From your initial call we will arrange a free consultation at our office. The purpose of this meeting is firstly to meet each other and secondly to determine the scope of works for the project. Every project is different, and we believe that communication, cooperation & trust are the most important ingredients for successful design. The next step is normally to familiarise ourselves with the proposed work site and determine a scope of fees associated with the project.

We offer a total start to finish service, which we believe is crucial to maintaining your design intent during construction. There are many decisions that have to be made on site during construction and often poor decision making can result in a finished product which does not meet your expectations. Your fee proposal will include the following phases individually quoted to allow you to align our services to your needs and budget.

Design & DA
Obtain Approvals
Documentation & CC
Select Contractor
Delivery

On acceptance of our proposal we will request site information and prepare the brief in consultation with you. To design a building that suits your needs, personality and lifestyle, the greater your involvement the better. We will produce sketch plans for you to review and comment on. Any changes will be made and sent back to you for comment. This process is repeated until such time as you are satisfied with the design.

Once the design has been accepted, we prepare the design for Council Applications. This includes arranging and liaising with other consultants as required.

Once plans have been submitted to council, we continue to monitor the application and advise on any issues that may arise.

The next step is to prepare the detailed construction plans and obtain a Construction Certificate. This phase is critical in translating the design intent into a set of plans that the builder can follow. Documentation involves a number of other consultants, and requires a number of detail decisions from you. Depending on the complexity of the project, a number of meetings will be held during this phase to finalise all the details for construction.

You are now ready to engage a builder and commence construction. Couvaras Architects will assist in the tender & negotiation process. During the construction process, we will conduct regular site meetings and administer the building contracts on your behalf.