Residential
WORKING WITH AN ARCHITECT
DESIGNING YOUR HOME
The building process
Sustainable design

Designing and building a home, office or investment property can be an extraordinarily complex process. A project of a scale that most people only undertake once in their lives.

Building projects aren’t just about rooms, materials and cost, they can be deeply personal and making a mistake in the process can be frustrating, costly and time-consuming.

Creating the initial design brief, articulating your vision, setting a realistic budget, negotiating the planning process, finding the right builder and managing the building contract are tasks that occur before building has even started.

This is why many people engage the specialist help of an architect. Architects are building experts, having negotiated the process hundreds of times.

From helping you to create your perfect plan, to ensuring that the builder is getting the job done on time and within budget, architects can manage the entire design and construction process from start to finish so you’re just left with the satisfaction of a beautiful, unique building, specifically-designed for your site.

Architects are experts at what they do and their designs are anything but “one size fits all”: from placing a building in the perfect position to maximise views and environmental benefits such as passive solar and prevailing winds, to helping you to set a realistic budget, obtain competitive quotes and engage consultants like surveyors and engineers; architects help you every step of the way.

Where some will leave you at the end of the planning phase, architects will inspect the building works throughout the construction period to ensure you get the quality workmanship and level of finishes you expect.

Architects are experts in building design, they create buildings that comfortably into the environment and surrounds; solving problems of space, function and fit. An architect will carefully craft the design to maximise environmental performance, can advise about the placement of a building on a site to optimise views and aspect, to catch the sun, provide shade, promote natural cross-flow ventilation, and reduce and conserve energy.

Architects stay abreast of the latest in building technology and materials, creating buildings that are efficient, light and spacious.

An architecturally-designed building will feel different, be a joy to live and work in and unique to you, your needs and your site.

Slap Architects endeavour to create buildings which improve lives, are a joy to use and which minimise environmental impact and optimise energy efficiency, a holistic approach from beginning to end.

A sense of place is also essential to our working process; not a fixed architectural language, but working in response to a site melding local materials where relevant so that our schemes are rooted in their context. Slap Architects offer Architectural and Interior Design services.

As architects we are able to help you bring together your ideas into a concrete form and provide suggestions and ideas that you may not have thought of. We can see the big picture and design not just a house, but an environment that is a reflection of your lifestyle, current and future needs.
We are able to design energy efficient houses that work with the individual sites to provide a house that addresses prevailing winds/natural ventilation, solar orientation/ passive solar design, use of natural light, and orientation to maximise views. We are able to incorporate sustainable design principles and new technologies that produce a house that provides a comfortable environment for its occupants while lowering its environmental impact.

Where drafting services and bulk residential builders will only work with “easy” sites we able to provide solutions for unusual sites, whether they are steep, have a difficult orientation, difficult shapes, planning restrictions or complex renovations
We consider building materials and how they suit your criteria, whether they are low maintenance, special features, locally sourced or environmentally friendly to name a few.

We consider lighting in its functional aspects and in the mood it can create to match the many ways that you use the building.

We bring together all of these aspects of design and more to create a unified building and interior that becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Building an architecturally-designed home is an exciting journey; one that is a collaboration of many people and ideas, culminating in the creation of a unique place that inspires, grounds and is ultimately an expression of you.

As architects we are here to help you express those ideas, put them down on paper and make them realised. We are here to provide advice and insights into your requirements and to formulate the ultimate expression of your brief. We are also here to guide you through what can be a daunting process from initial design to the finished product.

We have outlined the process below but you can read a more detailed article on the process in the 5 steps of the building process article.

Initial meeting and brief:
We meet with you get an idea of your expectations of the project, the scope and requirements. We look at your site with you and discuss your ideas and what opportunities are available to you and can speak with you about similar projects. We also can discuss statutory requirements, budget and fees.

Preliminary Design:
Once we have an understanding of your requirements and expectations, we complete a sketch design or concept plans to help clarify your initial brief. We then meet with you and use these plans as a basis for refining the design, expanding the detail and developing ideas. Once we have a design that you are happy with we discuss the factors that affect cost and agree on a more detailed scope of finishes, extent of building works and other factors. If required we then guide you through the town planning process, as well as review all the other statutory requirements.

Detailed design/Documentation: 
Once we have reached an agreement on the plans and the look and feel of the building it is time to fill in the details and address some of the more practical concerns.  We refine all the small details and engage the consultant/s required for the project.  We produce images, schedules and drawings for your final review to enable you have an understanding of the level of quality and detail of the project, so that there are no surprises.

Builder Selection and Pricing:
Following the completion of the design/documentation stage the project needs to be priced. During the entire design process we provide you with a rough cost estimate so that we can advise you if you are within your budget. We organise the entire process and compare the builder’s prices and provide to you a recommendation. We work with you to establish a fixed contract price that you are happy with then meet with you and the builder and draw up contracts for signing and arrange the building permit on your behalf.

Contract Administration:
Contract administration is a service that we offer to ensure that the project is built to a high quality and that you have our expert advice on hand to understand and to provide solutions to questions the builder may have. Architect designed house are also bespoke and as such we also ensure that the specialist details we have designed with you are realised as first imagined.  We evaluate the quality and value of works completed when the builder makes a claim to ensure you are getting value for money making your experience as relaxed as possible. We work with you through the entire construction process and after you move in to ensure that your home lives up to your expectations when you turn the key and after you have lived in it.

We are there to guide you through the process and make it an enjoyable experience for all. We look forward to working with you on your project.

An architect-designed home is designed to maximise the potential of your site, to use the latest in technological advances and to reduce your environmental footprint. We use design principles that ensure that your home is energy efficient from when you turn the key and throughout its life. We constantly research materials that are sourced locally where possible, sustainably sourced and that produce a healthy environment for you to live in.

Design
One of the major advantages of an Architect designed home is that it is created exclusively to suit your site. We ensure that it takes advantage of all the aspects that the site has to offer. We design a house with the correct orientation to maximise passive solar heating to ensure it is warmed by the winter sun and sheltered in the summer.. We design to protect you from the strong prevailing winds and to take advantage of cooling breezes. We design a house that maintains a comfortable living environment all through the year and that minimises the use of heating and air-conditioning.

Technology
We are aware of the latest developments in sustainable technology and how they can help you. We can advise you how to implement such things as solar hot water and photovoltaic services, alternative heating and cooling options, insulation materials, and construction methods, to produce a home that reduces you carbon footprint, utility bills and overall energy consumption. This is especially important these days with rising electrical supply costs and falling cost of these technologies – the pay back periods are being reduced substantially, making them a viable option for most people. Being in East Gippsland you are able to take advantage of the great number of sunny days that we enjoy.

Materials
We have a wide knowledge of materials and can recommend those that are low maintenance, locally sourced, sustainable, and value for money. Materials and design often go hand in hand such as the benefits from the correct use of thermal mass materials in stone, brick and concrete outweighing such issues as cost and sustainability issues. The use of large areas of glass to encompass views can be achieved with double glazing and technologically advanced window frames.

Please read our articles on passive solar design and energy ratings for more information

Working with an architect

Designing and building a home, office or investment property can be an extraordinarily complex process. A project of a scale that most people only undertake once in their lives.

Building projects aren’t just about rooms, materials and cost, they can be deeply personal and making a mistake in the process can be frustrating, costly and time-consuming.

Creating the initial design brief, articulating your vision, setting a realistic budget, negotiating the planning process, finding the right builder and managing the building contract are tasks that occur before building has even started.

This is why many people engage the specialist help of an architect. Architects are building experts, having negotiated the process hundreds of times.

From helping you to create your perfect plan, to ensuring that the builder is getting the job done on time and within budget, architects can manage the entire design and construction process from start to finish so you’re just left with the satisfaction of a beautiful, unique building, specifically-designed for your site.

Architects are experts at what they do and their designs are anything but “one size fits all”: from placing a building in the perfect position to maximise views and environmental benefits such as passive solar and prevailing winds, to helping you to set a realistic budget, obtain competitive quotes and engage consultants like surveyors and engineers; architects help you every step of the way.

Where some will leave you at the end of the planning phase, architects will inspect the building works throughout the construction period to ensure you get the quality workmanship and level of finishes you expect.

Architects are experts in building design, they create buildings that comfortably into the environment and surrounds; solving problems of space, function and fit. An architect will carefully craft the design to maximise environmental performance, can advise about the placement of a building on a site to optimise views and aspect, to catch the sun, provide shade, promote natural cross-flow ventilation, and reduce and conserve energy.

Architects stay abreast of the latest in building technology and materials, creating buildings that are efficient, light and spacious.

An architecturally-designed building will feel different, be a joy to live and work in and unique to you, your needs and your site.

Designing your home

Slap Architects endeavour to create buildings which improve lives, are a joy to use and which minimise environmental impact and optimise energy efficiency, a holistic approach from beginning to end.

A sense of place is also essential to our working process; not a fixed architectural language, but working in response to a site melding local materials where relevant so that our schemes are rooted in their context. Slap Architects offer Architectural and Interior Design services.

As architects we are able to help you bring together your ideas into a concrete form and provide suggestions and ideas that you may not have thought of. We can see the big picture and design not just a house, but an environment that is a reflection of your lifestyle, current and future needs.
We are able to design energy efficient houses that work with the individual sites to provide a house that addresses prevailing winds/natural ventilation, solar orientation/ passive solar design, use of natural light, and orientation to maximise views. We are able to incorporate sustainable design principles and new technologies that produce a house that provides a comfortable environment for its occupants while lowering its environmental impact.

Where drafting services and bulk residential builders will only work with “easy” sites we able to provide solutions for unusual sites, whether they are steep, have a difficult orientation, difficult shapes, planning restrictions or complex renovations
We consider building materials and how they suit your criteria, whether they are low maintenance, special features, locally sourced or environmentally friendly to name a few.

We consider lighting in its functional aspects and in the mood it can create to match the many ways that you use the building.

We bring together all of these aspects of design and more to create a unified building and interior that becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Read More

Designing your home

Slap Architects endeavour to create buildings which improve lives, are a joy to use and which minimise environmental impact and optimise energy efficiency, a holistic approach from beginning to end.

A sense of place is also essential to our working process; not a fixed architectural language, but working in response to a site melding local materials where relevant so that our schemes are rooted in their context. Slap Architects offer Architectural and Interior Design services.

As architects we are able to help you bring together your ideas into a concrete form and provide suggestions and ideas that you may not have thought of. We can see the big picture and design not just a house, but an environment that is a reflection of your lifestyle, current and future needs.
We are able to design energy efficient houses that work with the individual sites to provide a house that addresses prevailing winds/natural ventilation, solar orientation/ passive solar design, use of natural light, and orientation to maximise views. We are able to incorporate sustainable design principles and new technologies that produce a house that provides a comfortable environment for its occupants while lowering its environmental impact.

Where drafting services and bulk residential builders will only work with “easy” sites we able to provide solutions for unusual sites, whether they are steep, have a difficult orientation, difficult shapes, planning restrictions or complex renovations
We consider building materials and how they suit your criteria, whether they are low maintenance, special features, locally sourced or environmentally friendly to name a few.

We consider lighting in its functional aspects and in the mood it can create to match the many ways that you use the building.

We bring together all of these aspects of design and more to create a unified building and interior that becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Read More

The building process

Building an architecturally-designed home is an exciting journey; one that is a collaboration of many people and ideas, culminating in the creation of a unique place that inspires, grounds and is ultimately an expression of you.

As architects we are here to help you express those ideas, put them down on paper and make them realised. We are here to provide advice and insights into your requirements and to formulate the ultimate expression of your brief. We are also here to guide you through what can be a daunting process from initial design to the finished product.

We have outlined the process below but you can read a more detailed article on the process in the 5 steps of the building process article.

Initial meeting and brief:
We meet with you get an idea of your expectations of the project, the scope and requirements. We look at your site with you and discuss your ideas and what opportunities are available to you and can speak with you about similar projects. We also can discuss statutory requirements, budget and fees.

Preliminary Design:
Once we have an understanding of your requirements and expectations, we complete a sketch design or concept plans to help clarify your initial brief. We then meet with you and use these plans as a basis for refining the design, expanding the detail and developing ideas. Once we have a design that you are happy with we discuss the factors that affect cost and agree on a more detailed scope of finishes, extent of building works and other factors. If required we then guide you through the town planning process, as well as review all the other statutory requirements.

Detailed design/Documentation: 
Once we have reached an agreement on the plans and the look and feel of the building it is time to fill in the details and address some of the more practical concerns.  We refine all the small details and engage the consultant/s required for the project.  We produce images, schedules and drawings for your final review to enable you have an understanding of the level of quality and detail of the project, so that there are no surprises.

Builder Selection and Pricing:
Following the completion of the design/documentation stage the project needs to be priced. During the entire design process we provide you with a rough cost estimate so that we can advise you if you are within your budget. We organise the entire process and compare the builder’s prices and provide to you a recommendation. We work with you to establish a fixed contract price that you are happy with then meet with you and the builder and draw up contracts for signing and arrange the building permit on your behalf.

Contract Administration:
Contract administration is a service that we offer to ensure that the project is built to a high quality and that you have our expert advice on hand to understand and to provide solutions to questions the builder may have. Architect designed house are also bespoke and as such we also ensure that the specialist details we have designed with you are realised as first imagined.  We evaluate the quality and value of works completed when the builder makes a claim to ensure you are getting value for money making your experience as relaxed as possible. We work with you through the entire construction process and after you move in to ensure that your home lives up to your expectations when you turn the key and after you have lived in it.

We are there to guide you through the process and make it an enjoyable experience for all. We look forward to working with you on your project.

Read More

Sustainable design

An architect-designed home is designed to maximise the potential of your site, to use the latest in technological advances and to reduce your environmental footprint. We use design principles that ensure that your home is energy efficient from when you turn the key and throughout its life. We constantly research materials that are sourced locally where possible, sustainably sourced and that produce a healthy environment for you to live in.

Design
One of the major advantages of an Architect designed home is that it is created exclusively to suit your site. We ensure that it takes advantage of all the aspects that the site has to offer. We design a house with the correct orientation to maximise passive solar heating to ensure it is warmed by the winter sun and sheltered in the summer.. We design to protect you from the strong prevailing winds and to take advantage of cooling breezes. We design a house that maintains a comfortable living environment all through the year and that minimises the use of heating and air-conditioning.

Technology
We are aware of the latest developments in sustainable technology and how they can help you. We can advise you how to implement such things as solar hot water and photovoltaic services, alternative heating and cooling options, insulation materials, and construction methods, to produce a home that reduces you carbon footprint, utility bills and overall energy consumption. This is especially important these days with rising electrical supply costs and falling cost of these technologies – the pay back periods are being reduced substantially, making them a viable option for most people. Being in East Gippsland you are able to take advantage of the great number of sunny days that we enjoy.

Materials
We have a wide knowledge of materials and can recommend those that are low maintenance, locally sourced, sustainable, and value for money. Materials and design often go hand in hand such as the benefits from the correct use of thermal mass materials in stone, brick and concrete outweighing such issues as cost and sustainability issues. The use of large areas of glass to encompass views can be achieved with double glazing and technologically advanced window frames.

Please read our articles on passive solar design and energy ratings for more information

Read More


Slap Architects acknowledges the Gunaikurnai People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which Slap Architects stands. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in East Gippsland, and their Elders past, present and emerging.

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