Building Designers in Norwood, New South Wales

“Simon Croker - a building design consultant involved primarily in Environmentally Sustainable Architecture. Simon took my rough sketches and turned them into workable plans. Many ideas were put on the table & his advice on all aspects was friendly & professional. He made us feel that we were in a partnership on the project. Would have no hesitation in recommending him.”

“Fantastic to work with. Understood what we were trying to achieve. Project managed the whole build and was there every day to check what the builders had done and guided them in a respectful way. Excellent ideas that worked very well. A pleasure to work with.”

“I have had the pleasure of working with 360 Building Solutions both in my capacity as an architect as well as in the role of client. In both respects I continue to find the team professional, motivated, and easy to get along with. My clients are always happy with not only their work, but also the way their projects were handled. And my family and I were thrilled with both the process and the outcome of building our own home with 360 Building Solutions.”

“Majors Creek Renovation and Additions. Our home sits on 100 acres of predominantly grazing land, a working farm. The original house is 100 years old - an ad hoc coming together of two old local schoolrooms, with a couple of lean-tos added in the last 30 years or so. The house was freezing in winter, with a truly impractical floor plan, and although it had its rustic charm when viewed from the outside, was badly in need of an update. Our brief to Bruce was “something simple, warm in winter, practical as a farm house and attractive….somewhere we could entertain guests in comfort”. He was limited by the surroundings and our boundary line in that the only viable place for the proposed extension was to the south, but this did not daunt him. Bruce was very easy to work with, listening carefully to what we wanted, and offering the advice of many years’ experience. He soon came up with a stunningly ingenious yet simple plan…knock down the old and pointless lean-to which included the very distant bathroom and toilet and replace with a new open-plan living area, connected to the old house via a wide passageway, simultaneously creating two large paved courtyard areas to the east and west and increasing our outdoor living space dramatically. The old original cottage then became the bedrooms (3), bathrooms (ensuite and guest) and laundry area of the house, with the wide connecting passageway, doubling as a library, leading into what had been a useless dull room but now the cosy music room. New insulation was added in the walls, new flooring laid and the old cottage was transformed into comfortable sleeping quarters and a second indoor living area. The new open-plan living area is Bruce’s masterpiece. He used galvanised iron and local hardwood to produce a building which looks totally contemporary and yet fits seamlessly with its farm and garden surroundings. As we have three dogs, the polished concrete floor is both beautiful and ultra practical, whilst also functioning as a heat sink for the winter sun. The sun streams in the full length north-facing windows in winter, warming the living space and retaining heat overnight. On sunny days the log fire is not required at all, even in the depths of winter. With views to both courtyards and the orchard beyond, the outlook is superb. In summer, the sun is too high to reach into this room, keeping the temperature down, helped by the elegant pergolas over both courtyards which support deciduous vines. Both courtyards have under window plantings to help facilitate cool breezes in summer. Other little details e.g.: a wooden deck from the main bathroom, a pond beneath the guest bathroom window and a rear mud-room, just add those extra finishing touches and amenity which make the house very special. Bruce managed to design a beautiful, yet practical home for us, which did not cost the earth and which fully met our expectations. The old cottage retained its charm, blending seamlessly with the unique new addition. A local craftsman even managed to produce beautiful recycled furniture for our new living area, using timber from the old lean-to. We love it, and so do our family and friends.”

“Highly recommend this firm - fast, intuitive, creative and good communication! We've worked with the team at Black Line Building Design on a few projects now, most recently a custom design on a tricky block. We are very happy with the result, especially how it fits the block perfectly and also allows beautiful winter sun into the living spaces. We have been so happy with their work, we have just engaged them again to create our dream home which will be a knock down rebuild in an inner Canberra suburb.”