Ashgrove Queenslander Reimagined: Honouring Heritage and Elevating Craft

This Queenslander reimagined - designed by Graham Nottle Architects and delivered by Thurva Projects  - balances heritage with contemporary form. Striking metal awnings frame views to Mount Coot-tha, while preserved fretwork and VJ panelling anchor the home in its past. Render By Tara Robson whose work captures the elegance and intent of the design with clarity.

Rooted in Ashgrove’s rich architectural legacy, this Queenslander renovation represents more than just a build - it’s a dialogue between past and present. Designed by Graham Nottle Architects and entrusted to Thurva Projects for delivery, the home will showcase how heritage detailing and contemporary expression can coexist with clarity and respect.

Vision & Purpose

This home aspires to stand out as a Queenslander reimagined - preserving tactile reminders of the past while elevating them through Thurva’s uncompromising execution, technical foresight, and legacy-driven craftsmanship.

Graham Nottle Architects have set a clear vision: to reimagine a Queenslander that honours its heritage while embracing contemporary living. Thurva’s role is to translate that intent into built form with precision and care. Guided by the client’s aspirations, every decision is being approached with thoughtfulness: what to preserve, what to reinterpret, and where to introduce contrast.

“For us, it’s never about simply building. It’s about creating something that feels as though it belongs, where the history of the home is respected, and the new work feels enduring rather than imposed.”  Tom Thurwood, Director, Thurva Projects

Heritage & Context

Graham Nottle’s design thoughtfully preserves key features of the original dwelling, including weatherboards, VJ panelling, and fretwork.. These details act as anchors - grounding the project in its Queenslander roots - while new architectural moves, such as the striking metal awnings, frame views of Mount Coot-tha and articulate the home’s contemporary character.

Respecting the suburb’s fabric is essential. Rather than compete with Ashgrove’s streetscape, the design engages in quiet dialogue: heritage features remain tactile and authentic, while modern insertions bring a fresh clarity.

Streetscape & Site Care

For Thurva, respect for place goes beyond design. It extends to the way the project is delivered on site. Thoughtfully designed hoarding has been introduced to protect the neighbourhood’s amenity, ensuring the project contributes positively to the streetscape even during construction.

“We believe the building journey should never come at the expense of the neighbourhood. Our hoarding protects the character of Ashgrove while ensuring the site remains as considered and respectful as the final home will be.”  Tom Thurwood

Craftsmanship & Detail

With heritage homes, the unseen is just as important as the visible. At Thurva, foresight begins from day one: membranes that won’t fail, substrates that won’t twist, junctions sequenced for performance. True craftsmanship lives in these hidden layers, forming the foundation for a finish that is clean, deliberate, and enduring. "That level of planning isn’t decorative, it’s foundational" says Tom.

The south-western extension introduces particular complexity. Low and highlight windows, framed with Heka Hoods and integrated with Vental Blinds, demand precision sequencing from structure through to shop drawings. Every flashing, fixing, and facade interface must be coordinated early - because performance is inseparable from aesthetics. "At Thurva, we treat these junctions as performance-critical: flashing, fixings, and facade interfaces are resolved in advance so the final finish reads as clean, deliberate, and enduring."

But it isn’t only the new work that demands care. The existing dwelling introduces a host of variables - substrates, legacy framing, and original openings - that cascade into set-outs, alignments, and sequencing. If these aren’t understood and communicated early, they risk compromising the final finish. When resolved with foresight, however, they become the foundation for precision, allowing every trade to work with clarity, confidence, and craftsmanship.

Modern interventions bring further challenges. Walls are being relocated, and a staircase is being punched through the original structure, requiring every decision to respect the legacy fabric while anticipating the new. Understanding where existing finishes end and modern design begins is critical. At Thurva, time is deliberately taken to consider set-outs meticulously, ensuring walls and RLs align with parallel and vertical form.

These details are not incidental - they are central to realising the architectural vision with integrity. Thurva’s role is to resolve the unseen complexities so that Graham Nottle’s design intent reads as effortless in the finished home.

Client & Collaboration

Every Thurva project begins with listening. The Ashgrove home is no exception. The client’s aspirations form the compass for the build, but those ambitions are always balanced with respect - for the home’s existing strengths, its heritage detailing, and its architectural rhythm.

Realising this balance requires more than technical know-how; it requires partnership. Tom and the team invest time in unpacking the client’s vision, understanding not just what they want to achieve, but why. From there, every decision is guided with care - what to preserve, what to reinterpret, and where modern insertions can introduce new life without erasing character.

“Our role is to steward the vision with both technical clarity and emotional intelligence. Clients should feel confident that their ideas are heard, but also reassured that we’ll guide them through the complex decisions so the outcome feels both deeply personal and contextually resolved.” Tom Thurwood

This collaboration extends into the smallest details. Whether it’s aligning new RLs with legacy substrates, sequencing finishes to honour original fretwork, or re-thinking junctions to preserve sightlines, the process is a conversation.

And crucially, it is a three-way collaboration between architect, client, and builder. By respecting Graham Nottle’s design intent while guiding the client through key decisions, Thurva ensures the home is both faithful to the vision and deeply personal to its owners.

Legacy & Lifestyle

When complete, the Ashgrove home will embody balance: heritage and modernity in seamless conversation. For the family, it will feel as though it was always meant to be there - anchored in place, elevated in performance, and unmistakably theirs.

It also carries a wider message: heritage homes can be renewed not by erasing their past, but by elevating it. With thoughtful design, precise execution, and a deep respect for context, Queenslanders can continue their story, preserved and elevated for generations to come.