Every project with South Space starts with a conversation about how someone actually lives – not just what they want to build.
The brief matters, but so does the way a family uses a kitchen on a Tuesday morning, or which direction the light comes from, or the view that’s been blocked for twenty years.
Getting that right before anyone draws a line is what makes the difference between a building that just looks good and one that genuinely works.
Our first interaction is an obligation-free phone call. We will discuss your top line brief, budget, timeline and anything else relevant to the project. We share a bit about us, what we offer in our services, some comments on your brief. We will try to identify any early barriers for the project and establish if we’re a good fit to work together.
If we’re a good fit for your project, we will proceed to a site feasibility study. For a nominal fee, we will meet with you (and any other parties e.g. builder) in person to go through your project in detail – we’ll discuss your ideas, budget, run through the approval process, do some brainstorming and sketches together.
Afterwards, we scope your project out in a return brief document, including a breakdown of your build budget and research existing site information to identify any potential project constraints or opportunities. We also look at what approval pathway may be possible e.g. Complying Development or Development Application. We provide this information in a summarised document, alongside a fully scoped fee proposal for the project for you to review.
Once engaged, we visit your site in person to extensively document the existing conditions and the sites opportunities. This is when we start documenting your project through 3D scanning and other measuring tools to shape the basis of your existing structure.
We present you with a concept design document, which includes reference images, 3D perspective views and a range of drawings of the spaces for you to digest and provide feedback on. We meet to review these documents, expand on the different points of the concepts, collate all of your feedback, and then provide a final revised concept design for your approval to move into the next stage.
We now explore everything from circulation space, room sizes, kitchen layouts, window and door sizes and any of the minor details that make the space, through further detailed drawings, visualizations and samples.
As part of this stage, we take your project and process it in 3D rendering software to create realistic imagery that showcases how your project will come to life. Investing more in this part of the project can particularly help when it comes to decisions such as how big the light void is, or will that window frame the old tree in the backyard and what will the overall finish of the space or facade feel like.
This stage is all about compiling the required documents for the relevant application – e.g. all drawings, BASIX (or Nathers), reports etc. We take care of the lodgement and coordination with certifiers, council, engineers and any other parties that need to be involved. Then we wait for approval…
This stage begins after we have gained approval. Now we look at the finer details of the project, documenting the rooms with finishes, fixtures and any specifics for building and coordination with consultants as needed. If we went through the DA approval pathway, now is the time we obtain a construction certificate with a private certifier.
We are available during the build stage to answer questions, inspect the site, provide advice, review shop drawings and to adapt to any issues that arise.
A: This is something that we look at early on, as part of our feasibility and site analysis. We look at the sites opportunities and constraints alongside your brief. Sometimes in this stage, we identify elements which can effect the outcome of the project which we discuss with you as we develop concept designs.
A: For most projects, we’ll require collaboration with a surveyor, engineer, certifier and council. Sometimes we will need the help of specialist consultants if the works or site presents difficult conditions - such as civil engineers, energy consultants, BCA consultants, town planners, heritage, bushfire and others.
A: Every project varies, and thus we tailor every fee proposal to suit the brief, scope and deliverables for your specific project. We are flexible in our level of engagement, and provide clear communication around our fees with a light level package or a full level package of services for you to choose from. For some indication, our full service which includes all of the stages required from concept to completion can be in the range of 4-8% of the build cost. This allows us scope to collaborate, communicate and flesh out the details of the project with clear documentation to achieve the final product. Reach out to chat about our fees!
A: Build cost can be hard to pin down in the current climate, so we discuss your minimum and maximum budget upfront as part of the brief. We then aim to create a design that will work to these numbers, with square meter estimates depending on the final design and finish level used as a blunt tool. We prefer to coordinate with builders or quantity surveyors early in the design phases to obtain preliminary costings, which helps further clarify that we are on target before approval.
A: We can utilise scribbles, photos, Pinterest boards and anything else you have on hand as a reference point to shape the brief for our work. For existing designs + plans, we must carefully interrogate the documentation, and essentially start from the beginning to ensure accuracy.
A: From the start of the project to construction beginning on site, we recommend being prepared for a minimum of 4 months for Complying Development, and 10-12 months for a Development Application / Construction Certificate depending on which council we are working with. We endeavour to push your project along as fast as we can, but these timelines are subject to the many moving parts, people involved and the approval pathway required.
If you’re thinking about a renovation or new build in Sydney, the Illawarra, Sutherland Shire or Southern Highlands, South Space could be your answer.
To book in a free, no obligation introductory call, simply fill in the form and we will give you a call back to discuss your project.
Alternatively, you can book a time now via the button below.