How We Can Save You Money

• Expertise: We have over 20 years of practical experience in the industry – we can combine creative design expertise with extensive construction knowledge to offer you design-orientated architecture with a practical, buildable focus.
• Value: We provide a comprehensive and inclusive design and documentation service, ensuring no hidden costs.
• Quality of Design: We can guarantee the best result for your investment.
• Competitive Tendering: Unlike ‘design & construct’ services, our designs allow you to get quotes from more than one builder (as no builder holds copyright of our design).

*It is important to understand who owns the copyright of a design. This normally rests with the person who created it. Therefore, if your builder prepares your plans, the builder owns the copyright. This prevents you from calling tenders, and you are stuck with only one quotation!

• Quality of Requirements: We will help you define your requirements to maximise your lifestyle.
• Maximising the benefit of design: we ensure a lifestyle and long-term investment that will satisfy.
• Clear Fees: We will provide you with honest, straightforward fees with no hidden costs.
• Cost Opinions: We will provide you with a realistic opinion of proposed project cost.
• Cost Management Strategies: We provide an outline of how best to stage your project.
• Building Contracts: We set up and administer building contracts, fully representing the owners interest.
• Builders: We obtain competitive prices from a range of builders.
• Subcontractors: We select and co-ordinate any required sub-consultants eg engineers.
• Inspections: We regularly inspect during the construction of your project .
• Building Payments: We can certify the amount due to the builder during construction.

Click here to find out about our residential architectural services

If you are contemplating engaging a ‘building designer’ as the designer of your project it is worth noting the following: Building designers have minimal formal design training . Building designers provide building application plans for the same price as architects, but may not carry out any of the necessary design or building cost estimates prior to this. Building designers will draft what you ask them to, and may not make any suggestions to improve the design. Building designers may not consider it their responsibility to take into account the real cost of your project versus your actual budget.

If you are contemplating engaging a builder directly, it’s worth noting the following: You will not benefit from a design professionals design expertise and independence in order to maximise your lifestyle and investment . Good quality construction does not go hand-in-hand with good design – builders often employ a building designer to generate the design, which may result in hidden costs. Once the builder designs your home or renovation at the guaranteed cost, they own the design. If you do not like the price, you cannot use the design. If a builder guarantees a maximum price (ie a ‘cost plus contract’) and if you don’t have the documentation specifically spelling out the scope of your project, the builder may not lose profit for your benefit. If they are running behind, they may simply reduce the standard of your home to complete it in time.