Every great project starts with a conversation. We begin by getting to know you, your vision, and what you’re hoping to achieve. Are you planning a new build or a renovation? What does your ideal home feel like? What kind of lifestyle does it need to support?

We’ll also chat about how sustainability could play a role in your project and explore the broader goals and possibilities. This initial meeting usually runs for about 1–2 hours and helps us understand your site and how best to bring your ideas to life.

We’re happy to meet you on-site, but we can also catch up at our office or over Zoom—whatever works best for you.

After this meeting, we’ll work with you to figure out which of our services are the best fit. Then we’ll send you a tailored fee proposal that outlines the brief, your project goals, budget, timeline, and our terms and fees.

After our pre-design consultation, one of the next steps—depending on your goals—might be developing a site masterplan.

Now, not every project needs a masterplan, but it can be incredibly helpful if you’re thinking long-term. Maybe your family is growing, or your lifestyle is shifting, or you’re planning to tackle the build in stages. A masterplan gives you a clear picture of how your site can evolve with you.

We’ll look at your site with fresh eyes—considering everything from the lay of the land and soil conditions to access points, vegetation, and utilities. We’ll also explore how your needs might change over time. What does life look like in 5, 10, or even 15 years?

We take into account all the practicalities too, like local zoning rules, building codes, and planning requirements. This helps us understand what’s possible—and what to steer clear of—right from the start.

Sustainability is always front of mind. We aim to preserve natural features where we can, introduce green spaces, and look at smart, energy-efficient systems for things like water management and waste.

The goal? A flexible, future-proof plan that not only fits your life now but can adapt as things change—whether that’s a growing family, new work-from-home needs, or just a desire for more room to move.

Most of all, we want to create a masterplan that feels connected—to you, your land, and the surrounding environment. It’s about thoughtful design that enhances your lifestyle, both today and tomorrow.

This is where your project starts to take real shape. The schematic design phase is all about turning your ideas into something you can actually see and get excited about. It’s the first big step in moving from concept to a working design.

We work closely with you during this stage to define the goals, priorities, and vision for your home. There’s lots of back-and-forth as we explore different ideas, design strategies, and architectural styles together. You’ll start to see your project come to life through early drawings and sketches.

At this point, we look closely at your site—its orientation, natural light, breezes, and views. We also acknowledge and consider the site’s connection to Country, recognising its place on Indigenous land. All of this helps guide the way we position and shape your future home.

We begin to map out how different areas of your home will work—how they connect, flow, and support your lifestyle. We think about things like natural ventilation, shading, daylight, and how to make each space as comfortable and functional as possible.

To help you visualise the design, we’ll share sketches, simple floor plans, diagrams, and mood boards. These are great tools for making sure we’re all on the same page and heading in the right direction.

Throughout the process, we’ll stay in regular contact, refining the design based on your feedback. By the end of this phase, you’ll have a clear direction and a design concept that feels just right for you.

Design development is where your project really starts to come to life. Building on the ideas we explored during the schematic design stage, we begin adding more detail and clarity to your home—transforming sketches into well-defined plans, elevations, and sections.

At this stage, we start to get specific about how each space will work. We look at the layout of every room, thinking through how spaces connect, where walls, doors, and windows will go, and how to make the most of natural light, ventilation, and flow.

Together with you, we also begin selecting the materials and finishes that will define the look and feel of your home. These choices are made carefully—considering aesthetics, durability, sustainability, maintenance, and, of course, your budget. This might include options like solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, or high-performance insulation to help make your home more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

This is also the point where we bring in other experts—like structural engineers and building services consultants—to make sure everything from the foundations to the electrical systems fits seamlessly into the design. We’ll start thinking about heating, cooling, plumbing, and lighting too, all tailored to suit your project.

Design development is a collaborative and creative phase, where your vision and the practical elements of the build come together. Our goal is to create a design that looks beautiful, works perfectly for your needs, and stays aligned with your budget.

Once the design is locked in, it’s time to prepare all the detailed drawings and documents needed to bring your home to life. During the construction documentation stage, we create comprehensive plans, elevations, sections, and construction details—everything your builder needs to understand exactly how to build your project.

This includes finalising important elements like lighting and power layouts, as well as selections for doors, windows, and balustrades. These documents don’t just guide the builder—they also form the basis for accurate pricing of the construction work.

At this stage, we also coordinate with private certifiers to make sure all the necessary approvals are in place, and we continue working alongside any other consultants involved in the project to keep everything moving smoothly.

It’s all about making sure the vision we’ve created together is clearly and thoroughly documented—so construction can start with confidence and clarity.

Once all the construction documents are complete, it’s time for the exciting part—construction begins!

Contract administration is the part of the process where we help manage and oversee the build, making sure everything is progressing as planned and staying true to the design. At Reddog, we’re experienced in this phase and can be by your side throughout the entire construction journey—coordinating with consultants, suppliers, and trades to help bring your vision to life.

Because we’ve been involved from the very beginning, we know your project inside and out. That means we’re in a great position to answer any questions from the builder, keep things on track, and make sure the original design intent is carried through to the final build.

If something needs to change along the way (as it sometimes does), we can help assess how those changes might affect the timeline, budget, or contract—giving you clear advice on the best way forward.

During construction, we act as the bridge between you and the builder—keeping communication clear and making sure expectations are understood on all sides. When construction wraps up, we’ll carry out a final inspection to ensure everything has been completed in line with the contract and your design.

Having us involved in this stage means you can feel confident knowing your project is in good hands—right through to the finish line.