Why Building a New Home is Worth It Versus Renovating on the Northern Beaches
The allure of owning a home on Sydney’s stunning Northern Beaches is undeniable. With its golden sands, picturesque views, and relaxed coastal lifestyle, it’s no wonder that people are eager to live in this slice of paradise. However, as the demand for real estate...
A Guide to Designing Your New Home – Step 1
So the time has finally come for you to build the home of your dreams? Congratulations! Dreaming of your perfect home is easy, but turning it into a reality can be more complicated than you think. When you build your home, the first steps is to think about how your...
A stunning, modern coastal home – how you can start with one of our designs as inspiration and end up with a completely custom designed home.
A beautiful example of how our designs can be adapted to suit different blocks. This home was based off our Iluka 46 design but modified to fit a narrow block. This home has been fitted out with beautiful finishes that accentuate this modern design, you can see all of...
Northern Beaches Living: Why Knocking Down and Rebuilding Steals the Show
When you're pondering the best way to spruce up your slice of paradise on the Northern Beaches, there's a standout contender: knocking down and starting anew. Here's why this option steals the spotlight: Renovation, while cozy, can only do so much. Hidden issues in...
Pantone Color of the Year 2024: Peach Fuzz
The results are in, and the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2024: Peach Fuzz ‘Peach Fuzz’ is an appealing peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, that inspires belonging, recalibration, and an opportunity for nurturing. It’s a warm and cozy shade highlighting...
How To Ensure A Pest-Free Home
Nobody likes an unwelcome house guest. Rodents, roaches, ants, termites, moths—not only are all these critters and creepy crawlies unpleasant to be around, but these uninvited pests can also pose a threat to your family’s health. Whether you’re moving into a brand new...
How To Choose The Perfect Cooktop
When choosing your dream home, you want your kitchen, the heart of the home, to match. One of the most important elements of a well-functioning kitchen is the cooktop, whether you’re serving up regular dinner parties or just boiling the occasional egg. In the past,...
How To Decide If Building A Pool Is Right For You
Daydreaming about your forever home and can’t help but visualise yourself soaking up some sun by your new swimming pool? No matter how close you live to the stunning Australian Coastal shores, having your own taste of the beach at home (minus the sand) is where...
The Standard Dimensions for Australian Kitchens
Unsure how wide to make your kitchen cabinets? Is there a minimum height for a benchtop, and how high is too high? Wondering if there are standard Australian kitchen dimensions, or what’s the best size for a kitchen island? The possibilities are limitless for the...
8 Creative Ways To Transform A Spare Bedroom
Whether you’re an empty nester with an empty bedroom or two, or if you just have extra space in your home, spare bedrooms are often neglected or forgotten about. Rather than converting your spare bedroom into a storage space or home office, why not transform the extra...
What Are The Different Types Of Roof Styles In Australia?
Although you might not realise it, a house or building gets most of its character and aesthetic appeal from the choice of roof style. Choosing a roof style can depend on your home's architectural style, location, and even your preferred level of maintenance. Some roof...
How to Make Your Move Easier
Moving homes can be a real stress. Sometimes it can feel like all the planning in the world isn’t enough, and other times it can feel like once you pack something, you won’t be able to find it for months. With so many things to organise, coordinate, and pack, it’s no...
Introducing The Hartford 38!
Icon Homes is proud to present our latest design, The Hartford 38 Old meets new with The Hartford 38. Combining a classic style gabled roof and exposed stone chimney, with a contemporary mix of materials and colours, evokes a homely sense of warmth and comfort. This...
How To Pick The Perfect White Colour Paint
Choosing the perfect shade of white for your new home isn’t as simple as you may think. White coloured paint is notoriously tricky to match and can quickly leave your space feeling like you’re living in a science lab. Here at Icon Homes, we love white walls, fittings,...
How To Maximize Your Laundry Storage
For many first-time homebuyers, It might be tempting to skim over the laundry room when planning or designing your new home. After all, it’s not a room for entertaining or day-to-day living, so why would you dedicate more time to designing the space? The truth is that...
The Ideal House: What Size Is Perfect For You?
Whether you’re looking to build a double-storey home with extra bathrooms and a double garage, or if you want something smaller that's easy to maintain, there’s a different sized home for every family. However, with so many choices and options for home building, it...
How To Create A Good Relationship With Your Builder
Whether you’re building a new home or renovating your current one, creating a good relationship with your builder is the best way to ensure a stress-free project. Here at Icon Homes, we know that quite often, the building process can be overwhelming and stressful, and...
Using Tiles In Your Home
Tiles are an elegant way to bring an instant sense of luxurious style to your home’s bathroom and kitchen. Not only are they practical and durable, but the huge range of tiles available means it’s easier than ever to use tiles to create a stunning design feature. Gone...
Why You Need A Guest Room In Your New Home
If you’re in the process of designing your new home, or perhaps you’re just brainstorming what your new home looks like, then a guest suite is something to add to the list. With just a few tweaks, design updates, and finishing touches, you’ll be able to welcome family...
Introducing The Aster 38!
Icon Homes is proud to present our latest design, The Aster 38 The sky is the limit with the Aster 38. The star of the show is the architectural oculus that creates a stunning opening in the ceiling of the balcony. This spacious feeling is carried on throughout the...
Hydronic Underfloor Heating: Why You Need This Home Upgrade
Hydronic underfloor heating is a super energy-efficient and sustainable solution that has quickly become a favourite for many home buyers. Discrete, easy-to-operate, and more consistent in dispersing heating, underfloor heating is a more modern way to keep your home...
How To Make The Most Of Your Open-Plan Design
Open-plan design spaces have become a popular choice in Australian homes—and for a good reason! Instead of having multiple rooms that are closed off from one another and isolated, an open-plan living space allows for more light, more space, and a larger area for...
Custom Home Builder Vs. Project Home Builder: What’s the Difference
When you’re shopping around looking for a builder to create your next project, you’ll often come across these two terms: custom home builder, and project home builder. So, what do these two terms mean? Let’s unpack them, and examine the advantages and disadvantages of...
Best Floorplan Options For A Family Of Five
Designing the dream home for a family of five needs a floor plan with the perfect balance of flexibility, functionality, communal space, and peaceful retreats. At Icon Homes, our pragmatic floorplans are designed with family living in mind, with beautiful designs...
What You Need to Know About Builder Promotions and Offers
If you’ve been in the market looking for a builder for your new home, no doubt you’ve come across a variety of promotions, sales, discounts, and even freebies courtesy of the builders themselves. It can be pretty exciting to see, and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want a...
Come Visit Our Orpheus 51 Display Home!
Icon Homes is proud to present our newest display home The Orpheus 51! A classic look home with a modern edge, The Orpheus 51 is what you have been searching for! With a cleverly thought-out plan that combines an abundance of room to entertain and spend together,...
Welcome To Our Iluka 50 Display Home!
Icon Homes is proud to present our newest display home The Iluka 50! We revel in the complexities and intricacies inherent in great design. The Iluka 50 is a testament to these details from the curved masonry of the ground floor to the upstairs cantilevered feature....
Tiles Vs Timber Laminate
Tiles Vs. Timber Laminate Choosing the right flooring for your new home is no easy task—should you go with tiles, or is timber laminate flooring the better choice? It can be overwhelming, especially when so many options are available. Both laminate flooring and tiling...
Finding Your Perfect Block of Land
Finding the perfect block of land for a knockdown rebuild project can feel a little like searching for a needle in a haystack. There are so many plots of land that are promising in one way or another, but how do you know if it’s right for you? No wonder so many...
Choosing A Facade For Your Home
They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to home design, the façade is one of the most essential parts of your overall home aesthetics. Façades come in all shapes and sizes, from the highly decorative and ornamental to the simple, plain,...
Introducing The Kallaroo 32!
Icon Homes is proud to present our latest design, The Kallaroo 32! The Kallaroo 32 is the ultra modern home you have been dreaming of! This edgy design is characterized by it’s technical detail with two showstopping cantilevered features on the upstairs and downstairs...
The Icon Homes Guide To Staircases
If your new home has more than one floor or sits on an extremely steep block of land, you will need a staircase. Staircases are more than just a way to connect floors in a building. They’re also an opportunity to express your personality, enhance the style of your...
Preparing For Your Colour Selections
Preparing for your colour selections Your colour selection appointment is arguably the most exciting and important part of building your new home. It’s the final stage before building commences, and it’s also the moment you get a sneak peek into what your future dream...
Making The Most Of Your Garage
When designing a brand new home, many families often skim over designing the garage. While it may seem like a garage is the least glamorous part of a home, it really has the potential to be so much more than just a space to secure your car, bikes, or other clutter...
Designing Around The Sun: Solar Orientation and Architecture
Have you ever wondered why some homes feel warmer or cooler than others? Perhaps you’ve lived in a house that was always cold in winter, despite high energy bills and expensive heating. Or, you’ve been in a home that managed to keep the heat of summer at bay, even...
Thinking About Building A New Home To Retire In?
If you’re reaching retirement age or looking to plan for the future, building your own retirement home might just be the answer you’re looking for. Designing a custom-built home for the future provides you with a safe space to spend your golden years in peace and...
Introducing The Brighton 41!
Icon Homes is proud to present our latest design, The Brighton 41 Living up to its name, The Brighton 41 is all about light open spaces. Featuring two front balconies, a sitting room with an impressive raked ceiling and the ultimate in open plan living, it will be...
How To Get The Look Of An Architecturally Designed Home Without The Price Tag in Northern Beaches
When it comes to elevating the look of your new home, it’s all in the details. Many skilled architects will agree that creating a home that looks polished, styled, and impressive is to include refined details and extras that make all the difference. There are some...
What’s the difference between Modern Coastal and Hamptons style?
For many first-time homebuilders, differentiating between Coastal and Hamptons-style homes can be challenging. Both are incredibly similar in their style and can easily be confused without much understanding. Both style designs have a similar nautical/beachside...
Curves In Design
There’s no doubt that curves are having more than just a ‘moment’ across architecture and interior design. Scroll through any design lover’s Instagram account, and you’ll see arched windows, rounded sofas and gently curved walls waving back at you—especially in many...
Tips For Building On A Sloping Block On The Northern Beaches
Many first-time home builders and buyers are hesitant to build on a sloping block. Potentially higher costs, limited build options, strange configurations – it’s no wonder why sloping blocks are seen as a challenge. And it doesn’t stop there. Those tossing up between...
Why You Need a Butler’s Pantry
Over the past few years, one feature has been popping up in brand new home designs: a butler’s pantry. Many of our Icon Homes designs, especially the newest ones, have a butler’s pantry as part of the design, and we are finding that more and more families are looking...
What To Consider When Building On A Corner Block
A corner block offers a unique building experience. When you’re building on a corner block, you have the opportunity to create multiple points of entry, get access to more sunlight, and even build a separate guest entryway. If you’re looking to build your next home on...
How To Plan (And Stick) To Your Budget
One of the most challenging things about homebuilding is sticking to your planned budget. It’s difficult not to get carried away when shopping and browsing through home designs, cabinetry, and facades—everything you see looks amazing, but does everything fit your...
Blinds, Shutters, Or Curtains? Which One Is Best For Your Home?
Whether you’re looking for a privacy option, to add a little style to your home, a respite from the sun, or even if you’re looking to reduce energy bills all year round, no doubt you’re scanning the window coverings market and left wondering what to do. Choosing the...
What Is A Mudroom?
You might have seen a few designer homes, including a few of our own, that have a small room marked “mudroom” or just “mud” that have left you scratching your head. A mudroom refers to a small additional entrance room that can help keep your home clean and...
Soil Test And Site Survey: Why You Need Them
If you’re a first-time homebuyer or looking to knock down and rebuild your dream home, you’ve most likely come across phrases such as “soil test” and “site survey”. Conducting both of these tests before picking out paint colours will help save you money, time, and...
The Hamptons-Style Home Design
Over the past few decades, Hamptons-style homes have steadily become more and more popular with Australian families looking to enjoy the easy-breezy energy of these builds. A Hampton-style design is a timeless classic that will keep for generations to come and is a...
Six Signs That You Need To Do A Knockdown Rebuild
Are there cracks in the walls of your current home? Is the entire house just not working for you, but you don’t want to move? Maybe some serious structural issues need to be fixed, but the cost of renovating is leaving you overwhelmed? It sounds like you need a...
Palm Springs-Style Homes: How To Bring Desert-Chic To Your Home
A fusion of modernism, desert chic, and retro glam, Palm Springs-style homes are helping to bring that “just zipped off for a holiday” feel to Australian homes. Stylish, practical, and designed for entertaining, a Palm Springs-style home might just be the home of your...
What Are The Key Differences Between A Development Application And A Complying Development Certificate?
When building your new home there are two ways you can gain your building plan approval. A Development Application and a Complying Development Certificate are namely the two certification types. At Artisan by Icon Homes we’re well-versed in understanding the...
Design Trends To Look Out For In 2022
Building a new home has never been more exciting. The past few years have seen a burst of new interior design trends, such as improved home offices and dedicated remote learning spaces. The popular interior design looks to keep an eye out for in 2022 are all about...
Pantone Color of the Year 2022: Very Peri
The results are in, and the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2022: Very Peri! Very Peri is a warming, bold lavender tone that Pantone has invented from scratch. This fun, rich colour is said to be a celebration of courage, creativity, and modern living, with a splash of...
We are Thrilled to Welcome You Through The Montauk 31!
Icon Homes is proud to announce that our newest new display home, The Montauk 31, is now open! The Montauk 31 is our Artisan take on the classic Hamptons look, a style that continues to grow in popularity on the beaches. The Montauk 31 is a stunning family home with...
How to Bring Your Dream Home to Life
Trends are constantly changing, which makes designing a ‘forever home’ quite challenging. You want a cohesive design that stands the test of time but choosing the finer details can be daunting even for professionals. Often we envision what our dream home looks like...
Is a Sloping Block a Deal-Breaker?
Perfect street, prime location… but the block is on a slope? Thanks to our years of experience executing even the most complex knockdown rebuilds, with Icon Homes you can rest assured, that an uneven lot isn’t always a deal-breaker. With various types of home designs...
What Happens in a Knockdown Rebuild Process?
Ready to knockdown that 60s home and rebuild with a custom home design that you’re proud of? As knockdown rebuild specialists in Sydney, we know the questions that come up at every step of the process and below we’ve simplified what you can expect. Meet with a team...
What Should You Expect With a Custom-Built Home?
Have you noticed in the search for a custom home builder, the word ‘custom’ gets thrown around quite sheepishly? When deciding who to choose to build that forever home of your dreams, it can be hard to compare your options when there’s so much variation in the...
Do You Know What Your Dream Home Looks Like, Just Not Sure How to Bring That Look to Life?
Trends are constantly changing and when you design your own home you want cohesive design that stands the test of time. Choosing the finer details can be daunting even for professionals. Often we know what our dream home looks like (with plenty of Pinterest boards...
23 Cherry Lane, Warriewood – The Perfect Hamptons Style Family Home!
Where The Hamptons Style Meets Family Functionality. This picture-perfect home captures the essence of coastal living with a laidback sense of luxury. The generous design reveals multiple living areas, stylish contemporary finishes with a Hamptons aesthetic. This home...
THE AVORA 34 Is The Master Builders NSW Display Home Of The Year & Now A National Finalist!
The Master Builders Association has named The Avora 34 the NSW Display Home of The Year ($600k-$800k), which is the second year in a row we have taken out this award, and is now a finalist in the National awards. No builder sets out to build a home purely to win an...
Need Some Colour Inspiration?
Don't get us wrong - we love white as much as the next person, but are you looking for some colour inspiration for your new home? Our friends at Taubmans (Did you know that the Taubmans 3 coat paint system is standard in our inclusions?) have selected their favourite...
Brightening Up Your Life
“We need natural daylight to function – just as we need darkness to go to sleep.” When it comes to designing your new home, one of the most important features that often gets overlooked is the lighting. Not only does it improve the look and feel of you home, studies...
The 6 Bathroom Trends For 2020 From Our Friends At Reece
Quality and getting expert advice is so important when building your dream home. That is why we work with Reece on all of our bathroom & kitchen fittings - they are the experts! They have recently shared their thoughts on The 6 Bathroom Trends for 2020, take a...
To Build Or To Renovate… THAT Is The Question!
We are often told by clients they are trying to decide whether to KDR or renovate, and would you believe when we tell them to 'KDR no question', they don't always believe us?! One of our current clients has done both and we asked her to share her insight. Follow her...
Can You Pick The Top Bathroom Trends For 2020?
Pick a statement piece and let it shine – this bath does just that! They say it is important to wake up positive in order to start your day off right. With the bathroom being one of the first rooms you go to in the morning, it only makes sense that it should be...
The Avora 34 Shows Design And Energy Efficiency Needn’t Be Mutually Exclusive
'The Avora 34 display home and Bristile solar roofing solution prove that sophisticated design and energy efficiency needn’t be mutually exclusive' We are proud of The Avora 34 for many reasons, the fact that it is the first net zero display home in NSW is a big one...
Your Dream Home Needs To Be Future Proofed And Sustainability Is Key!
The homes we built decades ago are not the same as the homes we want to live in the decades ahead - your dream home needs to be future proofed, and sustainability is much more than just a buzz word. The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has a vision for...
Choosing Your Colours Can Seem Like An Overwhelming Task
When building a new house, choosing colours and materials can be a big and daunting task. Not only do you have to decide on the full internal colour scheme, but you must also think about what your house will look like on the outside. Everyone wants their house to be...
Making The Most Of A Small Block Of Land
Sometimes size does matter, especially when it comes to building your dream home! With the growing population, available blocks of land are becoming increasingly smaller, but that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on space. By using some of these simple design...
Pantone’s Colour Of The Year Announced!
COVID-19 has changed a lot of things, but our friends at Pantone have still released their Colour of the year. For the past 20 years colour experts Pantone, have selected a single colour to represent the year ahead. This year they have chosen ‘Classic Blue’ to...
It Is Definitely Uncertain Times – But At The Moment The Market Is Still Moving!
At the moment, taking one day at a time is about all you can do, the govt. advice is constantly changing and the economic market follows. That said, there are still plenty of knock down rebuild opportunities on the market - and they are selling!! The clearance rate...
Now More Than Ever, We Need To Be Talking About Sustainability
Sustainability is possibly going to be the buzz word of 2020. Now more than ever (and rightly so), people are looking for how to minimise their impact and how both small and big changes can have a huge impact. This has been on our mind for a while, and our new display...
Confused About How Construction Loans work? Steve Menzies From Citywide Makes It Simple For Us
We often get asked about the process for financing your new build, and whilst we can explain the basics from our end it’s always best to get help from the experts. There is no one we would recommend speaking to more than Steve Menzies from Citywide, a Northern Beaches...
Got ideas? Let’s bring them to life.
Everything we build is custom, with thoughtful design, careful planning, and a clear, honest process from day one. Whether you dream of a knock down rebuild on the North Shore or building on a sloping block in the Northern Beaches, we’ll help bring your idea to life.