Years in the planning. Two days to install.

A family of five in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs – and not enough space 

For families living in Sydney’s densely packed Eastern suburbs, space is always at a premium. And for Nina’s family of five, this was no exception.

So, when they moved back into their Randwick property after years of renting it out, it was finally time to put into action the long-dreamed plan for the top of the garden.

With the kids now teens and everything that comes with those years – friends, study, privacy, independence – they needed more space of their own. And Nina and her husband needed a place to work from home.

For years she’d had her eye on that unused stretch of lawn at the top of the garden. It would be the perfect place to add a stand-alone building and give this family the breathing room they needed. And now they were back, they could build it.

Why building the traditional way wasn’t an option

But doing so was never going to be easy. Not on this block. There was almost no front yard, only tight, narrow access to the rear, and a journey up multiple stairs to the site itself. Building the traditional way – multiple material deliveries, trades coming and going, large heavy machinery on site – would have been an ordeal for everyone involved, including the neighbours. And the costs would have been astronomical. This was ruled out, and the search for an alternative began.

“We looked at a couple of different options,” Nina tells us.

This included getting a carpenter to design and build something from the ground up.

But then they found Greenspan.

“This was the one that fit best with price and timing and the design… and the options of what we could do inside and what we could change in it,” she says. “We liked the design. And the price.”

In contrast to a carpenter building from scratch on site, the hard work all takes place in the factory with a Greenspan building. That meant there would be less mess and less stress for the family – and the neighbourhood. No piles of materials scattered around the garden. No noise and dust from timber being cut and planed. No ongoing hammering or drilling as floor, walls and roof come together, bit by bit.

Instead, the building takes shape off-site. Wall and roof panels are built, lined and clad. The floor framing is assembled. Windows are pre-fitted. And it all happens in just a few weeks, unaffected by adverse weather and the inevitable delays an on-site build would face.

From site visit to showroom: a process designed around the customer

“The process was simple,” Nina recalls. “Having somebody come out, measure up the space, go through some of the options. Then we went out to the showroom and had a look at the options there.”

Rather than simply picking a pre-set design from a catalogue, ordering online, and hoping for the best, they collaborated with an experienced Solutioneer. Someone who could guide and advise them on their options, based on their site, their needs, and their preferences. Someone who could help design a bespoke building that worked best for the space they had and the look they wanted to achieve. Someone who really understood the process from start to finish and could support them every step of the way.

“That was the process. It was pretty straightforward, actually,” Nina tells us.

With the design complete and plans signed off, it was over to Greenspan’s skilled team of PreCrafters to meticulously handcraft every panel and component. A process that took just a few weeks, as Nina confirms.

“It was pretty quick after that, choosing a builder from the different options that we were given and going from there.”

Modular panels, narrow access, two days to lock-up

And so, just weeks after her first conversation with Greenspan, her building arrived. Yet despite having very little frontage and narrow side access to the rear, delivery was no problem. Being modular panels, they could simply be unloaded from the truck, carried by hand down the side of the house, up the stairs and stacked ready for installation to start.

This was just as easy.

Nina selected one of the installers from a list that Greenspan provided to her – experienced carpenters, builders and trades recommended by past Greenspan customers. Within two days, the building was installed to lock-up stage. In two and a half weeks, the fit-out and finish were complete.

Years in the planning, but done and dusted in less than three weeks.

A building designed to belong in its surroundings

Nina chose a Melwood Workshed as her base design, configuring it to measure her stretch of lawn perfectly at 3.2m x 6.3m.

To meet the aesthetic she had in mind, the front gable end and the exposed side elevation were upgraded to pre-primed weatherboard cladding, with classic board and batten retained on the remaining two sides. She painted the exterior in “Dulux Silkwort” – a warm greige with a soft mauve undertone that works beautifully with the Woodland Grey Colorbond® roofing and mirrors the landscaped garden walls that sit below.

It’s a colour that pairs naturally with the crisp “White” of the aluminium window frames, as well as the double timber glass doors and the balustrades of the surrounding tiered composite decking, which have been painted in “Lexicon”.

From the stairs to the decking, from the balustrades to the weatherboard, it’s a showcase in clean lines and complementary tones.

Inside: light, warmth, and a space for everyone

Inside, the same considered approach continues.

“Lexicon” white has been carried through to the VJ panel lined walls and ceiling. Warm timber flooring echoes the decking outside, and is picked up in the furnishings and decorative touches throughout – a thread of warmth that ties the interior together and connects seamlessly with the outside.

The high-pitched clearspan roof is always a standout feature in a Greenspan building – and a detail worth looking twice at. To ensure clean, symmetrical lines along the length of the building, the installer added a false truss before boxing them in. It’s the kind of considered detail that stands out for looking exactly right.

Sliding windows have been positioned high to bring in natural light and cross-ventilation while sitting above sightlines – an important privacy consideration on a site surrounded by neighbouring properties.

With a generous 3.2m x 6.3m floor area to work with, the building has been divided into two distinct zones. One half of the building has been dedicated to a home office set-up, with a workstation and a wall of built-in storage. The other is where the teenagers have claimed their territory: a sofa bed, a soft rug, a wall-mounted TV, and all the space needed for a sleepover or a long weekend hangout.

Two distinct areas, two distinct uses, but one seamless look.

A home office by day, a teenage retreat by night

9-5, it’s the parents’ domain. A dedicated space while working from home, steps from the back door, but far enough away to be focused and productive.

After hours, it’s the teenagers’ retreat. All set up for hanging out with their friends, movie nights, sleepovers, games and music. The socialising that once filled the house is now contained in a space of their own – close enough to be safe and supervised, far enough to feel like real privacy and independence.

When guests stay, there’s somewhere to put them. And even Banjo, the family dog, has claimed the deck as his.

As Nina puts it, “Everybody’s getting their fair share”.

Years in the planning. Two days to install. And two and a half weeks to a space that the whole family benefits from.

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Nina’s versatile home office and teenage retreat is a Melwood Workshed 3263 measuring 3.2m x 6.3m.

It features Pe-primed weatherboard cladding to the side and front gable end, with board and batten to the other gable end and rear. Two sets of double timber glass doors open to the side and front gable end, with aluminium windows in “White” and Colorbond® roofing in “Woodland Grey”. The exterior is finished in “Silkwort”, interior walls in “Lexicon”. Composite decking was added separately.

All measurements are approximate.

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