Affordable renovations for new families

Maria Endah Hulupi The Jakarta Post Jakarta

As a young couple expecting more additions to their new family, they wanted to create more room in their standard house. They also wanted to give their home a different look as all the houses in the neighborhood where they live look alike.

The young couple, declining to be named, wanted their home to reflect their personal taste for a two-story renovated house as well as to be adaptable to the needs of a growing family.

"The house was originally designed for a couple with a baby. But after the renovation, it was possible for the owners to accommodate another baby in the house by converting the working area on the second floor into another bedroom," said Gregorius Supie Yolodi, the architect hired to help the couple realize their dream.

The low-budget renovation was planned to give a modern tropical look to the house, which stands on a 144-square-meter plot of land in the Kebon Jeruk area of West Jakarta.

After the renovation, the house had a master bedroom with a bathroom and walk-in closet, a study, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room with a pantry, a family room, a guest room, storage, a servant's room and a backyard.

"It took about two and a half months to finish the renovation and we didn't change the structure of the house much. To stay within the budget, we used local material, like natural stones, which are also easy to maintain," said the architect.

To change the old building's overpowering appearance, Supie created wide, wooden framed windows to give it a spacious effect and ensure proper ventilation in the living room.

"The living room is actually quite small but these wide windows enable you to have an expansive view of the small garden right in front of it. It also helps make the room look larger. It also gets the full effect of the sun from the windows and a skylight," he explained.

For the rear part of the house, Supie removed the back door, which opened the dining room up to the backyard. The walls enclosing the yard were layered with paras Yogya, a natural beige-tinged stone and the surface of the back area, which had been covered in koral (loose stones from a riverbed), was cemented over to enable children to play or take their first steps there.

"This arrangement will also enable the owners to accommodate more guests in the dining room during informal gatherings," he said.

Supie also changed the dominant colors of gray, green and blue to calming earthy-toned hues, such as beige and yellow, which enhanced the wooden door and window frames as well as the furniture.

"It makes quite a difference. It brings out the calm tropical atmosphere in the house's interior and exterior."

Supie not only plans the renovation of a house but also advises his clients on choosing the furniture and other interior elements for it.

"The couple hunted for accessories at different places and they would contact me every time they saw an interesting object to ask me for my opinion," he said.

For the lighting, the architect installed down lights while the couple added some Japanese-inspired floor and table lamps, which not only provided illumination but also acted as ornaments in the rooms.

The staircase is illuminated with wall lights covered with sandblasted glass, while the railing is made of wood and steel. The area, Supie added, is kept unobstructed from unnecessary details.

He also crowned the carport with a steel screen, layered with acrylic to brighten its appearance, but which still enables sunlight to illuminate the area. The steel screen hangs securely on several steel poles.

The couple kept the house's old tiles for the terrace floor and designed their own garden, which they enhanced with terracotta pots as accents.

"To give a modern touch to the garden, I added a garden light, encased in a slim, glass box," he said, while adding that other outdoor lighting in the backyard had been put in rectangular wooden casings.

Everything was kept practical to fit the young couple's tastes and the house was also designed to ensure that it requires low maintenance with only daily sweeping, mopping and dusting.

"For the outdoor area, moss is desirable and if possible it is encouraged to grow to give the house a more natural look from the outside," Supie said.

"It's a typical small house for a young couple but they may consider buying a bigger house in the future to accommodate the needs of their growing family, especially if they are blessed with a third child," he added.