Elegant Simplicity

Martin Kolarik  Home Design
Creating Simply Elegant Home Designs For Your Family
0407 900 068
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News

Custom Designed Homes vs Project Homes – Which Is Better?

8 February, 2019 by Martin Kolarik

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Architect designed vs project homes

One of the biggest challenges and expense you will have in your life is having a home built for you.

This process, and your new home, can be very rewarding and something of great pride.

A vital decision is whether to choose a custom designed home or a project home.

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Topics: elegant home design

What is the difference between a Building Designer and an Architect?

7 January, 2019 by Martin Kolarik

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Difference Between Building Designer and an Architect

What is the difference between using an Accredited Building Designer and an Architect?

When talking about private homes there is very little difference between using an accredited building designer and an architect. In fact there are many similarities.

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Topics: renovating your home in style

Horizontal or Vertical Home Extension – Which one is better?

29 October, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

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Horizontal or Vertical home extension

Extending a home adds a great deal to your lifestyle.

The only difficulty is deciding whether the extension should be made horizontally or vertically. Both do have distinct benefits.

You can work out the better option for you once you find out your constraints.Read More

Topics: elegant home design renovating your home in style

7 Tips For A Great Home Floor Plan

19 October, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

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Great home floor plan

Families generally do a lot of good research when planning their new home. It is essential that you bring along all the ideas that you have into the design of your  home floor plan. This includes elements that you have either decided upon or are interested in for your family’s needs now and into the future.

The best strategy to ensure you achieve a great floor plan is to maintain an open mind when discussing your ideas with your designer. Here are my seven top tips that I usually consider when looking at home floor plan design.

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Topics: elegant home design

Read This Before Knocking Down Your Wall

10 October, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

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knocking down your wall

So you want to be an advocate of open-plan home living? Sounds like a fantastic idea!

But remember to be cautious and prudent when it comes to removing any walls or making new openings for windows and doors.

To prefer homes with large spaces where the walls or barriers have been removed is as understandable as aesthetically pleasing. But to jeopardise the structural strength of your home in the process is unacceptable.

Unsupported structures could collapse. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the modifications you make to your home are safe.

Find out the best way to proceed with your open floor home project.

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Topics: council regulations renovating your home in style

Approvals Required Before You Renovate in Bushfire Prone Areas

3 October, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

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bushfire prone areas

Sydney, when viewed from above, is lined by spectacular harbour foreshore and bushland. These areas are considered Bushfire Prone Areas.

For safety reasons, authorities have a compliance plan for Councils, NSW fire authorities, builders and certifiers to follow.

If you are planning a home renovation, you will have to submit your plan to the authorities.

Therefore, you need to obtain approval to renovate in Bushfire Prone Areas.

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Topics: bushfire safety council regulations

The Key Elements of Designing a Family Home

10 September, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

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designing a family home

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.

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Topics: elegant home design

Conservatory And Sunroom Are Two Different Things

3 July, 2018 by Martin Kolarik

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conservatory and sunroom

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.

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Topics: elegant home design

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Client Feedback

Extremely Happy

The conversion of our 2 bedroom 1950’s bungalow to a modern 4 bedroom house has been an enjoyable journey that completed on time, on budget and with results that far exceeded our expectations.

Jon and Lindley Randle

Lane Cove

Invaluable Expertise

You can see quality in every design detail. During the construction process, Martin's expertise proved invaluable when dealing with council and a somewhat recalcitrant builder.

Dolien and Peter Nicolsen

Berowra NSW 2081

Innovative, highly professional and sympathetic

We wanted to suit the needs of our young family but Martin advised us on how to future proof our house design and meet our needs as our family grows up. We now have a stunning home and we couldn’t be happier with the architectural design.

David & Pauline

St Ives Chase

Fantastic

Martin Kolarik was instrumental in the design and documentation of our family home renovations a few years ago and I have pleasure in recommending his professional services.

Warwick J. Higgs

Chartered Accountant, Wahroonga

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

Very Happy

Martin's capable oversight of the builders and other contractors ensured we had a trouble free building experience. We continue to be very happy with the result of his efforts.

Patrick and Laura Mooney

A Joy To Work With Martin

Martin is very knowledgeable, organised and professional and it is a joy working with him. He gives every request due consideration, no matter how challenging the request.

Anja & Perry Poehlmann,

St Ives Chase.

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

Very Attentive

Martin listened very attentively to our requirements and very cooperatively finalised the plan, with careful discussion back and forth. We felt he always took on board our thinking, while respectfully putting his own suggestions.

James and Irene Franklin

Lane Cove

Very Happy

Now that we have lived in the finished product we can categorically state that we wouldn't change any part of the design. Indeed, the only parts of the renovation that we would change are those you weren't involved with!

Michael and Quyen

I Cannot Begin To Thank Martin Enough

One of our main concerns was getting the design through council as we were in a conservation area. Again Martin handled it with ease, going through first time with no amendments! Practically unheard of in our area.

Joe and Sonya La Rosa

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

About Us

Accredited Building Designer

Martin Kolarik Home Design your Sydney North Shore specialist home designer. We live here, work here and have done so for decades.

We design extensions and renovations of houses to deliver beautiful, functional homes that complement your lifestyle and budget.

Martin Kolarik’s central design philosophy is modernism for its elegant simplicity.

He appreciates and employs the use of architecture to introduce natural light and ventilation as significant components of the design. This in turn has a positive effect on the sustainability of your home.

Martin creates spaces which are designed to be aesthetically elegant, comfortable and functional which will stand the test of time. He challenges the design solutions to ensure your design maximises every opportunity and the investment you are making to achieve a home that you will be excited to live in.

Welcome

home designer in Sydney

Welcome to my website. My purpose is to help you create a wonderful place you and your family can call home.

It is about listening and understanding your needs and what you would like to achieve. I have spent the better part of my life learning how to create warm and welcoming spaces rather than simply designing houses.

Please have a look around. View the galleries of some recent projects and read the testimonials from past clients.

I have also written many articles on my blog to help you on your journey to creating your dream home. I look forward to assisting you,

Martin Kolarik Home Designer Signature

0407 900 068

Testimonials

A few words from our clients. Read them all in full here

Extremely Happy

The conversion of our 2 bedroom 1950’s bungalow to a modern 4 bedroom house has been an enjoyable journey that completed on time, on budget and with results that far exceeded our expectations.

Jon and Lindley Randle

Lane Cove

Invaluable Expertise

You can see quality in every design detail. During the construction process, Martin's expertise proved invaluable when dealing with council and a somewhat recalcitrant builder.

Dolien and Peter Nicolsen

Berowra NSW 2081

Innovative, highly professional and sympathetic

We wanted to suit the needs of our young family but Martin advised us on how to future proof our house design and meet our needs as our family grows up. We now have a stunning home and we couldn’t be happier with the architectural design.

David & Pauline

St Ives Chase

Fantastic

Martin Kolarik was instrumental in the design and documentation of our family home renovations a few years ago and I have pleasure in recommending his professional services.

Warwick J. Higgs

Chartered Accountant, Wahroonga

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

Very Happy

Martin's capable oversight of the builders and other contractors ensured we had a trouble free building experience. We continue to be very happy with the result of his efforts.

Patrick and Laura Mooney

A Joy To Work With Martin

Martin is very knowledgeable, organised and professional and it is a joy working with him. He gives every request due consideration, no matter how challenging the request.

Anja & Perry Poehlmann,

St Ives Chase.

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

Very Attentive

Martin listened very attentively to our requirements and very cooperatively finalised the plan, with careful discussion back and forth. We felt he always took on board our thinking, while respectfully putting his own suggestions.

James and Irene Franklin

Lane Cove

Very Happy

Now that we have lived in the finished product we can categorically state that we wouldn't change any part of the design. Indeed, the only parts of the renovation that we would change are those you weren't involved with!

Michael and Quyen

I Cannot Begin To Thank Martin Enough

One of our main concerns was getting the design through council as we were in a conservation area. Again Martin handled it with ease, going through first time with no amendments! Practically unheard of in our area.

Joe and Sonya La Rosa

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

Gallery

where to focus spending during major home renovation
where to focus spending during major home renovation

Contact Us

If you are considering undertaking a major renovation project, use the form below to get in touch with us:

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Service Area

We service the following area in Sydney’s north:


Home Designers Sydney | Home Extensions & Renovation | House Additions & First Floor Additions Sydney

3 Valley Park Crescent, North Turramurra NSW 2074

Phone: (02) 9449 1109

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