Before we go any further…
Thank you for your visit to our website.
We think it is important that you understand the way we work with clients. As you might guess, we get a tremendous response to our site from all over the world. Some of the enquiries are very serious while others are just fishing for free information.
Because we are a small organization where all clients are treated personally, there are a limited number of hours in the day that we can dedicate to replying to all of those enquiries, so we have to do some sorting and giving priority to the genuine enquiries for architectural services.
To achieve this we have created a series of questions that we need answers to so that we can respond appropriately.
We are architects that provide custom design advice and documentation to allow clients to create unique buildings to suit their particular needs, and we charge fees that provide us with an income (fairly important!).
If you are a charity or relief organization, we will assist you as much as is reasonable on a pro bono basis. We consider container based accommodation to be the most economical and best available to a disaster location. They make for hurricane and fire safe buildings!
When you deal with us, you will always be dealing with either Geoffrey Fulton who handles the building construction component of the project or Carla Kerkering who handles the interior design. We both work together on the concept for the project.
You won’t ever deal with anyone else!
If you have a detailed brief for your project, send it to us with details of your site so we can look at it on Google Earth. If you haven’t a brief yet, we will send you a very detailed questionnaire to be filled in and returned. If you haven't a site, that could be a benefit because if you send us details of it, we will give you an opinion regarding any possible traps regarding design and constructing on it.
We ensure that our fees are competitive with the local marketplace anywhere in the world. If you find otherwise, let us know and we will amend them to meet the competition. We do not provide a low cost drafting service because we are trained and registered architects. On the other hand we do provide an easy and affordable pay-as-you-go system where you can use our services as little or much as you want.
We provide serious design services for clients who appreciate architectural design excellence.
(If you go to the Wallmart pharmacy for advice on a serious medical problem, you are not our kind of clients!)
Where your construction location is outside our personal field of participation, then we will engage a local architect to ensure local certification of our documentation, and provide construction supervision if you desire and need it. It shouldn’t be necessary because our documentation is so comprehensive.
If the anticipated cost of your development exceeds $1,000,000, we will make a personal visit to meet you, to take the brief, to visit your site, and to discuss the proposal with the local authorities. No matter where you are in the world, we will cover the cost of this visit.
If any client has a question for instance in the USA, they can call us in Australia with no phone charges for unlimited calls. Just call us on 1 407 495 5983 . Please bear in mind that we are on a different time zone.... Australian Eastern Standard Time. We welcome telephone enquiries! From other countries, the cost is maybe a couple of cents a minute.
Our fees do not include specialized structural engineering design. If your project needs it, we will organize for a local engineer to take on the job to our instructions and your account.
If your project is to be container based, you have an advantage working with us because we have at least 6 years experience in working with the complexities of shipping containers. You may think that they are just simple steel boxes. They are, but unless you have experience with construction with them, you a can head down a construction route that can cost you a lot of money while creating a lot of headaches and problems. Designed and constructed the right way will provide you with an extremely economical building.
For most people taking on a container based project, particularly as a DIY development, the biggest hurdle is buying the right containers, and having the steel modifications done. Most DIYs can handle building work but cutting and welding steel is not everyone’s forte! We can help in this area.
Depending on your location and access to “boxes”, we can even arrange supply of them with all the steel mods done for you. We can also arrange other mods as well. They will come from one of a number of sources we have developed in Asia, and may end up saving you money compared with what you can arrange locally.
If you have ever purchased some flat pack furniture from IKEA, you get a set of drawings and instructions so that a couple of teenagers can put the article together if they follow the instructions.
The final documentation you receive from us will be similar, except that plumbing and electrical work must be done by a local certified tradesman!! But, again according to our detailed instructions.
If you wish, we can provide a complete materials list and hours of labour required. It will be costed for Australia, but if you are in the USA for instance, you just replace the Australian costings with your costings by taking the material list to your local Lowes or Home Depot. That way you will know what your building will cost you before you start.
At this stage we haven’t got a FAQs section on our website but in time that will come. Until our new website is completed, we will continue to add to this site.
We do invite questions!
Initially, this is what we need to know:
First Questionaire:
1. Name:
Postal Address:
2. Telephone number:
3. Email address:
4. Are you in the building or architectural profession?
5. Have you past experience in building construction?
6. What is the purpose of the building?
7. Is this project to be DIY?
8. What is the total budget?
9. Have you a property for the development?
10. What is the address?
11. What is your timeframe for development?
12. If you have prepared brief, don’t forget to send it to us.
We look forward to your enquiry or next email.
Although much of what you see on the website and described above relates to container based architecture, at least 60% of our work is traditioanl modern architecture!
We invite you to contact us with any inquiry or welcome a comment on what you have seen: