FAQs

Primarily homeowners, owner-builders, and people who intend to live in what they're building. We work across new custom homes, renovations, and extensions at various stages depending on the project.

We generally don't work with commercial developers or government agencies.

Not always but the real question is: what's the cost of getting it wrong? For straightforward projects a building designer may suffice, but if your site is complex or your budget exceeds $800,000, an architect earns their fee many times over. They're not just designing your home; they're managing risk, coordinating consultants, and making decisions that affect liveability for decades.

Architect first always. A builder can't price what hasn't been designed, and going to a builder first often means committing to a direction before you've explored whether it's the right one. The correct sequence is: clarify your brief, engage an architect to translate it into a design, then take that to builders for pricing.

Sooner than most people think; ideally before you've committed to anything. Before signing with a builder, finalising a design, or purchasing a site are all good moments. A second opinion at that stage costs very little and can save an enormous amount. If something already feels off mid-project, it's still worth it.

Alexander has worked as a builder and across several construction companies. That experience is built into how Three Hat Buildings operates. It means designs are grounded in how things actually get built, not just how they look on paper.

Many people come to us with a plan or sketch as a starting point — that's fine. In most cases it requires some work. We rarely complete construction drawings for designs we weren't involved in developing.

We offer architectural services throughout Metro Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Without question. Some of the best architectural work happens when the site pushes back.

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

Think of it as a Venn diagram of time, cost, and quality - you can realistically only optimise for two. Beyond that: visit their current site to see how it's run, understand their process for handling variations, be explicit about timeframes upfront, and treat references as a starting point rather than a verdict.

In general, multiplying your estimated construction cost by 8–15% gives a reasonable range for full architectural services, depending on project type, complexity, and scope. We have a detailed breakdown of how fees are structured here.

It evolves throughout the design process — starting with broad market base rates, then broken into more detailed sections as documentation progresses, until we can collect actual quotes from suppliers and builders. A contingency fund is always recommended alongside any estimate. For a full breakdown of current rates see our construction cost guide.

It varies by scope and size, but most projects currently take 6–12 months to design and 12–18 months to build. Faster timeframes are possible — they typically require prompt decision-making and good availability on your end.