costs yet still create an impact and be sympathetic to the streetscape.

“Most of the buildings along the street have the same sort of architecture,” said Steph. “I think it’s really important as an architect to look at the streetscape and consider how we add value without creating an eyesore.”

In her role as architect on the project, Steph’s vision was to ensure the home’s facade blended into the rhythm of the streetscape. That meant knock down and rebuild was not an option. Not only would a knock down incur more costs, it is far removed from key Japandi design principles of minimising waste and retaining as much as possible on site.

“It became the obvious choice that we could clad over the brick,” said Steph.

Why Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture was the ideal product to use

To ensure the rear facade complemented the overall aesthetic of the home, the right material selection was key. It was also part of Steph’s design to create a distinct shift between the existing home and extension.

Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture was perfect for Steph and Gian; it spoke to their love of Japandi and the Japandi ideology to create impact through texture and tone.

“With Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture you are able to choose between installing the product horizontally or vertically,” explained Steph.

“We were able to have it installed in one day thanks to the board coming in at 3m x 1.2m. Seeing the client's face when the boards were installed was such a nice moment; it allowed them to visualise the new rear extension.”

Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture also comes pre-primed and ready to paint, allowing freedom to choose from a wide variety of colours. “This is one of the best parts about Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture; the fact it is pre-primed,” said Steph. “This allowed the client to save money on paint and labour costs.”

On the facade of Bexley North, Steph and Gian used Dulux® Vintage Beige to compliment the Scandinavian aesthetic of the exterior and interiors. “This light yet timeless colour really made the home fit into the local neighbourhood,” said Steph.

5 design features of Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture

Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture is a combination of the embedded render texture of Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding and the board style of Stria™ Cladding Smooth with its own unique, v-shaped grooves.

Key design features of Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture include:

• Easy to install: The interlocking edges allow for quick and easy installation.
• Design versatility: It can be installed vertically or horizontally.
• Engineered to endure: Hardie™ fibre cement is resistant to fire and rot, and damage from moisture and termites.
• Modern look: Provides contemporary clean lines and pared-back aesthetics for homes with simple, bold forms.
• Flexible colour: The boards come pre-primed and ready to paint.

Technical considerations when installing Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture

A key technical consideration when installing Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture is understanding the total surface area of the facade as this will determine how to arrange the boards. As a result, “it makes the tradesman’s job as seamless as possible,” said Steph.

By taking this technical consideration into account early on, even spacing and alignment will be achieved in the facade, creating a balanced and aesthetically pleasing look.

What makes installing Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture so unique is the fact it is perfect for ground floor use. Featuring a textured finish, the 14mm thick boards are durable and tactile providing an ideal material.

Steph and Gian also chose to install Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture on the rear facade horizontally as opposed to vertically. The reason? They wanted the site to feel more expansive.

“If you look at the back of the site it tapers in, which naturally shows that the site is smaller towards the back,” explained Gian. The horizontal installation of the product made the site feel longer, and “by creating horizontal lines, it subconsciously makes the mind feel that the space is bigger than what it is,” added Steph.

Choosing two different cladding profiles

Two different cladding profiles were used on the Bexley North house:

Hardie™ Fine Texture Cladding on top of the brick at the front of the house complemented with Hardie™ Axent™ Trim for the Board and Batten look: “This added a level of ornamentation and depth in the facade,” said Steph.

Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture for the Modern Heritage rear extension: “We needed a complimentary extension product that clearly defined the old to new but also retained the home’s original architectural style and that’s where Stria™ Cladding Fine Texture came in,” said Steph.

Building efficiencies and the ability to keep costs down on the renovation and extension was another key reason why cladding over the brick house was the right choice.

“The alternative to what we did in cladding over brick would have been to demolish the home and build from the ground up, which incurs a lot more costs when it comes to pouring a new slab or having to run new timber joists and framing, and then recladding it,” explained Gian. “Cladding over brick provided such a key cost saving and allowed us to achieve the same end result.”

Steph and Gian’s 3 top tips for cladding over brick

1. Thermal benefits: “Cladding over brick creates this extra layer of skin, so you’re able to heat and cool the house for less in terms of mechanical energy.”
2. Ensure a common thread: “When you’re cladding over existing brick, make sure the cladding boards over the brick and the extension connect and there is a common rhythm that ties the house together.”
3. Never assume you can’t do it: “There is a false assumption that you can’t clad over an existing brick foundation, but that's not the case. James Hardie has created products that actually enable the brick to be the base and you literally clad on top of it.”

Challenges faced during the cladding over brick reno

A key design challenge faced by Steph and Gian in the Bexley North home came via the trim detail around the windows. “When cladding over brick you increase the depth of the window reveals,” said Gian.

The James Hardie Technical Team worked closely alongside the owner-builder client and Steph and Gian to ensure the window reveals were just right. This collaboration allowed Steph and Gian to be creative and ensure the finishes were in line with the exceptionally high standards of James Hardie’s portfolio of fibre cement exterior solutions.

Another project to be proud of

Steph and Gian couldn’t be prouder at what they accomplished on the Bexley North renovation and extension – all this alongside managing their homewares business, Japandi Estate, and their own home renovation. Stay tuned for more exciting news to come from this powerhouse couple.