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, navigating 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 give you a frank sense of 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 add real value for a proportionate fee.

Fees for full services typically range from 8 to 15 per cent of construction cost. That’s a significant investment, and we think it deserves an honest conversation rather than a vague answer. What matters isn’t just the fee but the value it creates: fewer costly surprises during construction, smarter use of your budget, keener builder pricing from well-documented projects, and a home that works for 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. We design with you, not for you, and not at you.

We design with you, not in isolation. That means genuine collaboration where your knowledge of how you live shapes the design alongside our architectural expertise. Our practice is grounded in regenerative design: we don’t just minimise harm, we ask how your project can contribute to the health of its ecological and social context. And we work across housing, community, and research, which means the lessons from each area strengthen the others. 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.