Architects are the first design professionals who come into our minds when planning for a renovation project. They are the professionals who can help you plan your major renovation project, brainstorm ideas with you, produce high-quality working drawings, and manage the build with you. Most of Dreamspace’s customers work with a home renovation architect, but in some cases, a customer needs a Pro with a specific area of expertise. Here, we will present six different kinds of home renovation architects based on their expertise and how they can help you.
1. Residential architects
Residential architects design homes; they help homeowners design bespoke homes and make improvements to their existing ones.
A home renovation architect is a residential architect who specialises in all kinds of home renovations, whether it’s an addition or an extension. Engaging a home renovation architect is beneficial for you when you want to make your existing home more stylish, more functional, and more suitable to your family’s needs. They are also a big help when there are a lot of neighbourhood restrictions and limitations set in your local building codes when renovating.
Look for the following characteristics before engaging a home renovation architect:
- Hears out your needs and uses the information to come up with a renovation plan.
- Aware and knowledgeable about the local building codes, norms, and protocols ⸺ an experienced design professional who can guide you through the process of renovating in your area.
- Creative, practical, and can meet your renovation goals while keeping the project within budget. They come up with innovative ways to meet your desired specifications.
- Able to deliver projects efficiently, from concept design to the handover of the final drawings.
- Easy to work with and communicate with you.
- Honest, especially when estimating the costs and time needed to complete the renovation.
Residential architects, particularly home renovation architects, are the most common type of architects that you can find and connect with using Dreamspace.
2. Sustainable architects
If you are renovating your home to make it greener, more sustainable, and energy-efficient, then working with a sustainability or green design architect is the best route to take. Engaging this kind of architect is beneficial when you want to reduce the costs of running your home and to begin a more sustainable life.
Look for the following characteristics when searching for a green design architect:
- Expert in creating energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly structures, and modifying existing properties to fall under those categories
- Knowledgeable in green building methods
- Updated with the best and latest sustainable and locally-sourced building materials available in the market
- Knows how to get the most out of the building materials used in the renovation project
- Know how to incorporate home designs that take advantage of natural heating (daylighting) and natural cooling breezes
- Presents non-obtrusive designs and renovation plans that give you a home that fits with the surrounding nature
Sustainability and green design are more prevalent now than ever before. Green design architects have the skills and capability to help you renovate your home, so they fall within this category.
3. Interior architects
Another kind of architect that you will find in Dreamspace are the interior architects. These are architects whose focus is in planning and designing home interiors. They ensure that all the interior elements of the house look great and function well. In a home interior renovation project, this kind of architect spruces up the space and makes changes so you get the most of your space and improve the overall indoor aesthetic in your home.
Interior architects are often confused with interior designers because the work of these two design professionals sounds synonymous, but in reality, their work is not the same.
Interior designers style and furnish the rooms of the house. They decorate the space according to your preferences.
Interior architects, on the other hand, are licensed and accredited architects who turn a structure’s bare insides into rooms and areas. They plan the flow from one space to another. They design and build structural components where the design will take shape. Then, with their strong interior design skills, they turn blank rooms into homey, habitable spaces.
4. Landscape architects
On the contrary, residential landscape architects focus on designing and creating outdoor spaces for homeowners to enjoy. These design professionals come in handy when you want to have stunning and seamless indoor-outdoor spaces and when you want to build outdoor structures (gazebos, sheds) to make your garden more functional. Landscape architects also plan the pathways in your garden and outdoor spaces to ensure traffic flows well.
Before engaging a landscape architect, make sure that the pro you’re dealing with is:
- Presents a landscape design plan that suits the site
- Knowledgeable about the plant species that fit the climate and the environment best
- Meticulous when it comes to the arrangement of greenery and placement of every landscape feature
- Well-versed in stormwater management and environmental restoration
5. Conservation architects
Working with a conservation architect makes renovating a home with a heritage overlay so much easier. These design professionals will help you preserve its structural integrity, authenticity, and historical value. They will also help you renovate period homes the right way.
Before engaging a conservation architect or consultant, make sure that they specialise in the kind of period home you are renovating. To know more about the kinds of period homes, refer to this list of Australian home designs through the years.
6. Container home architects
Lastly, container home architects are experts in renovating container homes. Shipping container architecture is popular in Australia. If you are planning to renovate a container home, this kind of architect will help you.
Find an architect suitable for your project in Dreamspace
Sign up to Dreamspace to take advantage of the Designer Match technology™ so you can get matched with the most suitable architect for your project. Your chosen architect will help you with the following tasks needed for your renovation:
- Prepare a strategic design brief for your renovation
- Examine the feasibility of the project and explore more flexible design options
- Figure out which consultants and specialists to consult
- Review past renovation’s working drawings
- Conceptual design
- Complete working drawings
- Rectify planning drawings in case your local council suggests rectification
