Clean lines and simplicity - create the modern look in Melbourne

A builder by trade, Michael Nikolovski had just purchased land in a new suburb in Melbourne and wanted to create the perfect house for his family which includes three young boys.

“We wanted something new and contemporary,” said Michael. “We loved the clean lines and simplicity that cladding creates. We needed a home with space to be together as a family, but also space to grow as a family.”

Durability a deciding factor

As a builder, Michael is very aware of James Hardie products, and chose a mix of Hardie™ exterior cladding products due to their durability, low-maintenance, and warranty. He’s confident the parts of the house using James Hardie products will stand up to any punishment that the harsh Australian climate as well as his young three boys can dish out. “We’ve used so many James Hardie products throughout the home that it’s basically a Hardie House,” continued Michael. “I wanted to use a product that could be easily maintained, allowing me to enjoy family time on the weekend instead of continually patching up parts of the house down the track.”

Minimising a Garage Façade

Michael’s desire for a three-car garage was a challenge due to the unique shaped block with a small 12m frontage. It was a tight space to be working with and he didn’t want a three-car garage with traditional garage doors dominating the façade and distracting from the home’s look.

“The garage is a dominant feature of the front of the house, so instead of traditional garage doors, we used Axon™ Cladding. The cladding hides the garage really well and makes the garage appear as just a regular external wall of the house. It blends seamlessly with the rest of the façade and external walls.”

Inspiring 3D Renders

In choosing his exteriors, Michael used three dimensional renders to identify the cladding types and colour palettes. “The 3D renders were great for inspiration and give you an idea of how the finished product will look, but can only give you so much, you really need to see and feel it once the job is done to get a real understanding of the final look. Once the cladding was installed and the landscaping was complete, I was very happy with the final results, it looks fantastic. We’ve had neighbours commenting on how good it looks.”

Endless Design Possibilities

As well as the garage doors, Hardie™ cladding has been used in the home’s al fresco entrance, through the entry door and is also used on an inside wall in the garage. “I wanted a continuous and seamless look. For a long-term investment, Hardie™ cladding presents no issues and importantly, from a building perspective, it’s easy to use. The whole build for my double-storey family home, took nine months,” said Michael. By utilising a range of claddings and strategically using only three exterior colours, Michael has delivered a modern home, rich in texture.

A Hardie™ House

Axon™ Cladding has been used for the garage doors, the middle bedroom on the first floor above the ground-floor entry, all painted in Monument. Matrix™ Cladding has been used on the ground entry porch area, including ceiling lining and painted in Surfmist. Hardie™ Flex Eaves Lining was painted in Builders White. Stria™ Cladding has been used on the exterior of first-floor bedrooms on the left and right-hand side of the house and were painted in Surfmist.