The questions worth asking before you call.
Straight answers to the things people often feel they should already know — in plain language, no awkwardness.
Frequently asked questions
Organised by project stage so you can quickly find what applies to where you're up to.
Starting a project
- You can start with an idea, a site or an existing home. Share the information you have and the questions you want to resolve. A complete brief is not required for an initial enquiry.
- A brief description, general project location, project type and the decisions you want help with are enough to begin. Do not send sensitive records through an unsecured channel.
Services and fees
- We work as residential building designers, not as registered architects. For most homeowners the practical difference is in the kind of service and documentation you receive; what matters for your project is whether the scope suits what you need, which we can talk through.
- Our services include new homes, renovations and additions, and design documentation. The suitability and exact scope of your project are discussed before an appointment.
- Fees depend on the agreed scope, project requirements and required stages. A proposal sets out the included work, deliverables and commercial terms. For the full logic, see the fees page.
- Construction prices depend on the design, market, procurement, site conditions and other factors. Design choices can be discussed with cost implications in mind, while construction pricing is obtained from a suitably engaged builder or estimator. Fee boundaries are explained on the fees page.
Drawings and process
- Approval responsibilities depend on what is agreed in your appointment — we do not imply every project includes lodgement by default. Where approvals are in scope, we structure documentation to match what assessors need to see, and we can stay available for the information requests that often follow a submission. Ask us to spell out the approval tasks in your proposal.
- We'd rather show you how we work than make claims we can't yet back with a published, client-approved project list — so until that list is live we won't present representative examples as finished client work. Tell us what you are planning and we can talk through a relevant scope directly. In the meantime, our projects page sets out the representative project types we design for, clearly labelled as such.
- Approval responsibilities, submissions and specialist inputs depend on the agreed appointment. Ask for these items to be clearly identified in your scope.
- If you have a builder involved, mention this in your enquiry. Collaboration arrangements, communication and responsibilities can be considered when defining the scope.
- Timing depends on the scope, available information, decisions and required consultant inputs. A suitable programme is discussed after the project requirements are understood. For the six stages, see the process page.
Still wondering about something?
If your question isn't up there, just put it to us the way you'd say it. There's no such thing as too early or too small to ask.
Ask us directly.
Tell us about your project and the questions you'd like answered, and we'll take it from there.