EDITION 14
Home Feature:
Hamilton Haven
A former Hamilton shop site has been given a new lease on life thanks to the expertise of Newcastle builder, Brett Hogan of Bespoke Building Newcastle, who has transformed the building into a modern inner-city home while preserving many of the original details that make it so unique.
Brett originally purchased the property in the year 2000, and while he considered a range of different plans during the years that followed, it wasn’t until he joined up with Newcastle’s Space Design Architecture (SDA) in 2022 that the transformation began.
From the outset, Brett knew that he wanted to keep and add to the building’s traditional Aussie shop front facade, and while many features such as the front awnings and windows had to be rebuilt, when you drive past today, there’s no mistaking that the property once held an important place in the fabric of this popular Hamilton streetscape.
“It’s been great to learn about the history of the building, which neighbours have confirmed operated as a bible store until at least 1975,” said Brett. “Following that it served as a variety of different businesses, but was most recently an electrical wholesaler.”
“My brief to SDA was to preserve the shop front, but make it better,” continued Brett. “As a builder, I also didn’t want to fall into the trap of building a ‘builder’s home’ – which is generally something boxy or easy to build. SDA really helped to deliver the wow factor.”
The home is now complete with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living areas and a study, as well as a private courtyard, deck and pool. The neighbouring freestanding garage’s rooftop has been cleverly transformed into a cactus garden, which is now a standout feature of the home.
Brett’s own building practice often incorporates recycled materials where possible, so it’s no surprise that this came into play at Denison Street.
“About 40 percent of the bricks were recycled, through a mix of some red bricks found in the existing shop as well as some sourced from another property nearby,” explained Brett. “We added those to a different black brick sourced from Spain, and when blended together they created a really nice recycled look.”
Internally, the combination of modern finishes, brickwork and timbers, as well as curved feature walls and a suspended staircase, makes for a truly unique inner-city home. Outside, the pool area and courtyard, plus rock-climbing wall for Brett’s son, has quickly become a favourite spot for friends and family to gather.
“The courtyard was a lot of work and took a long time to finish, but it’s become a really intimate space and we love the outdoor pizza oven and fireplace,” said Brett. “I poured a lot of hours into this home but I love the finished product, love the location and plan to stay here for as long as I can.”
Suburb Hamilton
Who lives here Builder and Carpenter Brett Hogan and his son
Bedrooms Four
Bathrooms Three
Favourite Features Suspended staircase and outdoor courtyard/pool area
Completed End 2023
Architect Space Design Architecture (SDA)