Common questions about working with us

The first step is sharing your project details in our contact form so we can establish if we’ll be a good fit for each other.

Then we’ll organise a Discovery meeting to learn more about you, your project and explain the ins and outs of the architectural design process. It’s always helpful if you are able to discuss your general style or material preferences, what is really important to you (eg natural light, connection to landscape) and maybe have some reference images. This meeting is really all about you and your project, simply explaining the process and making sure we can bring value to your project

Once we have completed our Discovery meeting and have a good understanding of your brief, budget and timeframe, we will prepare our Fee Proposal which outlines our services and associated fees in detail.

Our fees are initially based on a percentage of your budgeted construction cost. Towards the end of the Concept Design stage, this budgeted construction cost is tested against the design to ensure adjustments don’t need to be made to either the brief, the budget or our fees. The key at this stage is clear and honest communication to ensure expectations are set and understood on both sides.

Once construction commences on site, we continue to support you and the build team via a monthly retainer.  This allows us to ensure all that detailed consideration and decision making translates into the finished building.

All the projects in our office vary in both size and complexity but typically they take 12 months to design, document and be ready to start on site. This may sound like a long time but it is so important to allow adequate time for the required consideration and detailed decision making. Shortcuts here resulting in unresolved ideas, poor space allocation and missed opportunities can’t be fixed once the project is finished.

Yes.

Some of our best projects have been more modestly scaled renovations. We get many clients that love certain qualities about our work but don’t have the budget or the same size project. While we can only take on a certain amount of smaller projects, they are given the same consideration and undergo the same rigorous design process as larger projects. Our renovation work is often done on much-loved existing buildings that simply need to be sensitively given a new life to suit changing needs.