Home Renovating Services in Leopold, Victoria

“We have always planned to renovate our existing house but had been unsure as how to overcome some flow and function issues. We wanted to add a bedroom/study, an alfresco entertaining space and a garage/carport onto our existing house. We had seen lots of renovations of similar houses but they always seemed to have something missing or were not quite right! The My Architect team were recommended after a chance conversation at a child's party - the initial meeting and concept plans really appealed to us, the idea of a relatively small outlay to see what the options and initial costings were. We contacted Cate at My Architect who set us up an appointment with Lyndal Williams. We had quite set ideas about what would be possible. Lyndal patiently worked through our needs/wants and has put together the perfect floorplan for us. It is quite different to what we had imagined and we have managed to tick off all the priorities as well as adding some wonderful extras that we feel will make our home function more efficiently as well as being a great entertaining space! We had initially planned to only use the My Architect team for the concept plans. However after dealing with Lyndal we felt that we simply had to continue to utilise her skills to help us complete the project. The set pricing for the My Architect services made us confident that we were clear about this cost from the beginning. So far we have completed plans for tendering and are waiting for building to commence in September. Cate has followed up and sought feedback along the way and despite our project taking quite some time we have never felt rushed! Lyndal has done a great job with our plans and really understood what we wanted before we did in some ways. She has also dealt with our questions and queries patiently!!!! We can highly recommend that anyone considering renovating or building use the My Architect team!”

“Creative, attentive, efficient, hard working, totally professional and focused on great creative outcomes, these young architects have been a delight to work with. From creative schemes to detailed plans to working with councils, statutory authorities, builders and tradesmen, they couple a youthful innovative approach with a practical hands on attention to building, construction, planning , timelines and budgets which gets the job done. They are conscious of budget and value and have over- delivered at every step of the client architect relationship and Project. Young minds and old heads. We would work with them again in a heartbeat. And I would unhesitatingly recommend them to anyone.”

“We chose Anne as our Archicentre architect after seeing her work on Houzz. We made the right choice! Not only did she agree to work with us after other architects had said what we wanted to achieve (on our budget) was impossible, but she was able to give us exactly what we needed. She went above and beyond in helping us problem-solve a renovation of a very difficult floorplan on a tiny budget. She came to our house and sat down with us, then sent us multiple sketches and revisions, even updating her own ideas once new options occurred to her. The solution she came up with is wonderful and solved all our concerns, and we were able to manage it on our tight budget. We are almost finished with the renovation now and the amount of natural light, space, and functionality Anne's floorplan has given us is truly beautiful. We can't recommend her highly enough.”

“We have used Quadrant Design for two projects - a renovation in Prahran (2004/5), and a new house in Barwon Heads(2007/8). Working with Tony and his team was a truly collaborative effort, with complete give and take between architect and client. The attention to detail on both projects was outstanding - nothing was too small to be ignored. Little things made all the difference, such as the 'scalloping' of the window frames at the Barwon Heads house, which greatly enhance the visual appeal of the place. All deadlines were met, both in the design and the build phases & the way Tony interacted with the builders (different ones on the 2 projects) meant we had none of the builder/architect tensions that can so often arise. Both projects came in on time and, importantly, on budget. We were so satisfied that we are about to embark on another house design/building exercise with Tony and the team at Quadrant.”

“Rebecca was the architect and site manager for a substantial renovation to our house in Moor Street Fitzroy. The house, which had been converted in a very haphazard fashion into 3 apartments 30-40 years previously had great bones but needed considerable and skilled renovation to return it to its former glory as a family home. The building had a long and chequered history, including as a boarding house where Weary Dunlop lived as a student. We were keen that we retained the unique character and feel of the house and made maximal use of its position, natural light and views over Fitzroy Town Hall. Rebecca was a joy and inspiration to work with from the outset. She was innovative, rigorous, and listened carefully to our suggestions, especially around environmental impact and overall feel of the property. She was incredibly resourceful in sourcing products and ideas, which made a huge difference to the final design. For example, the suspended cupboards in the kitchen – a real winner given the relatively small size for storage – came from a 1950s design magazine. She managed the project meticulously all the way through, and worked extremely well with the builders and other contractors, who clearly respected her professionalism and skill. This was not an easy project – the house had been renovated repeatedly over the years and the legacy meant no wall was straight and no two doors the same size. The final renovation is superb – understated but spectacular. We haven’t had a visitor who hasn’t been amazed by the house and renovation. I’ve lived in over 40 houses and flats in the last 30 years and this is undoubtedly the best house yet. This is partly due to the original structure but also because of the renovation; I’m sure a less skilled architect could easily have made a dog’s dinner of the project. Rebecca also clearly has an aptitude and commitment to teaching and I know that she is heavily engaged in community and voluntary work in Australia and overseas.”

“We have had the privilege of working with Anthony and his team on several occasions as both the head contractor and as a client. We have always found Chan architecture to have the right balance of pragmatism and creativity, which is often rare in architects. I would highly recommend Chan architecture.”

“I have photographed a couple of projects by RMR Architects and have found Renuka to be a thoughtful architect who not only addresses the need of her clients but provides them with a house design that is elegant and very liveable.”

“I was given the confidence and trust by Sky hence hired him to design my new house just by the marina. My journey with Sky started more than 3 years ago. Every step of the way, Sky had given me the clarity and best effort on all building and design aspect. I have to admit that I am not an easy client for I bomb Sky with numerous calls during weekends, public holidays and after hours. Yes Sky was ever willing to listen and help me with my queries. To be honest, I was hunting for an architect and had waisted some small fortune with two prior so called architect. I am glad I found Sky as his experiences, dedication and attention to detail is un-matched! Sky had helped me through from my house design to acquring planning permit, which was unbelievably difficult, and even administered my whole building project. There were massive amount of challenges due to unforeseen circumstances but Sky was able to assist in resolving them amicably in terms of timeline and cost.”

“It was great working with Lisa on our deck/roof extension. She listened to our ideas and requirements and designed a great extension that's very sympathetic to the style of our home. Thanks Lisa!”

“I recently designed a front and rear landscape for a Balaclava project designed by Taylor Knights. I saw the house before the major renovation which was a fairly standard Edwardian with little space to extend beyond the existing footprint without diminishing the much needed outdoor areas. I thought this would be tough to achieve anything special. How wrong I was! Not only have they created extremely livable and open interior spaces filled with light, plus a private upstairs suite but it’s their considered choices using off the shelf cost effective materials in unexpected ways, that sets these guys apart. Wainscoting and standard pegboard by way of example, become jewels when handled with such care and without blowing the budget. Sure, there are some architectural tricks you’d expect from a young architectural firm, but they don’t take over and create unique textures that are very easy to live with. For me, the test of great design is when you look at the finished project and if you are not too sure what year it was completed then that’s a mark of great architects. They have achieved a ‘timeless’ outcome, which takes real skill and is why I would highly recommend Taylor Knights for a renovation or new residential build. Andrew Plymin Andrew Plymin Garden Spaces.”