Excelsior St House | Leichhardt
Awards & Recognition
Winner – Residential Alterations / Additions over $250K
Building Designers Association of NSW
Featured in: Winning Design Magazine
Project Overview
Excelsior St House is an award-winning renovation that shows how a narrow, heritage-restricted site can be reimagined into a bright, functional and highly liveable family home. Located in Sydney’s Inner West, the project required a careful balance between respecting the original terrace character and creating a contemporary home that worked for modern family life. As building designers experienced in complex alterations and additions, our goal was to breathe new life into the home while strictly responding to local heritage guidelines.
Narrow Site Design & Spatial Efficiency
The restricted site required a highly considered design response. The transformation focused on creating a stronger sense of space without relying on a large increase in footprint. The design introduced a generous master suite, improved circulation and better sightlines to make the home feel larger, lighter and more practical.
Every part of the layout was carefully resolved to maximise usable space and improve the day-to-day function of the home.
Internal Courtyard & Natural Light
A key feature of the project was the internal courtyard.
The courtyard serves two important roles: it creates a private retreat and draws natural light deep into the centre of the home. This helped improve the feeling of openness within the narrow site while creating a stronger connection between the indoor areas and the new outdoor entertaining space.
Heritage Character & Contemporary Living
The design carefully blended old and new architecture. The historic character of the Inner West terrace was respected, while the new work delivered the contemporary lifestyle the homeowners needed. Built-in storage, improved sightlines, better indoor-outdoor flow and carefully detailed additions helped create a home that feels both practical and refined.
Project Outcome
Excelsior St House demonstrates that even highly constrained heritage sites can become spacious, stylish and award-winning homes when the design is carefully considered. The completed renovation delivers a strong balance of heritage character, natural light, spatial efficiency and contemporary family living.
Planning a Heritage Renovation in Leichhardt or Sydney’s Inner West?
Distinct Innovations provides building design, architectural drafting and council approval support for heritage renovations, narrow-site extensions and residential alterations across Leichhardt, the Inner West and Greater Sydney. If you are planning a heritage renovation, terrace alteration or home extension, we can help guide your project from early concept design through to approval.
Heritage Conservation renovation on a restricted narrow site, featuring an internal courtyard and a master suite addition designed for maximum spatial efficiency.
