This Inner Suburban Cottage is located in Tighes Hill, Newcastle, formerly an industrial area but due to it's proximity to the city is now becoming popular with young families and professionals seeking the inner city lifestyle. The client brief was to replace a rundown two bedroom miners cottage with a modern home for a family of three children and two adults on a 320sqm corner block. The design solution delivered the main house containing open living, dining, kitchen, three bedrooms, main bathroom, laundry and double garage. The large parents retreat comprising of a combined spacious bedroom, lounge and sitting area, seperate kitchen and generous ensuite is located above the double garage, connects to the house via an internal stairway and features a separate entrance to enable the space to be utilised as self-contained guest lodging. The street front facade reflects the original miners cottage with weatherboards, front porch and skillion roof while beyond the street frontage, a stylish transition to finishes such as Colorbond Nail Strip cladding and timber paneling relfect the contemporary style of the young family. Passive solar design was incorporated with north-oriented living, dining, kitchen areas featuring polished concrete slab for thermal mass. Cross-ventilation has been incorporated into the design with strategic window placement throughout. The seamless transition from indoor living areas to covered outdoor entertaining area is achieved through the polished concrete slab continuing from indoors to outdoors, at one level and large sliding stacker doors with screens.