Energy-Efficient Homes Services in Gardenvale, Victoria

“We engaged Darrin Albert from Sketch Building Design to design our family home renovation. Darrin came highly recommended and we were certainly not disappointed. Our vision was to develop a contemporary two storey addition to our Edwardian home. The design delivered and service provided exceeded our expectations. Darrin and the team were professional, enthusiastic, responsive and focused on our needs and budget. They were a pleasure to deal with and we would happily recommend.”

“We hired Emme designs to decorate our penthouse and were very pleased with the results.Before proceeding , with her company,Emmy put our minds at ease by preparing a folio, showing us various materials, colour palette and fabric swatches to be used for our project. Emmy was very professional, communicated well, and was easy to talk to,understanding exactly what we liked…eg. we opted for a minimalist modern decor, for furniture ,T.V. cabinet, study nook etc.She had good contacts, and knew exactly where to source everything from, therefore saving us heaps. Emmy was very reliable and always kept her appointments on time. We highly recommend her for her knowledge and experience.”

“We highly recommend Alistair from Secret Design Studio for any mid-century modern project. Alistair's knowledge and enthusiasm for MCM design is apparent in the amazing on-line resources that he provides and he has the skill to create great MCM spaces that are compatible with contemporary lifestyles.”

“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.”

“We used Eco Edge Architecture to design our dream home. We were looking for a home that met our needs for the long term. Kirsten is professional, friendly, capable. innovative and accommodating of our needs. The end product is a fantastic home with enduring style and is extremely livable.”

“PROJECT MARCH 2014 We have been absolutely delighted by the total experience associated with the design, implementation and in the end, the completion of our remarkable "Hill House”. A day doesn’t go by without a sense of contentment as I smile at some design feature that just makes “sense” or an aspect of how we enjoy living in this space and place – it just “works”! We were absolutely delighted with the experience of designing our house with Mihaly Slocombe. The project is true to the importance we place on environmental sustainability, aesthetics and the clever use of amenity. In the end, the integrity of the creative design is a source of enduring pleasure to us. UPDATED JULY 2016 As our family expanded to the next generation [of grandchildren], we decided to return to the Architects who designed our family home, to create a suitable extension. The brief had been to create something complimentary to the existing design, be playful, functional, environmentally efficient and still aesthetically compatible with the existing home. To our immense delight, despite the obvious challenges and complexity to meet all aspects of the brief, all our expectations were not only met – but superbly exceeded. The project was implemented with a deft efficiency and professionalism and remained on budget and true to brief. What more could we ask for? Whilst I can’t imagine a further extension being required – if it was, I know exactly where I’d go!”

“When we have spoken to the Concept team, we have found that our dealings with Steve to be outstanding. He has managed our project, he has been totally efficient and the service he provided was second to none. Very professional, very helpful, nothing was too hard, and very good and knowledgable, all done from start to finish without us having to worry about anything. We would highly recommend him to other people. Could not have built with out him.”

“I am currently working with Matthew Duignan at Mesh Design and find them to be highly professional and very attentive to detail. His team is always there to help and be of assistance with all the details. I highly recommend Matthew and his team at Mesh design.”

“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 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!”