Introducing Minimal Renovation of a Single‑Family Rental House | The Rented House, a custom-built home example by Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates, a Architect / Design office in 302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka
The client purchased a pre‑owned house to be offered as a rental and the property was renovated.
Entry. The aluminum sashes were removed and a cedar‑plank sliding door was fabricated.
Entry. The existing staircase was retained, with only the risers veneered in plywood to introduce material contrast.
Patterned wallpaper enriches the entry hall. The entry floor received a mortar finish applied over the existing tiles.
For the Japanese‑style room and LDK, the existing frames were retained, with only the shoji replaced by glazed lattice doors.
View into the LDK from the entry.
A compact 10.5‑tatami LDK, ideal for everyday use. Cedar scaffold planks laid over the existing floor.
Kitchen refitted while retaining the sturdy frame and stainless‑steel countertop.
A dwelling that allows the unhurried pace of life characteristic of rental housing.
A simple washroom featuring a bespoke softwood plywood counter and a single washbasin.
The stair handrail was newly installed at very low cost using 1×4 lumber.
Retro Modern
Renovation
Traditional Japanese House
Remodeling
Low Cost
Compact House
Kominka Restoration
DIY
Generational Home
Income Property
Showa
Retro
Antique
RentedHouse
ForRent
Keishiro Yamada
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In recent years the issue of vacant houses has received extensive media attention, and more people have become aware that a large stock of housing now sits unused. When considering a new home, many weigh two parallel options: new construction or purchasing a second‑hand property inexpensively and renovating it. At the same time, a substantial share of the vacant inventory consists of rental properties not intended for owner‑occupation. Aging, together with competition from newer nearby buildings, often drives tenants away; owners and management companies frequently assume that the only option is costly demolition and reconstruction, and as a result many properties are left unaddressed. From a renovation perspective, however, Showa‑era rental houses are a highly attractive resource: well‑crafted joinery and built‑in furniture, iron grilles, and tiles with firing variations all possess the latent potential to function as compelling retro interior elements with only modest intervention. Performance concerns that would trouble an owner‑occupier can often be accepted to a greater extent when the property is intended for tenancy, allowing design priorities to take precedence. In this project we renovated a pre‑owned house newly acquired by the client for use as a rental. We implemented only the minimum necessary performance upgrades while carefully sorting which existing finish materials could be retained and which needed replacement. By balancing old and new and introducing measured color and pattern, we tightened and clarified the interior while preserving its inherent character.
Program | Detached house
Structure/Scale | Timber construction, 2 floors
Design area | 17 tsubo [56 m2]
Design supervision & kitchen replacement | Yoshihiro Yamamoto, Kaori Mitsuhashi [YYAA]
Construction | Tsujimura Construction
Structure/Scale | Timber construction, 2 floors
Design area | 17 tsubo [56 m2]
Design supervision & kitchen replacement | Yoshihiro Yamamoto, Kaori Mitsuhashi [YYAA]
Construction | Tsujimura Construction
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