“There is always a compromise when building. Whether it be budget, site restrictions, product selection to name a few. Our design process exposes these compromises at an early stage” “There shouldn’t be compromises in design, just great alternative design solutions that maximise your new homes potential. We step outside the square and find these solutions”.

“Your dream home very rarely fits within your budget, even if you have a large budget there are often compromises during the process. What we do to ensure a clients budget goes further is apply some basic design principles to the plans. This ensures that clients still get a plan that meets their priorities as well as creating the lifestyle features and wow factor they’ve always dreamt of”

1. Reducing the building footprint: “A large home doesn’t necessarily mean it is a better designed home or you gain more value from the additional space. In fact there can be much more design thought involved with a smaller home when you take into account site and space restraints. It brings you back to the heart of architectural design fundamentals – position for sun, efficient links between spaces etc. Often in larger homes with generous building envelopes there can be waste” says Jon.

2. Eliminate dead space. Hallways are generally a fundamental requirement in designing a home. Obviously reducing the amount of hallway length is beneficial, but turning a hallway into a design element and creating an exciting linking space is good design. A full height window at the end of a hallway ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ connects the interior to the exterior and turns a cold dark unwelcoming space into a bright, interesting feature gallery space.

3. Keep it simple. Good design is simple and functional. Trying too hard with design generally works out more costly and the end result doesn’t function for the intended use.

4. A custom design creates cost savings in the long run. A well designed bespoke home utilitises basic architectural fundamentals. Position for sun, eaves to control solar gain, product selection, ventilation to name a few. Every design we engage incorporates these architectural fundamentals. I believe a set plan ‘nipped and tucked’ on a site is a substantial compromise for what could be a unique home designed from the sketch pad up.

5. Detailing: People often have the assumption that a floor plan with basic measurements is all that is required. In fact there are so many complicated aspects to the detailing process. Working with suppliers, quantity surveyors, project managers and builders from the start of the project then dovetails into the detailing ensuring the most efficient use of materials and labour, hence saving clients money without compromising the overall design.