Hi, My name is Matt, and this is the story of my family little terrace in Summer Hill Inner West.
We’re a family of four, and our oldest son is a professional swimmer, so water is a big part of our life. When we bought this small heritage terrace, the idea was simple: create a place where we could live quietly, stay connected, and keep swimming at the centre of our everyday routine.
At first, I thought we’d keep the heritage front, knock down the old rear addition, and put in an 18-metre pool that ran boundary to boundary. But once we started designing with our previous architect, it became clear the space just wasn’t going to allow it. Then came the council process months of back-and-forth, refusals, delays. It wore me down to the point where I genuinely thought about selling.
The frustration was seeping into our family life, and I didn’t want that.
Right before I called a real estate agent, I reached out to Carlo at Crush. He’d helped a friend with their heritage home. We sat down. That conversation changed everything.
We landed on an idea I hadn’t even imagined before: putting the pool under the extension so we’d always be connected to the water, visually, physically, emotionally. It made perfect sense for us.
From there, we mapped out the design and the strategy. It wasn’t going to be a straightforward approval, but the plan was strong and I felt supported the whole way through.
Ninety-three days later we lodged our plans… approval. After a year of setbacks, that moment felt huge.
What we ended up with is better than what I pictured at the start:
a two-storey addition, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a front living room that somehow gets beautiful natural light even though it faces south, and a north elevated kitchen, dining, and living area at the rear. And of course, the 18-metre pool running beneath the extension and stretching all the way to the back, the heart of our home.
What I appreciated most about working with Carlo and his team was how involved I was. I wasn’t guessing anymore. I knew the risks, the costs, the timeline, the steps. After everything we’d been through, that clarity and collaboration meant a lot.
This home is exactly what we wanted: thoughtful, personal, and built around what matters most to us.
