Architectural Services

We offer full architectural services:

• project feasibility & costing analysis
• concept & sketch design
• design development to development application
• complying development
• tender & construction documentation
• construction administration
• interior design
• office fit out
• landscaping

Sustainability

Environmental principles are central to our design approach. These principles include orienting spaces for control of heat gain and loss, efficient space planning, choice of materials and systems and flexibility of the design for longevity.

Our Fees

Our fee structure is based on the traditional construction budget percentage (typically 12-15%) for full service including interior design and project management. We adapt this model to reflect the actual time we spend on each of the four project stages. This allows us to give better value to our clients by more accurately reflecting the hours we spend on each project phase.  

What are some factors that can affect these fees?​

​Change of brief: We understand things change, especially when faced with budget realities but a change that alters the scope of our work will necessarily take more time and cost more.​

​Decision making: Timely decisions keep the project moving forward and allow us to program the job effectively, keeping continuity of staff and workflow.​

​Scale: Unlike a larger building such as an office or school, a house comprises many individual, bespoke elements. There is little repetition and so an increase in size will equate directly to more work required by the architect.​

​Complexity: For example, ambitious goals regarding what can fit on a site could lead to more time spent on the approvals process. A challenging site could lead to more consultant coordination (ie: bushfire prone land).​

​Level of risk: Renovations inherently have more unknowns so allowing time to deal with issues as they arise will be reflected in our fee.​

Schedule Appointment

To discuss your project and enquire about our services we invite you to fill out our contact form.

First Steps

We understand that choosing an architect is an important decision. As most of our projects are “full service” arrangements with the lifetime of a project often 2 years or more, the best relationship between architect and client is one of mutual respect with the common goal of producing an exceptional home. We are proud that a large amount of our work comes from referrals and we are happy to supply a list of clients for references should you wish to proceed with a first meeting.​

​The first meeting involves either a meeting in our office or a visit to the subject property by one of our experienced team members. We will meet with you to discuss your requirements and aspirations and develop an initial brief, inspect the property and give a brief response on the opportunities for the site. We can also present a portfolio of Watershed projects and discuss how we approach each project.​

PROJECT BUDGET

We have a good understanding of project costing, having designed houses in the local area since 1995 and we offer guidance as to what can be achieved within your budget. It’s important to be mindful of the cost of building work when establishing your brief. We can advise on this and we do our best to design efficiently and achieve good value for our clients. An architecturally designed home is a bespoke product that entails many hours of work and materials to create a home individually tailored to your needs. As a guide our projects are currently costing $7500—$10,000/sqm for new work.​

​We have good working relationships with local builders and can recommend builders for tendering or fixed price contracts. After the meeting we will prepare a fee proposal. This will include a description of your project that will form the project brief should you wish to proceed to the next stage of commissioning Watershed Architects for a Sketch Design. The proposal will detail the fees for the preparation of the Sketch Design and give an idea as to the fees for the subsequent stages.