Hi R J - I can see your question has remained unanswered! Whilst being sensitive to the collegiate nature of the HOUZZ community - who comprise a community of enthuiastic architects, building designers, builders and draftspeople - I can advocate for architects as being highly trained in builders knowledge, from university through to training / registration and beyond, and especially those firms that administer builders contracts on behalf of the client through the construction period. Building designers are also trained, however with slightly less stringent requirements for registration and training, and some specialist draftspeople may also have this experience though construction however you would have to enquire with each individual. All should be able to provide opinions of cost at each stage, and/or coordinate the work of a Cost Planner / QS to provide a more detailed costing. I would start by looking for Pros' in the Brisbane area and forming a list of the work you like from a selection of designers, builders and architects, and go from there - look at their reviews and meet them in person before you decide!

Also, consider what your priorities are - if it is design, client service or cost, as this will be a large factor in forming your decision. I can only vote for involving an architect (of course!) and for these fees you have someone designing a bespoke solution to your individual dream, managing cost, approvals with council and building permits, managing all the technical issues throughout and then overseeing the build to help ensure that what is built matches the design/contract throughout. A building designer's fees are normally a little less, and a draftsperson cheaper again however normally they would hand over to the builder at a certain stage. Builders are perfectly able to construct the building without an architect or building designer overseeing, however there is limited mechanism in these contracts to give them instructions or make changes, and these contracts allow the builder a degree of flexibility to change methodology and materials without necessarily signing things off with you first.

As a starting point for your budget, map out the areas of the house you wish to make major changes to / extend and which you would just be painting/ floors etc. Builders building to bespoke architect plans might charge upwards of around $1000/m2 for minimal renovations, $2000/m2 for renovated kitchen/bathrooms (excluding appliances and sanitary fittings and dependant on materials) and upwards of $3000/m2 for new building work, all depending on materials and finishes of course. Our new building work tends to be around $4000/m2 for our level of design, however we tend to attract clients who have absolutely prioritised design, space and light with an indoor-outdoor flow and minimal details, and this work tends to require higher quality materials and craftsmanship. We have also done some inventive designing for good clients who only had $2500/m2 to spend!!

Good Luck - and using HOUZZ is the best way to find the designers, architects or builders that you need in your area.

When it comes to custom projects, particularly renovations, it’s dangerous to start talking about then purely on the basis of cost/m2. It’s just not that simple and it gets people thinking about it all in the wrong way IMO. Rather, we need to be talking about how best to utilise a budget in a particular situation. Sometimes a high cost/m2 is warranted on a smaller budget, sometimes it’s the opposite and we achieve a lower cost/m2 with a different solution but same budget. Talking/clarifying budget is one thing, how it can be practically distributed in any given scenario is another and arguably involves a (design/analysis) process and clarification of relevant variables to a certain degree. So, as start maybe do some research into the difference between the various front end design professionals. There will be a logical option for you but this will depend upon various aspects such as your project priorities/focus one way or the other. If it’s a long term project/investment my advice is invest in sourcing and engaging an appropriately matched design professional to assist you and if you get this match right they will prove ultimately be your most valuable “investment” in your project. Good luck :) PD

Great points, Paul. I was doing the maths on m2 (using 2k/m2 as a ballpark) and could see that I'd prefer to distribute my money slightly differently. However, it was still a good activity to do and reassured me that I've got the correct-ish budget in mind.

We do want to maximise the existing space as best possible for our growing family so I think I will focus on design professionals for the moment.

Thanks!

Rather than look at it purely in cost/m2 terms, as a check/comparison try stacking up the trade breakdown components of a proposed project (if you have the capacity to think through and put numbers to the various aspects, such as carpentry, plastering, plumbing, electrical, windows etc etc including allowances for any fittings and surface finishes, cabinetry and external work. It may sound crazy doing this before you've even designed anything but it forces you to think about the components about truly what is likely involved. If you have an idea about generally the scope, say if you're replacing kitchens, adding decks, adding bathrooms, extending, re-roofing etc you can do this exercise as a ballpark/hypothetical actually get a much more accurate idea of what it will likely cost. You get your head around this as early as possible and you'll be much better informed about design decisions and be better placed to fine-tune your project decisions practically and logically against a nominated budget. From experience, everything in this game comes back to being weighed up to the costs involved one way or the other. The issue/risk you can have, particularly on renovation projects, is when costs are misunderstood & standardised (and there is never anything standard in renovations), false economy rears it's ugly head and people can pursue solutions that in the end prove to be less value outcomes and miss the opportunity to achieve a higher value outcome with an alternative solution simply because the broad picture hasn't been properly considered from a design/cost/outcome/value perspective. So this is where it's important to differentiate between just "meeting a budget" with a lower value outcome vs a slightly higher cost project that could deliver a significantly higher value outcome for your investment. It's difficult to wrap your head around this stuff until you've been there and done it, and hence why it is so important to seek experienced design advice at this stage. Try and keep an open mind for the project potential and hopefully start thinking about the right things in the right order as early as possible. Hope this helps steer you in the right direction. Best of luck :) PD

Hi RJ,

There seems to be some dangerously incorrect criticism floating about of using area rates to map out the cost for a project in the early stages, however we can use this to highlight to the Houzz community the appropriateness of using area rates to cost your project in the early stages. RJ you have done everything right in using an approximate area rate to map out your project costs before a designer is appointed!!

Although there is some merit to note it is helpful to source your area rates from similar projects from the industry at that point in time - which can be obtained from a QS/Cost Planner/architect/designer - at least you are starting to think in realistic budget terms terms. $2K/m2 may/may not reflect what a builder can deliver for a bespoke design - depending of course on whether structure or kitchens / bathrooms are affected (i.e. check out this amazing kitchen / bathroom calculator from realeastate.com.au!! https://www.realestate.com.au/calculators/renovation-calculator/) ........however this is still getting you close to what might end up being the budget or the revised scope of work. The first thing your designer should do - almost before ANY drawings are done - is check your project budget matches your brief/scope of works by using Cost Plan A area rates and an 'Opinion of Probable Cost".. They can also identify if you are touching other parts of the site or scope that need to be taken into account that you may not have realised.

At the start of a project, when there is no design yet, only plans with an approximate area scope of works (floor area schedules), it is what is referred to as "Cost Plan A" stage. Refer to this helpful description from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services; "Due to the very nature of information available, cost plan A is developed in conjunction with floor area schedules and should be based on data gathered from other similar projects, surveys of existing conditions and major project specific issues such as the suitability, age and condition of existing facilities, including upgrade of site services, asbestos removal, topography, heritage issues and so on."....http://www.capital.health.vic.gov.au/Planning_and_evaluation/Cost_plans/Cost_plan_stages/ 

One of the benefits of using an architect is that we are rigorously trained and registered to provide "Cost Advice", and right from the early stages using area rates. Building designers must provide this advice however are governed by consumer law and not by an Act of Parliament. When your project is at this stage there is clearly no 'Trade Breakdown" as the design hasn't even started yet!! And yet we must guide you as to an appropriate budget to match your scope of works. A responsible architect / building designer will test these area rates with industry-standard costings to identify an appropriate budget right from the beginning, so that we can make adjustments to the scope to ensure we can get excited about what you can really afford to build before the design is finished.

Refer also to this helpful article by Choice on "what can go wrong"......but also what can go right when using an architect/building designer; https://www.choice.com.au/home-improvement/building-and-renovating/design-and-trades/articles/architects-designing-to-build-budget

I love that you are already excited to begin looking at a shortlist of Pros in the Brisbane area and I wish you Good Luck!

RJ, as you can see there can be differences in opinion as to how to most appropriately/effectively manage project cost projections at this stage. Apologies if this has caused further confusion, or digressed into a professional debate and away from your original question - this was not at all the intention - but hopefully the message you can take here is that (a) project budget & brief requires addressing and management and (b) design professionals (in conjunction with their industry network) would be recommended as the first port of call to help you. There are differences and variances between professionals and we each have our respective developed beliefs, methods and approaches to projects. My advice is engage someone who you feel you can trust, and is on the same page as you. It appears that you are quite engaged with the process and that's fantastic and hence a professional who is open to a more collaborative relationship likely the ideal option/match for you. Whilst we Pro's certainly won't agree on everything, I think the general/common ground here is that we are collectively passionate about what we do, we are experienced and specialised in this particular area and are driven to achieve quality outcomes for people and their homes. At the end of the day it's all about you and your project - all the very best with it! PD

Thanks guys, you've both provided excellent points and information - it all helps!