Hi, violeteve, how did you go with this one? I'm going through a similar exercise - i.e. trying to see if what an architect is going to charge is value for money.

Jacinta, am very sorry to hear that you've had no luck with your project pursuits......but may I also add your story is unfortunately not too uncommon and it doesn't surprise me...........after doing this for a fair while now may I add a comment or two.....skimming through the post above, a completely underestimated and often overlooked skill required by a design professional, whether categorised as an architect, designer, drafty or whatever is their capacity to manage the client's expectations of what is viable in a certain situation for a certain budget with their experience and knowledge. Yes construction costs have risen, and will continue to do so, and that's nothing new. $350K depending upon what you're doing and where, once upon a time was a healthy budget, but not anymore when you stack up the components. that is not to say that you cannot do anything, but to achieve something you'll need to be working with people who are all over the current construction costs and can help you strategically and logically consolidate your priorities simultaneously within the design/creative process to resolve an appropriate solution. There is always a (creative) solution to a scenario and a way to successfully navigate/negotiate challenges such as council limitations, challenging context, budget or whatever. Honestly, as a designer that's the easy bit, the hard(er) part is managing people in negotiating their particular "wants" and expectations and relative costs. What I understand really gets to people (like you have clearly experienced here ) is the unpleasant surprise and disappointment down the track after investing time and money with a company/designer in believing that you're working towards a feasible outcome when in reality the concept/direction is revealed to be non-viable, stonewalled or beyond budget. To avoid exactly this issue I service the front end of projects very broadly considering hard costed concept scenario options and hence "cutting to the chase" in order to appropriately align project requirements and project budget against the relevant specific contextual backdrop. Very quickly we endeavour get a realistic and accurate handle on whether a particular project direction is going to be viable or not and manage the client's expectations appropriately and fairly with minimal time and investment from their end. Depending upon the client and situation this step of the process initiates recalibration of client expectations (on budget or brief) and identification of what is possible one way or another so moving forward can occur with confidence and efficiency. From experience this has proven to avoid the exact situation you've unfortunately experienced. This should not be a "nightmare", rather it should be an exciting time in the process. At the end of the day it all comes down to money, it is invariably the ultimate controller of the decision-making process and accordingly you need to find and work with people who inherently understand this and can design honestly for you with respect to this factor and your specific needs. I hope this helps in some way and completely understand and sympathise with your situation :)

Hi Virginia, How did you go with your quest to find a designer for your house renovation? What a beautiful rock wall that is - and how wonderful to have river views that can be maximised by building up. A good designer will be able to take all your design priorities and combine these with strategies to maximise sustainable design principles i.e. lots of natural daylight and ventilation, material selections, correct orientation, good zoning within the house and opening up views, and direct access to garden areas from living areas etc. The real challenge is in identifying how to achieve everything you want with a budget that is realistic, and more often than not compromises may need to be made in your brief in order to match your budget, especially if that is a fixed budget. Go with a designer or architect whose work you like and with whom you feel comfortable, and the process should be rewarding. This is a big investment, and so its better to go with someone whose work you love and with whom you feel comfortable, who can also help you manage your budget and understand the whole project costs. On a final note, your ideas are lovely, and I can imagine a modestly sized new 2-level extension, which could link to the area above the rock wall, the garden below, and possibly the roof of the existing house (depending on where north is and where the views are!) would work really well. Good Luck!

Would love to see your house plan, site plan and any photos, perhaps we Houzzers can offer you some ideas that you could then take to your local Professional, ?