Green energy and good design a perfect match in Balmain home

Builder and construction manager Mat Wilk believes everyone appreciates good design. “They don’t need to understand design, they walk into a space that feels right and they love it,” he says.

For this character home in the heart of Balmain, the first project for Wilk’s new company Ballast Point, delivering good design was top of the wish list.

Architect Will Fung of Co-ap devised a plan to turn the two-bedroom cottage into a four- bedroom family home. The result is a fusion of Federation charm with a striking off-form concrete pavilion at the rear.

With business partner Geoff Kirk, Wilk embraces green technology and North Street is a showcase for sustainability.

There is a solar system on the roof, Tesla battery storage installed and windows have been oriented to the north. Timber from the original house has been recycled and repurposed into stairs and shelving. Ballast Point has also taken a risk by opting for garden space over a garage.

“The level of finish for a house without a car space goes firmly against the grain,” Wilk says.

“But I have a firm belief that a garden is more valuable than a car. If I can’t have both, I will pick a garden every time.”

There is room in the home for families to come together and spend time apart. The central living room sits beside a feature staircase, a combination of ironbark, steel and off-form concrete that appears to be suspended from the upper level.

On the other side of the stairwell, the family living spaces incorporate a bespoke study nook with shelving and a desk opposite a two-tone kitchen. A generous island has breakfast bar seating and there are Miele appliances and an integrated fridge-freezer.

The family room opens via sliding stacker doors to the Bates Landscape-designed garden where you’ll find a level lawn, established border plants and a built-in seat.

There is one bedroom on this level, complete with original fireplace, and three more bedrooms upstairs, all with built-in storage. The master has an en suite and access to roof storage and bedroom two features a bank of windows sliding back on a full-width window garden.

All the bathrooms come with under-floor heating and there is reverse-cycle airconditioning.

The lights are on a C-bus system that can be expanded to include future electrical fittings. A smart TV with sound bar, a washing machine and a dryer are included in the sale. 

Surrounding area

North Street is in the heart of Balmain. Head up to Darling Street where you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to wining and dining, plus there is an eclectic collection of shops and galleries.

On the northern boundary of the suburb you’ll find Elkington Park and the historic Dawn Fraser baths.

The property is located at 20 North Street Balmain and is expected to sell for $2.7 million when it goes to auction on February 25.

See more at domain.com.au/2013354940