News

The Key Elements of Designing a Family Home

10 September, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

The best home designs are the ones that grow with your family. Anticipating your family’s needs ahead of time will help you arrive at a great home design. A solid home design is a fabulous investment. It will also help you save on renovation costs in the future.

There are key elements to designing a family home. If you take these into consideration in your extension and renovation design, you and your family will be able to enjoy your home at present and even as you grow and change.

It is every good home designer’s goal to design a home that’s for today, tomorrow and the future.

Conservatory And Sunroom Are Two Different Things

3 July, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

A conservatory and sunroom are structurally quite different yet similar in that they bring sunlight into the home.

A conservatory is very popular in Europe and especially in England. Whereas a sunroom is an Australian and North American phenomenon.

In our Australian climate of mild winters and hot summers, there are very few opportunities to have a conservatory. This is mostly due to excessive heat.

If you live in a cold-climate highland town or rural area in Australia, you may consider a conservatory. As long as you have the space. In metropolitan Northern Sydney, you are most likely to find sunrooms in homes that have the ideal northly aspect to accommodate them.

Let’s take a closer look at their respective histories, similarities and differences.

How To Keep The Original Look Of Your Deck Intact

5 June, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

Perhaps you have recently renovated your home and added a new deck. To keep your deck looking its best for its lifetime, it must undertake regular maintenance. You must clean and oil your deck, plus check for loose or damaged boards or nails that need resecuring.

Moisture, UV radiation, and mould are the biggest causes of discolouration in your timber. Yet you can avoid discolouration and damage with some extra care.

Find out how you can maintain the original look of your deck.
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18 Floor Plan Mistakes – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

23 May, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

Many homeowners have faced this dilemma, “It all looked good till I moved in and now it just doesn’t work. Where have I made mistakes?”

The most likely answer is the floor plan!

Irrespective of whether you are house hunting or sitting with your home designer contemplating your renovations or new house plans, you must give this aspect of home design some thoughtful consideration.

I have lined up for you 18 of the most avoidable mistakes you can commit with your floor plan. This includes that one single mistake that will make the biggest difference to living in your home. Read along to know about it and avoid this right from the start.

How Much Should You Spend On Home Renovation?

22 March, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

how much should I spend on home renovation

Overcapitalising on home renovations or extensions is a big concern when it comes to selling soon after construction is completed. The fear of overcapitalising or under-investing could derail us from the potential profits when the time comes to sell our home.

Here are some considerations to evaluate how much you should spend on home renovation. What is “the right amount” of money for you to spend, even if resale is not a principal factor now?
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Will My Home Renovation Require a Council or State Approval? – DA, CC and CDC

21 February, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

council or state approval for home renovation

Do you love the suburb you live in and your home is need of a change? A renovation is an excellent way to update an older home, accommodate a growing family and add your own style to your home.

For your Designer to develop design options, it is essential to consider the local Council’s and State’s regulations for building, including Bushfire and Heritage.

What You Should Know Before Adding a Second Storey

9 February, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

An efficient way to gain more floor area and living space to accommodate your growing family’s needs is by adding a second storey to your home. This is especially the case if your property already extends to the boundary set-back lines.

Adding an additional floor to your home can really open-up your floor plan. It also lets you maximise space and tends to capture much better views.

Find out what significant issues you should be aware of before proceeding.

Things to Consider When Converting Your Garage

1 February, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

If your garage is nothing more than a place to store stuff you barely use anymore, you may have considered if converting that space to something else is worthwhile.

However, there are certain things you need to keep in mind should you decide to convert your garage.

Far Exceeded Our Vision

At the completion of the building works, the end result is fantastic and far exceeds the vision we had all those years ago. Martin was able to take our scattered ideas for what we needed in a major extension/ renovation, at all times patiently working with our changing requirements, and deliver an end result that we are extremely pleased with.

Graeme Bradford

Turramurra

Seven years on and still really happy

Seven years on and still really happy I am sitting here typing this testimonial for Martin, 7 years later, and really appreciating this amazing home we live in that is part of the bush environment, as well as providing my family with a very comfortable and modern home.

Mateki and Liam Payne

Hornsby Heights

Exceeded Our Expectations

Martin's ability to understand our core requirements and present answers and new ideas for our project exceeded our expectations. Several design features that Martin presented to us regularly get positive comments from visitors to our home, these comments have come from builders, designers and engineers.

James Douglass J.P.

Lane Cove

Invaluable

Martin has exceeded our expectations during a lengthy design and approval process. His attention to detail and flexibility in being able to interpret our ideas into a new functional space has been outstanding. His assistance during the quotation phase of the project was invaluable and resulted in us engaging a first class builder to complete the works.

Teresa and Peter Gray

The Ultimate Professional

On each occasion I have dealt with Martin and his business I have always found him to be the ultimate professional. One of Martin's strong points, which I particularly admire, is his ability to design to a budget and his understanding of building costs. I feel this is an area of design which many designers are particularly weak.

Mark Newman, Director, Newmark Constructions

www.newmark.com.au

Excellent All the Way

Martin Kolarik was the first person to provide a solution that specifically addressed our requirements. His additional suggestions very much enhanced our living and the value of our home. His unwavering commitment continued until the last paperwork was done, long after the final fee was paid.

Ross & Daphne Bishop

West Pymble

The Key Elements of Designing a Family Home

Conservatory And Sunroom Are Two Different Things

How To Keep The Original Look Of Your Deck Intact

18 Floor Plan Mistakes – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

How Much Should You Spend On Home Renovation?

Will My Home Renovation Require a Council or State Approval? – DA, CC and CDC

What You Should Know Before Adding a Second Storey

Things to Consider When Converting Your Garage

Extremely Happy

Invaluable Expertise

Innovative, highly professional and sympathetic

Fantastic

Far Exceeded Our Vision

Very Happy

A Joy To Work With Martin