CKS Projects

18/10/2026

Don’t fight the site. Embrace it.

Some builders might run screaming from a site like this. But when Keiron of CKS Projects and Alex Urena of Alex Urena Building Designer tackled Elanora Four in Coledale, they saw an opportunity.

As Alex explains, “You see what constraints are presented on the job and then flip that around and use the site’s constraints as your biggest asset.”

The steep escarpment and access challenges became the inspiration for one of the home’s most memorable features: a beautiful timber bridge connecting the street-level garage to the home below.

A logistical challenge became a design feature.

This is the power of architect-builder collaboration: understanding the problem, embracing the opportunity and making the design work.

🌐 CKS Projects: cksprojects.com.au
🌐 Alex Urena Design Studio: alexurenadesignstudio.com.au

Video: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

07/10/2026

26/09/2026

How do you choose materials that belong to the landscape?

One of the defining features of this duplex is its striking black timber exterior.

Originating in Japan, this traditional charring technique creates a richly textured, expressive finish. Here, its deep tones echo the charred trunks of the surrounding gum trees, allowing the home to sit naturally within the bushland.

A contemporary material choice that feels surprisingly at home on the South Coast.

Thinking about building a duplex or architecturally designed home? We’d love to talk.

📞 0416978669
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.cksprojects.com.au

Architects & designers: What do you think? Do you think these darker material palettes help a home recede into a bushland setting?

Designed by Nest Residential Design
Built by CKS Projects
Photography: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

Special thanks goes to our collaborators:
South Coast Timber Flooring and Heka Hoods

23/09/2026

A Place to Pause.

The best outdoor spaces frame the landscape.

At our Huskisson project, the pool sits within a restrained palette of grey, black and native planting, allowing the surrounding bushland to remain the hero.

The clean lines of the architecture continue outdoors, with every element considered—from the planting and pool surrounds to the way each space connects.

CKS Projects oversaw the outdoor works, which made it easier to unite the home and landscaping as one.

Thinking about building or renovating? We’d love to talk.

📞 02 4271 5132
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.cksprojects.com.au

Designed by Nest Residential Design
Built by CKS Projects

Pool: Plungie Australia
Paving: Concept Tile & Timber
Pool edging: PoolEdge Systems

Photography: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

19/09/2026

H U S S K I S O N

Surrounded by native bushland, this striking duplex takes a different approach to coastal architecture, embracing sculptural form, bold geometry and a rich monochrome palette.

Designed by Nest Residential Design and built by CKS Projects the home balances crisp architectural lines with distinctive materials, including this striking Shou Sugi Ban timber cladding.

We love the way its deep, charred tones echo the colours and textures of the surrounding gum trees.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll share more of the design ideas, craftsmanship, and material choices behind this unique project.

Thinking about building or renovating? We’d love to talk.

📞 02 4271 5132
🌐 cksprojects.com.au
✉️ [email protected]

Photography: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

15/09/2026

A Little Bit of Nostalgia.

👉Swipe across to see more …

Bathrooms don’t need to shout to leave an impression.

Here, soft pink feature tiles introduce a subtle nod to mid-century coastal homes, while large-format grey floor tiles, white walls, brushed gold tapware and an arched mirror bring a contemporary elegance to the space. It’s relaxed and fresh.

👉See our website to find out more - Link in Bio. 

Photography: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

Collaborators, trades, and suppliers:
Electrical: KTM Electrical
Joinery: Beny's Joinery
Plumbing: Sinko Plumbing & Civil PTY LTD
Curtains: Glenn Koek Shutters & Blinds
Windows: Hanlon Windows
Tiles and flooring: Concept Tile & Timber

11/09/2026

The Heart of the Home.

For CKS Projects client Terri, the biggest transformation for her Beach House wasn’t adding another room.

It was changing the way the family lives.
The new kitchen is bright, generous and designed for everyday life. White cabinetry, warm oak flooring and an open connection to the living spaces create a place that’s equally suited to busy school mornings or long weekends entertaining friends.

👉Swipe across to see more …

“Before the build we didn’t really have a space to entertain. Now it’s become part of our everyday life.” — Terri

Sometimes great design isn’t about luxury.

It’s about making family life feel just a little easier.

Photography: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

Collaborators, trades, and suppliers:
Engineering: Front End Structural Engineering
Certifiers: AIS Certifiers | Building Certifiers on the South Coast NSW
Electrical: KTM Electrical
Joinery: Beny's Joinery
Plumbing: Sinko Plumbing & Civil PTY LTD
Excavation: Unicivil
Demoliton: DemoEx
Roofing: Stormsafe roofing
Frames & Truss: Wonson Timber
Curtains: Glenn Koek Shutters & Blinds
Frame: JH Fabrications(Jarrad Hunter)
Pest Control: Advanced Pest Control
Stairs: Budget Stairs
Windows: Hanlon Windows
Tiles and flooring: Concept Tile & Timber
Structural building materials: Big River Trade Centre - Albion Park
Water tanks: Wollongong Water Tanks
Crane: Wollongong Crane Trucks
Aluminium: Pardy's Aluminium Supplies
Cladding: COLORBOND® steel
Weatherboard: James Hardie AU
Concrete: Boral Australia
Appliances: Harvey Norman Commercial Division

10/09/2026

The South Coast Beach House 🌊

Across the and the classic weatherboard beach house has shaped generations of family holidays. Simple, practical and built for salty air, these homes have become part of our coastal identity.

For Beach House, Terri and Corey drew inspiration from those very memories.

“We fell in love with those old weatherboard holiday homes around Sussex Inlet, Manyana and Bendalong. That was the design and aspiration of the home we’ve built today.” — Corey

Built by CKS Projects this renovation reimagines that nostalgic beach shack for modern family living, honouring its heritage while introducing the comfort, light and generous spaces today’s families need.

It reminds us that good design is about carrying the best parts of history forward.

We’re curious...

🏖️ What’s the first place that comes to mind when you think of your favourite South Coast beach house memories?

Is it Bendalong?
Manyana?
Sussex Inlet?
Culburra?
Gerroa?
Austinmer?

Photography: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

07/09/2026

A Home That Feels Like a Holiday.

“We fell in love with those old weatherboard holiday homes around Sussex Inlet, Manyana and Bendalong. That became the inspiration for the home we’ve built today.” — Corey

This renovation on was about creating a home that captured everything they loved about growing up on the South Coast.

🏄Days at the beach.
s🏊 Afternoons by the pool.
🎉Friends dropping in.
☺️Kids running barefoot through the house.

CKS Projects completed a whole-home renovation and first-floor addition, transforming a much-loved family home into a relaxed coastal retreat that feels like you’re permanently on holiday.

As Terri says,

“Now we have this open space, heaps of light, room to entertain, and everything has its place. The brief was met. It’s a no-brainer.”

👉See our website to find out more - Link in Bio.
Photography: Ben Greaves - Architecure Film & Photo

Collaborators, trades, and suppliers:
Engineering: Front End Structural Engineering
Certifiers: AIS Certifiers | Building Certifiers on the South Coast NSW
Electrical: KTM Electrical
Joinery: Beny's Joinery
Plumbing: Sinko Plumbing & Civil PTY LTD
Excavation: Unicivil
Demoliton: DemoEx
Roofing: Stormsafe roofing
Frames & Truss: Wonson Timber
Curtains: Glenn Koek Shutters & Blinds
Frame: JH Fabrications(Jarrad Hunter)
Pest Control: Advanced Pest Control
Stairs: Budget Stairs
Windows: Hanlon Windows
Tiles and flooring: Concept Tile & Timber
Structural building materials: Big River Trade Centre - Albion Park
Water tanks: Wollongong Water Tanks
Crane: Wollongong Crane Trucks
Aluminium: Pardy's Aluminium Supplies
Cladding: COLORBOND® steel
Weatherboard: James Hardie AU
Concrete: Boral Australia
Appliances: Harvey Norman Commercial Division

02/09/2026

Designed for

Some homes could exist anywhere.

This one could only belong here.

Perched between escarpment and ocean, Elanora Four in responds to its site with restraint, timber that sits comfortably within the bush, generous openings that welcome the view, and a form shaped by the land beneath it.

👉Swipe across to see more…

Designer: Alex Urena Building Designer
Builder: CKS Projects
Photograhy: Tim Shaw