Zugai Strudwick Architects

We hired Zugai Strudwick Architects for design drawings, DA documents and submission. We were really pleased with the design ideas proposed and Lisa was really open to working with us and incorporating our own ideas/requests. Would recommend!

I engaged ZSA to take a complex addition to a property through the Development Approval process. I thought it was going to be a difficult project as we had a very small block and wanted to build boundary to boundary and had multiple council controls that needed review. My expectations were exceeded with ZSA, they are very professional and know what they are doing. I was impressed with the design and end product where we have made the most of a small area with complex controls. They drove the DA process the whole way and kept the project moving the whole time. ZSA read the council really well and set up a pre DA meeting to review, this worked out really well as our first submission passed with minimal conditions (a water tank). I've now been able to add a great amount of value to my inner city property and really make my investment work for me into the future. I will be recommending ZSA to all of my friends and colleges. If you want someone to take you through a design and DA process with great ideas, skill, foresight, service, communication and delivery this is ZSA.

Great job - down to earth and practical. We were particularly pleased with their great communication, keeping us informed throughout the process and dealing efficiently with our many changes along the way. We highly recommend this team. Cheers. Phil and Karen

Building a new house is a daunting task and having an architect who you trust to guide you through the process is critical. Mel and Lisa have been incredibly creative and at the same time very practical. They have been incredibly transparent about the process and are prepared to work hard for their fees. Lisa has been responsive to all sorts of naïve questions, and with the vision to see the diamond amongst the rocks. Mel and Lisa were able to listen to our dreams and turn them into reality. To create a design that we are proud of and look forward to building.

We have been collaborating with Lisa and Mel for many years both for our own build and for many of our clients and we only have praise for their professionalism and attention to detail. They are flexible, easy to work with and innovative. We would not hesitate in recommending Zugai Strudwick for all types of residential and commercial projects. Tasy Moraitis Tas-Built

Earth Surveying have been working closely with ZSA for over 5 years on projects in the Newcastle and Sydney area. As a surveyor, I am usually the first one onsite, several times during the building process and the last professional to sign off at the completion of the project. I have always been amazed at the transformation that's happened to existing dwellings and greenfield sites as a result of Mel and Lisa's designs. Their sense of spatial awareness and consideration of the needs of the client during design always has the owners expressing their excitement and satisfaction when I turn up for the final survey!

We’re wrapped with ZSA. Such innovative ideas helped us make the most out of a tricky site while giving us the functionality we were after. Thanks Mel and Lisa!

Zugai Strudwick Architects were a wonderful choice to design and develop our vision for our home. They are enthusiastic, and very committed to doing the very best they could to turn our dreams to reality. They communicated very effectively, and are extremely talented. Choosing ZSA made the daunting task of home renovation achievable with minimal anxiety. We could not recommend Lisa, and Mel highly enough.

The team of Mel, Lisa and Tim are terrific to work with. They are practical, responsive and flexible. As owner builder I wanted their professional design input balanced with our ideas too. They are neither rigid or pretentious. We've had several issues with our site and Zugai Strudwick have assisted with practical problem solving all the way. Will definitely use them on my next project.

Mel and Lisa were wonderful! They had no problem helping us push to get everything done in a rather tight time frame and were very positive and understanding throughout the process. Mel was very helpful in helping us with the fitout too, something that I hadn't thought of but would have been a bit tricky on our own. They were always prompt in responding to emails and passing us on information when needed. We love the design of our house and cannot wait until it is done and we can move in!

We engaged ZSA to design and manage the build of our dream home in Sydney's Inner West. Throughout the design and building process, we appreciated the client focus from ZSA and ability to change and adjust as needed. The whole experience was positive! The open and honest communication between Mel and Lisa and us meant we always knew what to expect and when to expect it. Project management from Mel was outstanding. Now that we've moved in, we couldn't be more delighted with how our home has turned out. We would happily recommend ZSA to anyone looking for architects who are able to capture and design and then supervise the building of what previously lived only in your head and heart. Our beautiful home is a joy to live in; beautiful, yet practical for family life.

Our builder recommended ZSA, and we've been thrilled with Mel and Lisa's assistance so far. Construction hasn't started yet, but the process up until this point has been made super easy with their guidance. We couldn't be happier with the design of our house and can't wait to see the finished product!!

A little over time, but we ended up with a house on-budget and beyond our wildest dreams. Thanks Mel and Lisa!

Zugai Strudwick are great to work with - creative yet down-to-earth with good people skills. They developed a comprehensive masterplan for our rural ecovillage with our consortium of owners. We really liked their open approach to finding solutions to the challenges we faced and found their advice on key aspects, such as building on bushfire prone land and water-sensitive design highly valuable. We found them patient and reliable, generous with their time and careful with our budget. They were able to connect us to their network of affordable and highly competent professionals, such as surveyors and landscape architects, and other experts to help us prepare our development documentation for Council. We love the beautiful design they developed for our property and look forward to working with them in bringing it to life.

Lisa and Mel came up with really great and exciting but at the same time sensible and thought out plans for my renovations. Plus they were a absolute pleasure to work with! I would highly recommend them to all my friends. Happy to provide a reference at any time.

We engaged Mel at Zugai Strudwick Architects on a recommendation from our builder after a previous architect had let us down and also burned through $10k of our funds for renovations. Mel was responsive and paid attention to what we wanted to achieve; providing excellent detailed plans, with two minor amendments made overnight. If you are looking for an architect you can trust to listen to your ideas then go no further than Zugai Strudwick Architects. Our one regret is we had not heard of Zugai Strudwick Architects earlier.

We engaged Lisa and Mel to design a contemporary addition to our heritage listed home. The design they came up with exceeded our expectations and we love the result. We are now contemplating a granny flat in the backyard and they have put forward an innovative and exciting concept. We can't wait to get underway with the next project!

On a friends recommendation we contacted Zugai Strudwick Architects (ZSA) to discuss the possibilities and challenges of renovating a Sydney inner city terrace. ZSA, the creative partnership of Mel Zugai and Lisa Strudwick, operate in the Newcastle and Sydney regions. Our initial meeting was the beginning of a close and productive working relationship reflected in the completed project. Engaging Mel in all stages ensured the successful completion of the project. This included design, council approval, contract documentation and contract administration. Mel was willing to listen to our ideas and thoughtfully recreated the space to suit our lifestyle. The final result maintains the history of the building while creating a smooth transition to a modern living environment. From the planning stage to completion Mel was always available to discuss any issues and concerns. We now are now enjoying our new home in Forest Lodge and appreciating the time Mel spent in the finer details often taken for granted in project planning. Visitors to our home comment on the beautiful bathrooms created by Mel and efficient use of space and functionality. These design skills are also on display in the kitchen with the use of light, expansive cupboards and walk in pantry – all in a very narrow terrace. ZSA have now completed two renovations for us from the design stage to project completion. We have also commenced initial design discussions with them for a third project. We highly recommend Zugai Strudwick Architects (ZSA) for your next project.

Following the purchase of our home we contacted a couple of architects regarding much needed renovations to our kitchen, dining, living and bathrooms. We were impressed with Mel and Lisa at Zugai Strudwick Architects due to their willingness to spend the time needed to help us to become clear as to what would suit our family. Mel and Lisa gave us lots of good ideas and design options, spending many hours in our home going through each room with us. We both found Mel and Lisa very easy to communicate with and really appreciated their patience throughout the whole process. They helped us with the selection of a builder, fixtures and fittings and were always happy to answer any queries as the renovations progressed. The end result is a home that we just love being in. The renovations have transformed our home and exceeded our expectations. A couple of favourite design ideas are the extension of the breakfast bar to accommodate a study area, and underfloor heating in the bathrooms. We highly recommend Zugai Strudwick Architects- Belinda & Donna.

Zugai Strudwick Architects (ZSA) were recommended to us by friends whose house was designed by them. We sent our design brief to a few architects and settled on ZSA because their proposal made it clear that they really paid attention to, and understood, what it was we wanted out of our home. And now that the renovation is complete, we can say with absolute certainty that Mel and Lisa designed our home to be everything that we wanted. Our house was a small, dark, pokey, boiling-in-summer, freezing-in-winter, single-storey, two-bedroom end terrace in inner-city Sydney. The backyard of the house faces east-north-east and the detached side of the house faces south. We now live in a home that is two storeys, light-filled, and cool in summer and warm in winter without needing to draw huge amounts of mains power for heating and cooling. The living areas are spacious with the kitchen, living room and the backyard nicely connected to each other. Being on a small inner-city block, Mel and Lisa worked magic and very cleverly managed to accommodate an extra two bedrooms, an office to fit two workspaces and a big kitchen (where we spend a lot of our time) without anything feeling squashed in. Mel and Lisa also designed a two-storey workshop/studio for the backyard which we will build at a later date if our family grows more than expected! Something that I think is also worth mentioning is that Mel and Lisa were excellent with their communication with council. Our DA was approved very quickly even though the works were so extensive. We couldn't be happier with the house that ZSA designed for us and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone and everyone. Mel and Lisa will not only design the house that you want, they're also really warm, friendly, helpful and responsive. Over the course of the project, we grew more and more fond of Mel and Lisa which I think says a lot about our experience working with them. We'd be happy to speak with any prospective ZSA clients about our experience.

Zugai Strudwick Architects are the BEST!!! My hubby and I had ideas on how we wanted to transform our very small 101 square metre semi in Leichhardt into a three bedroom, 2 bathroom. But had no idea how to go about it. After meeting with of few Architects, Lisa and Mel stood out. Straight away they made us feel comfortable. They were very confident & professional with the whole process with amazing ideas. Taking time to speak with us and getting to know us and our needs. We had a few concerns with neighbours & Leichhardt Council, which they took control of and has made this whole process stress free. I can't thank them enough for there hardwork and dedication through this design and council process. I highly recommend to use Zugai Strudwick Architects. Thank you Lisa & Mel Michaela & Vincenzo

We engaged Mel and Lisa of Zugai Strudwick Architects to design a home for us based on the original beach shack built by my partners father over 60 years ago. 'Topsy' was the name given to our home in the 50's and the two adjoining properties were 'Tipsy' and 'Turvy'. Needless to say there was and is a great amount of history associated with our home and the community in which we live. Zugai Strudwick Architects spent a week with is in our old shack to get a sense of our lifestyle and the way we utilized the home both in the Winter and Summer Months. Mel and Lisa showed a great amount of respect for the history and my partner John's emotional attachment to the original shack. Their plans for us were absolutely perfect. Whilst we were preparing our home for the "renovation" it became evident that the home would have to be completely rebuilt. Our seaside location had taken its toll on our little shack. Now we are all bright shiny and new, warm in Winter and cool in Summer. Its not too precious but we are not falling through the floorboards either! I guess the best compliment to both Mel and Lisa (and of course John and myself) came over the recent holiday period when and old friend who had not seen the house completed knocked at the front door. She walked in and promptly burst into tears. It is very difficult to retain the 'soul' of an old shack like ours is what our friend said. With the guidance of Mel and Lisa we have managed to maintain the soul of our home and more. We are now enjoying our first Summer here in the new, improved shack and its working brilliantly. Can't recommend these ladies highly enough and look forward to them returning sometime soon to enjoy some long awaited sunshine! Thanks ZSA, Leigh and John

As a builder that has constructed several projects for ZSA, I can highly recommend their architectural services. Their designs and working drawings are always thoroughly though out making the building process efficient and effective. ZSA have a firm understanding of the cost of building which sets them apart from the rest. They have excellent spacial awareness and knowledge of construction which is critical to a good design. Every client that I have shared with ZSA (more than 10) would highly recommend their services.