OPTION TO PROJECT HOMES | EEKOS ARCHITECTS

THE OPTION TO PROJECT HOME BUILDING

A CLEARER WAY TO BUILD A HOME

For decades, Australians have been told the project home builder is the simplest, cheapest and safest path to home ownership. Today the reality looks different. There is another way to start — one that puts the site, the brief and the way you actually live ahead of a standard plan.

THE PROBLEM

WHY THE PROJECT HOME BUILDER MODEL IS HURTING HOMEOWNERS

The project home model works by selling a standardised plan, lightly adjusted to fit your block. The economics depend on volume, not on suitability for your site or your life. A few things tend to follow.

The plan is chosen before the site is properly understood. Orientation, breezes, solar access, slope and existing landscape are treated as afterthoughts rather than design drivers.
Sustainability is reduced to a compliance number. Minimum-standard energy ratings do not produce comfortable homes in Perth's climate — they produce homes that pass a calculation.
Daily life is squeezed into the plan rather than designed around it. Ageing in place, working from home, indoor–outdoor living and useable outdoor space are rarely accommodated on tight blocks.
The contract is fixed in name only. Variations, provisional sums, site costs and fit-out upgrades regularly add ten to twenty-five percent to the headline price.
The owner has very little leverage once construction starts. Decisions made on day one are difficult and expensive to reverse on day one hundred.

None of this is a secret. It is well documented across consumer advocacy reporting, parliamentary inquiries into the residential construction sector, and the lived experience of thousands of homeowners currently caught in delayed or repriced builds. The cost is not only financial. It shows up as homes that overheat in summer, that lose any useable garden, that cannot adapt as the family changes, and that need expensive retrofits within a decade.

THE POWER OF OWNING THE DESIGN

CHOOSE THE RIGHT BUILDER, NOT JUST THE CHEAPEST PRICE

One of the most underrated benefits of having the design done up front is that the owner gets to take it to the market. With a clear, independent set of design documents in hand, you can invite multiple builders to price the same scope on equal terms — and then choose the one that genuinely fits your project.

Price matters, but it is only one factor. The builders you invite will differ in ways that have far more impact on how your project actually runs.

Capacity to deliver. Is the builder already stretched across too many jobs? When can they realistically start, and how long will yours take?
Capability and track record. Have they done this type of work before? Can they show you finished projects of similar scale and complexity?
The personality of the builder. You will be in regular contact with this person, sometimes daily, for months. Do you trust them? Do you communicate well? Can you raise a concern without it becoming a problem?
Who the project supervisor will be. The supervisor is the person on the ground making real-time decisions about your home. Knowing exactly who they are — and meeting them before signing — matters more than most owners realise.
How often the supervisor will be on site. A supervisor across three or four jobs has very different bandwidth to one running a single project. Daily presence, weekly visits or fortnightly drop-ins each produce a different outcome.
How variations and issues are handled. What is the builder's track record with mid-project changes, latent conditions and decisions that fall outside the contract?

Without owning the design, none of this is really negotiable. You are choosing a builder and a plan as a single bundled product, on the builder's terms. With the design in your hands, the conversation shifts. You set the brief, the documents and the standard. The builders compete for your work. You choose the one whose people, capacity and approach you trust to deliver it — before you sign anything.

Getting on with your builder, and knowing your supervisor by name and by face, can quietly make or break a project. The three-step pathway gives you the power to choose them deliberately.

WHAT GOOD HOME BUILDING REQUIRES

THE FUNDAMENTALS DO NOT CHANGE

Whether the project is a new home, a knockdown rebuild, a renovation, a custom-designed house or a small infill development, the same fundamentals apply. A home that performs well over its life will almost always share these qualities.

Oriented to take advantage of northern winter sun and to control summer heat.
Captures prevailing breezes for natural cooling.
Uses thermal mass intelligently rather than by accident.
Places living areas where daylight and outlook are best.
Treats the outdoors as part of the home — direct sightlines, generous openings, useable gardens even on tight blocks.
Anticipates how life changes, so the home does not have to be rebuilt in twenty years.
Uses honest, durable materials and a structure that is straightforward to maintain.

These outcomes are not expensive add-ons. They are the result of thinking carefully before drawing, and drawing carefully before building.
— The EEKOS approach

THE THREE-STEP PROCESS

STEP-BY-STEP, WITH STOP POINTS BUILT IN

Each step is separately quoted and agreed before the next begins. You are not locked into the full architectural process from the outset. You stay in control of cost, scope and direction as understanding of the project develops.

STEP 1

INITIAL SITE MEETING + RETURN BRIEF

This is the set the brief stage. We meet you at the property to understand what you are hoping to achieve, review the existing building and site conditions, discuss opportunities and constraints, and identify the most appropriate next steps.

A meeting at the property with you.
Review of the existing building, site conditions and project opportunities.
Discussion of your priorities, budget expectations, timing, lifestyle and operational needs — including ageing in place, work-from-home requirements, accessibility and future flexibility.
Early consideration of orientation, breezes, solar access, overshadowing, thermal performance and useable outdoor space.
Early identification of likely planning, building or approval issues.
Advice on whether surveys, engineering, planning or other specialist input may be required.
A written summary of our understanding of the project.

Typical fee: $495 + GST, plus travel where the property is more than a 45-minute drive from our Inglewood studio.

STEP 1 OUTCOME:

A clear return brief summarising the project objectives, key constraints, opportunities and recommended pathway. You own this document and can take it anywhere — to multiple builders for pricing, to another architect, to your bank, or back to us for Step Two.

STEP 2

CONCEPT DESIGN

Once the return brief is agreed, we provide a separate quotation for the Concept Design stage before any further work proceeds. This is where the brief is translated into an initial design response.

Preparation of concept plans and design options.
Testing of how the proposal responds to the site, the existing building and the brief.
Consideration of planning requirements, appearance, functionality, staging and budget.
Application of passive design principles — orientation, breeze paths, daylight, summer shading, thermal mass and indoor–outdoor connection.
Efficient use of site area so that even tight blocks retain real, useable landscape rather than leftover paving.
Coordination with consultants where required — planning, engineering, heritage, access or building surveying.
Refinement of the preferred concept before moving into approvals or documentation.

Typical fee: confirmed after Step 1 based on the scope defined in the return brief. As a guide, Step 2 fees range from approximately $1,500 + GST for simple renovations and additions to $5,000 + GST for more complex residential projects. Commercial, hospitality and larger projects are quoted above this range.

STEP 2 OUTCOME:

A concept design that captures the agreed brief and gives you a clear direction before committing to detailed design, approvals or construction documentation.

STEP 3

DESIGN, APPROVALS + DOCUMENTATION

Once the concept direction is agreed, we provide a separate quotation for the next stage. The scope is tailored to the project. Some projects only need approval drawings; others require full design development, consultant coordination, detailed documentation, tendering and construction-stage support.

Design development.
Consultant coordination.
Development Application drawings and documentation, if required.
Building Permit drawings and information.
Detailed construction documentation and specifications.
Assistance with builder pricing, tendering, contract administration or delivery.

Typical fee: confirmed after Step 2 based on the scope of services required. Step 3 fees vary considerably depending on whether the project requires approval drawings only, full documentation, or full architectural service through to construction.

STEP 3 OUTCOME:

The agreed concept is developed into the level of documentation required for the project — a limited approval submission, a building permit package, or a full architectural service through to construction.

WHY WE WORK THIS WAY

DESIGN THINKING AND CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE IN THE SAME ROOM

Many projects lose time and money because design work, contracts or plan selection happens before the project pathway is properly understood. Our staged process clarifies the brief, the approval requirements, the budget expectations and the project risks early — before larger design or documentation fees are committed.

As registered architects and registered builders, EEKOS brings both design thinking and practical construction knowledge to the process. This helps us create architecture that is not only beautiful and expressive, but also buildable, maintainable and suited to the realities of the site.

READY TO START

BEGIN WITH A SINGLE, CLEARLY SCOPED STEP 1

The Initial Site Meeting is the simplest way to get a clear, independent read on your project before committing to a builder, a plan or a contract.

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(08) 92716091 WWW.EEKOS.COM.AU 951 BEAUFORT STREET INGLEWOOD WA 6052

For decades, Australians have been told the project home builder is the simplest, cheapest and safest path to home ownership. Today the reality looks different. There is another way to start — one that puts the site, the brief and the way you actually live ahead of a standard plan.

The project home model works by selling a standardised plan, lightly adjusted to fit your block. The economics depend on volume, not on suitability for your site or your life. A few things tend to follow.

​

The plan is chosen before the site is properly understood. Orientation, breezes, solar access, slope and existing landscape are treated as afterthoughts rather than design drivers.

Sustainability is reduced to a compliance number. Minimum-standard energy ratings do not produce comfortable homes in Perth's climate — they produce homes that pass a calculation.

Daily life is squeezed into the plan rather than designed around it. Ageing in place, working from home, indoor–outdoor living and useable outdoor space are rarely accommodated on tight blocks.

The contract is fixed in name only. Variations, provisional sums, site costs and fit-out upgrades regularly add ten to twenty-five percent to the headline price.

The owner has very little leverage once construction starts. Decisions made on day one are difficult and expensive to reverse on day one hundred.

Price matters, but it is only one factor. The builders you invite will differ in ways that have far more impact on how your project actually runs.

​

Capacity to deliver. Is the builder already stretched across too many jobs? When can they realistically start, and how long will yours take?

Capability and track record. Have they done this type of work before? Can they show you finished projects of similar scale and complexity?

The personality of the builder. You will be in regular contact with this person, sometimes daily, for months. Do you trust them? Do you communicate well? Can you raise a concern without it becoming a problem?

Who the project supervisor will be. The supervisor is the person on the ground making real-time decisions about your home. Knowing exactly who they are — and meeting them before signing — matters more than most owners realise.

How often the supervisor will be on site. A supervisor across three or four jobs has very different bandwidth to one running a single project. Daily presence, weekly visits or fortnightly drop-ins each produce a different outcome.

How variations and issues are handled. What is the builder's track record with mid-project changes, latent conditions and decisions that fall outside the contract?

​

Getting on with your builder, and knowing your supervisor by name and by face, can quietly make or break a project. The three-step pathway gives you the power to choose them deliberately.

Whether the project is a new home, a knockdown rebuild, a renovation, a custom-designed house or a small infill development, the same fundamentals apply. A home that performs well over its life will almost always share these qualities.

​

Oriented to take advantage of northern winter sun and to control summer heat.

Captures prevailing breezes for natural cooling.

Uses thermal mass intelligently rather than by accident.

Places living areas where daylight and outlook are best.

Treats the outdoors as part of the home — direct sightlines, generous openings, useable gardens even on tight blocks.

Anticipates how life changes, so the home does not have to be rebuilt in twenty years.

Uses honest, durable materials and a structure that is straightforward to maintain.

These outcomes are not expensive add-ons. They are the result of thinking carefully before drawing, and drawing carefully before building. — The EEKOS approach

Each step is separately quoted and agreed before the next begins. You are not locked into the full architectural process from the outset. You stay in control of cost, scope and direction as understanding of the project develops.

​This is the set the brief stage. We meet you at the property to understand what you are hoping to achieve, review the existing building and site conditions, discuss opportunities and constraints, and identify the most appropriate next steps.

​

A meeting at the property with you.

Review of the existing building, site conditions and project opportunities.

Discussion of your priorities, budget expectations, timing, lifestyle and operational needs — including ageing in place, work-from-home requirements, accessibility and future flexibility.

Early consideration of orientation, breezes, solar access, overshadowing, thermal performance and useable outdoor space.

Early identification of likely planning, building or approval issues.

Advice on whether surveys, engineering, planning or other specialist input may be required.

A written summary of our understanding of the project.

Typical fee: $495 + GST, plus travel where the property is more than a 45-minute drive from our Inglewood studio.

STEP 1 OUTCOME: A clear return brief summarising the project objectives, key constraints, opportunities and recommended pathway. You own this document and can take it anywhere — to multiple builders for pricing, to another architect, to your bank, or back to us for Step Two.

Once the return brief is agreed, we provide a separate quotation for the Concept Design stage before any further work proceeds. This is where the brief is translated into an initial design response.

​

Preparation of concept plans and design options.

Testing of how the proposal responds to the site, the existing building and the brief.

Consideration of planning requirements, appearance, functionality, staging and budget.

Application of passive design principles — orientation, breeze paths, daylight, summer shading, thermal mass and indoor–outdoor connection.

Efficient use of site area so that even tight blocks retain real, useable landscape rather than leftover paving.

Coordination with consultants where required — planning, engineering, heritage, access or building surveying.

Refinement of the preferred concept before moving into approvals or documentation.

​

STEP 2 OUTCOME: A concept design that captures the agreed brief and gives you a clear direction before committing to detailed design, approvals or construction documentation.

​

Design development.

Consultant coordination.

Development Application drawings and documentation, if required.

Building Permit drawings and information.

Detailed construction documentation and specifications.

Assistance with builder pricing, tendering, contract administration or delivery.