We work with a wide range of clients at various stages of development, depending on the nature of their project. The most common clients are homeowners, owner-builders, or people who intend to live in their new building.

We generally do not work for commercial developers, or government agencies.

Alexander has worked as a builder and for several construction companies, but it's not his area of expertise. Instead, he uses what he has learned from those experiences to create Three Hat Buildings and provide grounded architectural designs.

Many people bring us a plan or sketch as a starting point. In general, it requires some work. We rarely complete construction drawings for designs in which we were not involved.

We currently offer architectural services throughout Metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Without question, architects create some of their greatest work when challenged.

We have a network of builders and a well-refined process for shortlisting should their timeframe not align with yours or if you wish to tender the project yourself. Keep in mind most builders that work on custom homes and produce architectural build quality typically only work on 2-3 projects at a time, so planning ahead is critical.

We have a detailed discussion of fees and how we begin to create your project budget here:

Pricing - costs, rates and fees

This will vary depending on scope and size but the average project currently takes 6-12 months to design, plus 12-18 months to build. Faster timeframes typically require you to be both available and prompt in making decisions.

If you are handling the build yourself, here is a list of things to think about while selecting a builder.

Consider a Venn diagram of time cost and quality (you can only select two).

Visit their site to see how clean it is.

What is their procedure for dealing with modifications throughout the building process?

Be explicit about the timeframe and needs for both of you to ensure a smooth build.

References might be helpful, but just as when applying for a job, you’ll only contact the best ones.

The method for estimating your build cost will change throughout the design process. It begins with broad market base rates. As the documents progress, this is broken down into smaller, more accurate sections. Until we are able to collect quotes from suppliers and builders. These will then be compared to the market rates to ensure a continuous feedback loop and an accurate up-to-date price range.

It is critical to remember that we cannot account for every possible event and condition. Local planning constraints, market conditions, and site-specific challenges are all common factors that can affect construction costs. This is why, throughout the project, it is always recommended that you keep a contingency fund on hand.

For more information on where to get started refer to my pricing page:

Pricing - costs, rates and fees