Frequently Asked Questions

There are really only three variables in any project – time, cost and quality. And we aim to make your project less time consuming, less stressful for you in the design and construction phases, and less expensive, while still achieving excellent results.

Here’s how we save you time:

We are available at short notice to discuss what matters, when you need advice. You might want to hold a face-to-face design workshop next week, or to get input on a tricky problem in the next day or so. Just like booking an appointment to see your local GP, you can get access to our service quickly to help resolve your issues.

Then, once you have the advice, ideas and understanding you need, you are not tied to our timelines. Our advice is designed to empower you to act.

We know that your project is the most important thing to you, and that you are motivated and ready to get started. With the right advice and guidance, you can maximise the use of your time and energy.

Here’s how we save you money:

Renovating or building your home is likely to be the most expensive purchase or investment you will ever make. Mortgages are 30-year loans that carry a high cost in the form of interest, and good design can help you reduce your building costs at the outset, also saving you considerable interest over the life of your loan.

What does that look like in practice? One of our past clients approached an Architect GP to discuss a proposed two-storey extension. Within a two-hour meeting, we helped them to see that their needs (also called the Brief) could be met with a single-storey extension.

By carefully listening to and analysing their stated needs, and proposing an alternative solution, we saved them a third off their likely construction costs. AND we identified a strategy that retained more of the home’s original character. AND created a home that is easier to access for all abilities and disabilities.

This was an exciting process and outcome, and it’s not uncommon for Architect GPs to achieve these kinds of savings for our clients.

Controlling the scope of your project (that is, how big or extensive it is) is the single most powerful way to control your costs. With an architect on your team to understand your Brief, we can reduce the size and cost of the final building while still meeting all of your needs, wants and values.

Oh, and of course we also save you money by helping you avoid pitfalls – like noticing that a planning application is needed, or that a soil test is required, or a thousand other procedural things that can make building and construction feel like a bit of a minefield. We are your impartial expert advisor to minimise nasty (costly) surprises.

Here’s how we improve quality:

None of us knows what we don’t know. The same clients that we mentioned above - who had envisaged a two-storey extension - also thought they couldn’t move their kitchen. “That’s expensive, isn’t it?” they said.

Their Architect GP showed how it could be done. The fact that their house was built on a raised timber floor (not a concrete slab) meant that relocating their kitchen would be easy. That in turn dramatically increased the size of their living space, and the quality of both spaces improved out of sight.

Quality – which takes in spatial quality, design quality and functional and aesthetic quality – is something that has to be designed into a project.

It is much more than selecting high-spec fixtures and finishes, although this can certainly help.

Qualities like natural and artificial light, cross flow breezes, being warm in winter, and cool in summer, and spaces that just feel right are created in strategic design moves that your Architect GP can show you.

And when you know more, you can make informed decisions. That’s how you can achieve outcomes that you might never have imagined were possible.

We’re generalists – which means we have a really good working knowledge across lots of issues. You can start the conversation with literally anything to do with your home or the design, planning and construction process. When we can’t give a complete answer, we explain the boundaries of our knowledge and refer you to other built environment specialists to keep your momentum going.

Conversation starting points might be:

• How do I add an extra bedroom and bathroom?

• I’m managing my own project but was wondering what I should do next?

• How do I improve my home’s environmental performance, so that it costs less to keep comfortable in different seasons?

• Is it worth keeping the house or would it be better to knock it down and start again?

• What does it cost to build?

• How do I improve our floor plan, to create better connections between rooms, or between the house and garden, or to provide more storage?

• Does this block have good orientation for passive solar design?

• Will I need a planning application for my project?

• My designer/builder is telling my something I don’t agree with. How can I get a second opinion, and then deal with any confrontation that might arise?

Empowerment is the difference between going to your local town planner and asking, “Can I build a studio in my garden?” and being told nothing very useful versus going to that same planner with a site plan and saying “I am going to build this studio in this location in my garden. What are the issues?”

The site plan might show an outline of the size of the studio and its roof. It might be based on Google Earth documents or on a real estate agent’s site plan. If you scoped the options and created your proposal planned with your Architect GP, there will be real meaning and intent behind that studio location.

You’re working off a well-thought out strategy, and the planner can objectively respond to your proposed design. You will get more useful information to propel your project forward, rather than vague comments. You are empowered.

Then, whether you get the answer you wanted from the planner or not, you are under no obligation to continue working with your Architect GP. They might refer you to a draftsperson, or another architect. Or you can continue with your own choice of professional.

We aren’t precious about these things! We just want you to be empowered.

Payment for services is direct and transactional because we are not trying to “win” your project. The Architect GP service is not dependent on whether your project proceeds to the next phase or goes ahead, or whether you decide to purchase a new property, or any other future caveat. This allows our Architects to offer you fully impartial advice. It also means our fees are fixed and not tied to the anticipated total project cost.

It is common in architectural practice to charge fees based on a percentage of the total cost of construction. That means that as building costs increase, so do your architectural fees. At Architect GP, we think this is unfair, not to mention professionally awkward.

We know that our services deliver upfront value to our clients. Our client testimonials support this. We want to demystify the service of architecture at every turn – starting with price. And we want architectural services to be readily available to everyone, regardless of their budget, and without any nasty surprises. Hence our fixed, upfront fees.

Oh boy. Sorry about that. You’re absolutely right to ask that question – and that’s our fault, speaking collectively as a profession. Architects are the most highly trained built environment professionals and “we” sometimes get a bit carried away. The profession is geared towards building not client advice. And that means we’ve been missing a huge opportunity.

Some Architects can love design and problem-solving the building so much that they lose sight of their human clients. Sorry. We know many really useful and practical things, but often we present our extensive knowledge and experience inside large packages of services with associated large-looking fees. Ouch.

But no more!

When you work with an Architect GP, you can expect person-facing design services and feelings of confidence, relief, reassurance and insight. You can book online and know exactly what you’re getting and how much you’re paying, upfront.

We think it’s about time that architects started serving more people with timely and relevant advice, and our clients agree.

Gathering all the relevant and useful information to help you make a decision is a steep part of the architecture and building learning curve. Gathering that information only to choose not to proceed can feel like a waste of time.

But that’s not how we see it. Saying “no” to something can be the best decision you ever made. Saying “yes” to something – and fully understanding the reasons why – is incredibly reassuring and exhilarating.

Our pre-purchase design advice looks at the design value and potential of the property. Is the orientation good for environmental design? Can it really accommodate your lifestyle needs – to accommodate family, guests, Working-From-Home, ageing-in-place, multi-generational living, your pets, privacy, and year-round comfort? What is the potential for renovation and what might the council say? This is the knowledge that turns a hopeful decision into a confident one. Or a bad decision into a problem best avoided.

For technical “bricks, drainage, termites and roof” type inspections you’ll need a specialist, and we’re happy to refer you to our network of trusted collaborators.

The word "decision" comes from Latin roots, with <de> meaning "down" or "away from" and <cision> derived from caedere meaning "to cut." Therefore, a decision means cutting from any other possibility. A true decision means you are committed to achieving a result and cutting yourself free from other (less helpful) possibilities.

The Brief is a bit of Archi-jargon. It means writing down exactly what you want to achieve – in terms of pure functions (2 additional bedrooms, Study and Patio) with a critical understanding of why it is valuable to your life (transitioning from young family to teenagers, Working-From-Home and entertaining outdoors).

The secret of the Brief is that all designs start with words. What you write will be what you get, and a vague brief means a vague building.

So, do you know what you want so clearly that you could write it down exactly, and would your words be the same as your partner’s? Do you want a third bedroom for sleeping, or it is really a Work-From-Home space, or a guest room, or a music space, or do you need it to perform all of those functions at different times? Maybe it needs some acoustic insulation – now is the time to write that down, so it gets designed into your project.

Let’s say you have written down “Dining Room” as something you need. The discussion with your Architect GP might go something like this:

A-GP: Tell me about the Dining Room. How many people would you want to be able to seat? Formal or casual? Would it just be used every second Christmas when the family comes over? Or every day for your evening meal with your kids? If it’s just for Christmas, take it out and save $50,000!

Client 1: Actually, yeah. I just feel like I need to host everyone. But that’s a lot of money! And so much extra space to vacuum! Maybe we could use the outdoor area more? Or do a picnic!?

Client 2: Oh no, I like to work at a big table and just push the papers to one side at meal times.

Client 3: I like to eat in the kitchen actually, because the light is nice in there. Perhaps a more casual setting near the kitchen would suit us the best.

In this exchange you and your Architect GP get to know more about what “Dining Room” really means for you. And remember, you and your partner may have different views, so the briefing process can help you both get on to the same page. Then, the words in your brief will ensure your dining room is placed in the right location, next to the right spaces, and that it won’t take up more of your budget than you’d like.

Roll out that guided discussion across your whole house, and you end up with a really purposeful, personalised and delightful description – your brief - that can be translated into your plan. Exactly what you want.

80% of the service fee you pay goes to your Architect GP.

The remaining 20% goes to running and developing this platform, including web fees, insurance and legals, booking apps, creating and updating resources and marketing.

We’re not here to make a start-up fortune! We’re here to provide a new kind of architecture service that benefits people who architects don’t currently serve. (And if we’re lucky, we’ll change the whole perception of what clients can get from archtiects in the process 😊)