Yallambee House

Neil's clients, Nick & Rochelle, purchased this site, which is a double block of 926sqm which contained a cute, yet dilapidated timber cottage that was built in 1909 with some unique features. At first, we weren’t sure if we were going to maintain the existing house or demolish it and build a new house. We did an exploration of the pros and cons of knocking it over and building a new house or doing an addition. We together resolved that it was possible to keep the existing house with a new addition added rather than knocking it over and starting again. Not only would this approach best serve their needs, but also it was the right thing by the community to maintain and make improvements to the existing house and maintain the history of the house in the streetscape. 

Nick & Rochelle wanted a family house with a beachside, relaxed feel to it. They also wanted a flexible design that would enable them to remain in the house as their needs changed with a young family.

From Nick & Rochelle after they had time to enjoy living in the house:  'Neil worked very closely with clients Nick & Rechelle to make sure that the existing timber framed house was kept and improved while adding a major addition to the house.' Here is a statement from Nick & Rechelle about their experience working with Neil: 'We engaged the services of Neil to Transform a very neglected Cottesloe timber cottage into a beautiful, luxurious family home and we could not be happier. We have beautiful street façade and a stunning addition to the back that is so functional and of the highest quality. Neil was patient, thoughtful and highly skilled in his approach and design.'

In 2024 the house changed hands, and I am happy to have now met Gemma & Mike, the new custodians of the house.

Not far (a few streets to the north) of the Yallambee house site, Louis Langoulant and his wife Anna-Marie moved into a new house where 25 Clement Street, Swanbourne now is, in December 1872. They were the first permanent residents having established a farm called Pleasant Valley near Butlers Swamp in 1869. The site for the new house was on a small rise close to the centre of this 40-acre holding, which cost him 20 pounds. The five-room limestone cottage with front verandah was finished in December 1872. Only a few scattered cottages were located in this northern Cottesloe area with another of the first erected being Mrs Richard Cleak’s isolated ‘Pioneer Lodge’, now at the site of 92 Grant Street. 

The DPLH ‘Our Heritage Places’ statement of significance of the original house at what is now known as ‘Dairy House’: ‘Although it has some detail missing this cottage is a complex composition by timber bungalow standards and is capable of conservation to be an important contributor to Kathleen Street. Its history needs more researching as it has more of a rural ambience than suburban and may well have been the house for one of early dairies in the area. This house, built in 1909, is made of timber framing with Edwardian weatherboards. It has an iron roof using hips and gables. The verandah partly enclosed has turned posts with a St Andrews cross frieze. Edward John Bishop, accountant, paid the rates in 1909, The next year he paid them his address is listed as Kathleen Street. Perhaps he kept horses?’ Edward J. Bishop lived in the house between 1907 and 1915 when the house was called ‘Yallambee’, which means ‘Dwell with ease’ (Source: Trove Newspapers).

The area of land in North Cottesloe and into Swanbourne proved to be suitable areas in which to establish dairies. Among the early North Cottesloe milk vendors operating near the border of Swanbourne were: Birkbeck’s in Balfour Street, Cooksley’s and Newman’s in the present Curtin Avenue, Leinster’s and Delamare’s dairy. Towards the beach John Shiels operated a dairy farm in the hollow between Broome Street and what is now Torrens Street and Hawkstone Street. Delamare’s dairy had 180 strong heard that often roamed as far north as the present-day Swanbourne Barracks rifle range.

By 1915 the Cottesloe Council was determined to ‘clean up and beautify’ certain areas of the suburb and they decided to not issue any future licences for local dairies after that year.

The nearest junction for transport was the then Congdon Street Station (now Swanbourne Train Station) with the only was of crossing the railway line south of the Congdon Street Bridge being a cutting some 50 meters south of the current Eric Street bridge.

Kathleen Street was surveyed in 1902 and was named after landowner Dr Daniel Kenny’s wife, Kathleen Mary. In the DPLH Inherit document statement of significance of the property refers to the property as follows: ‘Although it has some detail missing this cottage is a complex composition by timber bungalow standards and is capable of conservation to be an important contributor to Kathleen Street. Its history needs researching as it has more of a rural ambience than suburban and may well have been the house for one of early dairies in the area. The verandah partly enclosed has turned posts with a St Andrews cross frieze. Edward John Bishop, accountant, paid the rates in 1909, The next year he paid them, and his address is listed as Kathleen Street. Perhaps he kept horses?’ 

Ruth Marchant James in her book ‘Cottesloe a Town of Distinction’ provides an outline of what this part of North Cottesloe was like in the early 1900’s: ‘Unlike South and Central Cottesloe, North Cottesloe remained unoccupied bushland for a long period. From the top end of what is now Eric Street, to the east of Congdon Street and the present North Street, the area was thick with gum, banksia, wattle, she-oak and Christmas trees and in the springtime the ground was a Mass of colourful wildflowers. For a long time only, a few scattered dwellings could be seen with the isolated ‘Pioneer Lodge’ at what is now Grant Street being one of the first buildings erected’. 

This Kathleen Street Edwardian cottage must have been ‘one of the scattered dwellings’ in the area when first constructed.

Ruth Marchant James goes on to write: ‘Sections of land in the northern portion of the district proved to be suitable areas in which to establish dairies. Early North Cottesloe dairies operating near the border of Swanbourne included Birkbeck’s, Cooksley’s, Newman’s Leinster’s and Delamare’s. Grazing lands ran down almost to the railway line and as far north as the land on the current rifle range in Swanbourne. By 1915 the Cottesloe Council decided that after that calendar year, no future licences would be issued for local dairies.’ This Kathleen Street house, constructed in 1908 was originally completely surrounded with local dairies and must have accommodated people associated with the dairy industry.

Unlike South Cottesloe, North Cottesloe, where Yallambee house is located, remained unoccupied bushland for a long period. From the top end of what is now Eric Street, to the east of Congdon Street and the present North Street, the area was thick with gum, banksia, wattle, she-oak and Christmas trees and in springtime the ground was a mass of colourful wildflowers. In season, there was always a riot of purple native wisteria and white clematis and motley profusion of yellow, white and pink donkey, spider, and slipper orchids. In certain areas countless red and green kangaroo paws, cats-paws, pink myrtle and prickly yellow wattle carpeted the ground. 

Once it was resolved that we were progressing with a design to keep the existing cottage and add the additional required spaces in an addition we focussed the design on how best to not overwhelm the existing building with the addition. With all of this background research behind us, I set about designing an addition to the original timber cottage.

I often find that some additions to old houses can look a bit like a spaceship (usually black) has landed in the backyard. I really wanted to achieve a design where the addition did not overwhelm the existing cottage and importantly achieve a desirable outcome without mimicking or ‘challenging’ the character of the original building.

 Using the change in level across the site to our advantage, the new floor levels to the addition were dropped to create a new ground floor with a first floor over ‘split’ using the existing house level as the ‘landing’ between. By doing this, we achieved an addition that is virtually invisible from the street, thereby saving the street appeal of the old house.

Using the changes in level across the site, we were able to reduce the height of the addition by half a floor, with the mid-landing level in the new staircase being the existing floor level of the original house. This was a good result as the scale of the addition was reduced and the new portion of the house was not that obvious from the street. We planned to enable excellent passive solar access and cross ventilation to the new portion of the building and insulated the entire building new and old.

The completed house was a Finalist in the 2016 HIA ‘Greensmart’ Energy Efficiency Awards which is testament to our achievement in turning this 1909 cottage into a house and addition to exemplary standards of energy efficiency.

The walls, roof, ceilings and underfloor of the existing cottage all received new thermal insulation. The addition was oriented to benefit from the northern aspect to obtain the benefit of winter sun penetration to the interior. 

The first floor of the addition was timber framed and ‘triple insulated’ with the wall comprising of: external cladding a timber batten to create an airgap, a layer of Kingspan ‘Permisheild’, bulk insulation in the zone of thew timber studwork and Kingspan Kooltherm K18plasterboard lined insulation to the internal face of the timber studwork. The result being a very thermally moderating external wall, with the interior benefiting from the cross ventilation provided and the access to the warming winter sun.

Culturally, keeping the existing cottage and placing the addition as discretely as possible at the rear of the original house ensures that the history of the place is maintained to have some relevance for future generations.

Robert Frith