Redesigned in 2017 by Ben Callery Architects, this traditional single family house is located in Melbourne, Australia.

Description by Ben Callery Architects
At Lean-2 we?ve put a new spin on the quirky and quaint elements of the typical lean-to, with a compact but spacious second lean-to on an existing house with a difficult orientation.
In an age where social media emphasises image, encouraging consumption, size and excess this house celebrates modesty of scale and quality of space and simplicity of materials.
We all know the classic Australian lean-to:

Three walls and a single pitched roof abutting a taller existing building as an appendix to the original.

They often come in two?s or three?s they get progressively smaller like a row of babushka dolls.
Despite their modest scale and tight spaces, they offer some positives that are worth re-interpreting: Once-external cladding becomes internal lining boards and previously external windows become internalised creating interesting views and connections between rooms.

They are inherently low and compact, providing cosy intimate spaces within.

Their visual bulk is diminutive, resulting in negligible overshadowing on its own backyard.
Our clients, a young family of four, needed more space for their family to grow.

They wanted flexibility to allow the house to adapt to changing needs and to accommodate visiting family members. They wanted a degree of openness to facilitate connections between family members....