Kitchen Renovating Services in Bellarine, Victoria

“We wanted a garden studio that could also provide extra accommodation when necessary; we have a seaside location which draws family and friends at holiday time. Our house is a traditional 50's stone place so we wanted something to blend in but to also add some contemporary pizzazz. Jane listened carefully to our needs and not so definite brief but came up with a very interesting, practical design which we really liked. She also linked this space design wise to an enclosed courtyard and pergola; unifying the north facing and sheltered back yard. This was probably the only real specification that we provided, that all would function as a whole with scope to add through planting of coastal and indigenous plant species. Jane's creative flair certainly has achieved this, she was always responsive and efficiently came up with practical solutions when we had questions. It has been easy to work with her because of her willingness to focus on the task at each step of the way; keeping us on track in our meanderings! The builders have been impressed with her attention to design detail.”

“Wonderful creative architect designed our home and delivered beyond our expectations. They designed out home to meet all of our requests and led us into making the right decisions on all of the materials and fittings and fixtures which resulted in the complete package both in design but also future maintanence of our home”

“Our experience with IO Architecture was a great result after inviting their services on our behalf to various, useless, overpaid,council departments. Apart from council "doing my head in" the stress relief by Io Architecture stepping in and being persistence proved worthwhile and finally gave us our expected and deserving result. The fees charged were reasonable and regular communication regarding our project was excellent. We recommend your next project to IO Architecture for a complete service.”

“I engaged Sebastiano from SG2 to design a renovation of our tired and poorly built California 3-bedroom bungalow in West Footscray. I also employed him to administer the contract with our builder. The house required considerable rebuilding. It'd been poorly built and maintained and it was way beyond just reblocking and replastering, so there was an opportunity for extensive modification of the interior. (It turned out the house was in considerably worse shape than the builder originally thought, and in the end essentially only the facade and some of the original roof trussing remained from the original.) I explicitly wanted the design to be more of an update and modernisation of the interior spaces than a large exterior statement. I briefed Sebastiano to: * plan a single level house within the existing footprint that maintained, as much as possible, the original exterior appearance & proportions (I didn't want the house to have an addition visible from the street) * create more useable space, including much more cupboard space, while more or less following the existing floor plan (ie, retaining 3 BRs or 2 BRs & study) in the front half of the house * open up the rear part of the house to more light and the garden while accommodating an old magnolia tree that was growing over the rear of the house * create a long, open kitchen space combined with a "European style" laundry * incorporate DG windows, insulation of all exterior & interior walls, and hydronic heating * develop a plan that wouldn't require extensive planning permissions &c from the local council. We met several times at my house to discuss the brief. Sebastiano took measurements &c, and I supplied him with some roughly drawn provisional plans. Within a few days of our first meeting, Sebastian had spoken with Council about planning issues around the proposed plans and came back to me with provisional drawings which, with only a few adjustments over the next few weeks, not only fulfilled but exceeded the brief. This part of the renovation process took only a couple of months and any delays were a result of my procrastination than anything Sebastiano did. He took care of all permits, negotiations with engineers &c, to an extent that I hadn't expected, which was a great relief. Sebastiano's plan included a modest addition to the footprint which didn't require a permit from Council, and greatly improved my ideas, making some notable additions. Most obvious amongst these was a large light well which opens the the rear of the house to light and provides a high ceiling in line with the roof pitch. This improves the interior space and helps to define the kitchen and living areas without sharply separating them. Now that the house is finished and I'm living in it, I greatly appreciate the simplicity, practicality, and livability of the design. Sebastiano has managed to create modern, spacious areas/volumes inside what is, by today's standards, a relatively small house. The play of light in the rear room(s) thru the light well is a real highlight, as is the plan and finishing of the kitchen/laundry area. All of this done without "periodising" the interior or making an in-your-face design statement (tho I guess one person's in-your-face is another's "meh"). What Sebastiano achieved was, I think, clean, simple, practical design with well thought through details of finish & treatment that fit the original style of the house and, most importantly, my partner's and my way of living. Throughout this part of the process, as elsewhere, Sebastiano managed to allay my tyro renovator's anxieties, provide helpful advice, meet deadlines, reassure me about the financial implications of the project, and to negotiate effectively with my builder. His reassurances helped me maintain at least the impression of humor and confidence throughout what, thru no fault of Sebastiano, turned out to be a very long build. As I mentioned, I also engaged Sebastiano to administer the contract with the builder. In this, I'm sure he went much beyond what I had a right to expect. He attended the site regularly, provided timely and accurate information and advice about the progress of the build. He fielded my ignorance, anxieties, vacillation, changes of mind, outrageous demands, and stupidity with reassuring calm. I always felt he was treating me respectfully, patiently, and more than fairly. He returned all my calls and emails within 24 hours, usually within an hour or two. His recommendations (he always provided some options) about fittings, finishes, and suppliers were invaluable and invariably better in terms of quality and price than anything I could find myself. I felt confident that it was speedier, more economical, and more beneficial to accept Sebastiano's recommendations than to waste time looking for alternatives. Sebastiano promptly and effectively negotiated some variations from the contracted plans and, throughout, tactfully managed the relationship between me and the builder. He had an eye for details and worked assiduously to maintain the standard of the build. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Sebastiano and SG2. He provided excellent plans that met my brief and exceeded my expectations. He worked well with me and the builder; kept the build well within budget; ensured the quality of the work and finishes; is patient and calm; communicates well; and was responsive, patient, and professional throughout the entire process.”

“Sergio designed and directed the construction project of what was to be the country house of my family in Cali, Colombia. In less than two months the structures and first floor of the house was already up (and of course the swimming pool!). The house was bamboo structured, with big open windows facing all directions of the property. Our time with Sergio was excellent, he is charming, reliable and has many incredible ideas for the design to be trend-forward at the same time as using unconventional materials.”

“Nicole was very practical, creative and a good listener. She helped transform our california bungalow into a contemporary home, while still retaining its period character. Her product knowledge was great; I particularly liked the kitchen cabinet material recommendations. She also sourced and recommended practical items such as the tastic (heater/light/warm light) for the bathroom, and combination rubbish/recycling bin for the kitchen, saving me the time. Her understanding of the building process was also handy and helped me manage my relationship with my builder, and the process. She was also a great sounding board when choosing colours and materials. Nicole was a good communicator, responsive and professional, and provided good advice when I needed it (which was often!) she's also a great shopping partner.”

“I have known Marina on a personal and professional level. I have found her to be very profesional and innovative.”

“Can’t say enough good things about JRS - what a fantastic experience! On a personal level Raph and Julian are just delightful, and professionally very talented and approachable with great insight and problem solving skills. We’re thrilled with our project and know it wouldn’t be what it is without JRS - thank you!”

“We engaged Mark Macinnis to prepare a design report for a renovation to our.residential property in October 2014. We preset our budget at a maximum of $300,000. During the course of October and November we had a number of one to one meetings with Mark on site. He prepared initial design concept drawings, followed up by a variety of alternative design concepts for our consideration .We found Mark to be an effective communicator and we appreciated his collaborative approach. He provided a well structured feasibility report on time and the report included some very interesting sketches and drawings, together with written opinion of probable costs. Our decision not to proceed with the project was due to changed family circumstances. We were very satisfied with the professional services provide and found Mark's fees to be very comptative”

“We engaged the Architecture Matters team to help us with the renovation and extension of a small 1930' house in the central highlands Victoria. Throughout the entire process we explored many design options coming up with a solution that would not only give a house double the size, but maximised the outdoor space of the corner block it sat on. We were delighted with the outcome!”