Hi, I’m Margaret, and this is the story of our home.
I bought this house because I’ve always loved heritage. I love the idea of being part of a story, one my kids will one day pass on to their own children. Living in a heritage home is special, but it also comes with a lot of limitations. You feel a responsibility to protect the character of the building, and sometimes that means compromising the way your family actually needs to live.
After years of struggling with the layout, dealing with constant frustration, and watching my kids get sick far too often, my partner and I finally decided it was time to renovate.
We were terrified. Terrified of losing the soul of the home. Terrified of a design that would erase its history. And, of course, terrified of dealing with Council.
I interviewed three architects, talented, reputable, all capable of creating something beautiful. But something never felt quite right. The focus was always on achieving a stunning result, and while that’s wonderful, we weren’t looking only for “beautiful.” We wanted someone who understood heritage deeply, someone who would help us restore the spirit of our Victorian cottage.
That’s when I came across Crush Studio. Their expertise in European design, heritage, and Passivhaus caught my attention.
What stood out most was how genuine their care was. They didn’t rush into drawing anything. Instead, they researched. Thoroughly. They wanted to understand the story of the house before they even began imagining its future. That meant a lot to us.
Our vision was clear:
maximize the potential of the spaces we already had, and create an extension that wouldn’t compete with the original building but support it, an addition that felt like it belonged, that complemented rather than overshadowed. It wasn’t about style for the sake of style. It wasn’t about making things bigger just because we could. It was about honoring our home and shaping it around the way we actually live.
And I’ll say this, once you experience living in a home built to Passivhaus standards, you can’t go back. The comfort, the air quality, the stability of the environment… it’s on a completely different level compared to a conventional build.
Today, our home feels like the best version of itself, true to its history, and aligned with what our family needs.
