Affordable renovations for new families

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.