An architect designs buildings and manages the process of getting them built. That covers a lot of ground: understanding how you live, reading your site, reading planning rules, drawing construction documents, selecting materials, coordinating engineers and consultants, and keeping an eye on quality during construction. The goal is a building that works well, lasts, and fits its context. Our Working with an Architect guide covers the full process in detail.

Get in touch and we’ll set up a conversation. We’ll ask about your project, your site, and your budget, and tell you what’s involved and whether we’re the right fit. The first conversation is free, there’s no obligation, and you won’t be asked to sign anything on the day.

Please do. Many of our best projects started as open conversations, sometimes just “we’ve outgrown our house and don’t know what to do.” We can help you work out what’s possible on your site, within your budget, and with your council’s planning requirements. You don’t need a brief, a Pinterest board, or architectural vocabulary. Just bring your priorities and an open mind.

Probably not. We genuinely enjoy smaller projects. A single-room extension or a well-considered renovation can be some of the most rewarding work we do. As a rough guide, projects above $150,000 to $200,000 in construction cost typically benefit from full architectural services. Below that, a targeted engagement (concept design, a design review, or a pre-purchase site assessment) can still be worthwhile at a proportionate fee.

Fees for full services typically range from 8 to 15 per cent of construction cost. That’s a significant investment. The fee buys fewer surprises during construction (three cost-check milestones catch drift early), sharper builder pricing from well-documented tender packages, and a home designed to how you actually live. We’ll give you a detailed fee proposal before you commit to anything.

Most residential projects run 18 to 36 months from first meeting to moving in. That’s a wide range, and the biggest variable is the planning permit process, which can take 4 to 7 months depending on your council. The design phases themselves typically take 3 to 6 months. We’ll map out a realistic timeline for your project at the outset, and we’ll be upfront about where the uncertainties sit.

What you want. Good architecture starts with listening, not sketching. The design should emerge from your brief, your site, your budget, and the way you live — not from our portfolio. That said, our job is also to show you possibilities you might not have considered and to be honest when something won’t work.

Three things, in practice. We practise regenerative design — Living Future Institute accreditation shapes our process (we model embodied carbon at concept stage, and materials selection excludes anything on the LFI Red List). We work across three sectors (residential, community housing, and research/teaching) so lessons from each area feed the others. And we run projects collaboratively: co-design sessions with the client and stakeholders at the brief stage, not finished concepts presented for approval. See our work to get a sense of what that looks like in practice.

Yes. We’re based in Naarm/Melbourne and work across Victoria and Lutruwita/Tasmania. We hold registration in both states (ARBV 800063, TAS 1416), understand the different planning and building environments, and have delivered projects in both regions.