YOUR SECOND OPINION
A moment to assess assumptions before decisions harden.
Most renovation projects don’t go wrong because of bad design.
They go wrong because early assumptions quietly lock in before anyone realises what they mean.
You’re at the point where momentum is building.
Options are starting to narrow.
Guessing is about to get expensive.
This step is not about moving faster.
It’s about slowing things down before something hardens.
WHAT IT IS
A focused, site-specific conversation
An independent second opinion on your current assumptions
A way to identify early decisions that may be hard to undo
An assessment of project size, timing, and fit
WHAT IT IS NOT
Not design
Not drawings
Not a quote
Not a commitment to proceed
The purpose is clarity that ends in a decision, not more information.
When a second opinion helps
This is for the moment where things are moving, but you’re not ready to guess.
Early decisions are forming fast. You’re being asked to just start but the brief isn’t settled. The budget is still shifting. And you can sense that some of these choices will be expensive to unwind later.
Common signals:
• You’re being nudged to commit before the brief and budget are clear
• Scope is vague, but expectations are already hardening
• You don’t yet know what approvals, constraints, or risks apply
• You want to move forward, but not blindly
Projects like your ususally don’t go wrong because of bad design. They go wrong because early assumptions lock in quietly, before anyone explains what they mean.
This is the point where momentum builds. Options narrow. Guessing gets expensive.
This step isn’t about moving faster. It’s about slowing things down before something hardens.
How it works
The second opinion has a simple structure. Risk and Sequence
Risk
What could derail the project later.
Sequence
What must happen first, and what must not.
Internally, I run this through a process I call your Building Blocks. It’s practical and cumulative. The aim isn’t to add complexity. It’s to make informed decisions rather than locking in the the wrong decisions from too early.
Building Block A
Brief & Assumptions
Pre-brief questionnaires to gather priorities, preferences, and objectives
Focused consultation to identify what matters most and where flexibility exists
Clear project outline defining scope, goals, and constraints
Formal written brief capturing agreed priorities and constraints
Building Block B
Site, Risk & Feasibility
Site review to identify physical constraints and opportunities
Property and regulatory review (high-level) of applicable controls and likely approvals
Scope and capability check against site and regulatory realities
Timeline and consultant overview for likely sequence and inputs
Early cost drivers to inform decisions (not a builder quote)
Outcome
You leave with a written decision summary you can act on.
With me.
Or without me.
The point isn’t momentum.
It’s clarity.
And from that clarity, one of three things follows:
Full architectural service
If the project is clear and aligned, I’ll outline a scope and fee for architectural services so you can decide with confidence.
Pause or redirect
Pausing is a valid outcome. The goal is not progress. The goal is the right decision. This may mean adjusting scope, timing, or recognising that a different approach, or a different professional, is better suited.
Step away
You may decide not to proceed. You still leave knowing what the project is, what it isn’t, and why.
That’s a complete ending. One emotional landing. One logical structure.
Your Questions, Answered
-
No.
If early assumptions haven’t been tested, moving straight into design usually means locking in the wrong problem. This step exists to protect the project and confirm fit on both sides before momentum takes over.
-
Not in the way most people mean it.
There is one design briefing conversation where we look at your ideas, priorities, and reference images. This is about understanding your intent and how you want the project to feel.
What it does not produce is a design.
The output of this stage is a clear, tested brief. One that checks alignment between your ideas, the site, the budget, and the constraints already in play.
Concept design comes after this step, once the brief is sound and the right problem has been defined.
-
Yes. Intentionally.
This step adds a small pause early to avoid massive delays, redesign, and cost blowouts later. In practice, it often saves time by stopping the wrong work from starting.
-
One of three outcomes follows:
• Proceed into architectural services (full or partial)
• Pause or redirect
• Step away with clarity -
That’s fine.
Building Blocks works alongside existing relationships. The focus isn’t replacing anyone, it’s testing assumptions and sequencing decisions so the project holds together.
-
No.
Some clients do. Some don’t. Either way, you leave with clarity you can act on.
-
It’s short and contained.
The intent is to create clarity early, while decisions are still flexible, not to drag the process out.
In most cases, it runs over around a month, depending on your starting point.
Pricing
$5,900 inc. GST
A commencement deposit of $590 confirms intent and reserves time in my program.
The balance is payable on delivery of the written decision summary.
This fee is based on avoiding one expensive early mistake:
the wrong scope, the wrong sequence, or the wrong commitment.
Disbursements (if required)
Any third-party costs are discussed and agreed before they’re incurred.
• Property information reports
• Service reports
• External secondary or sub-consultant advice
• Authority fees, permits, taxes, or levies
AS FEATURED IN
Working on the belief that personalised, tailored buildings create places for people to truly connect with nature and each other.
First class design and building expertise provided with a dedicated focus to a limited number of clients forms the foundation of all three hat buildings.
Alexander Hill
OWNER / ARCHITECT
Awarded the Architects Board Prize in 2001, I began my career in Melbourne in 2002. In 2007 I started my practice with a beach house in Queenscliff. Intent on focusing on private dwellings, I continued working with builders to understand how to better implement an architectural design, which ultimately led to my own builder’s license. In 2015 I joined Destination Living to work on scaling the architect-builder model. Finally, in 2021 I pulled it all together to open my one-person office.