Our 4th renovation, Brent was on the tools for the majority of this build over a 2 year period with help from some of the best carpenters and trades on the Northern Beaches. The carpenter has worked on many famous architect designed houses, so brought a wealth of experience to the build.

The architect sort to overcome the issues caused by over 70 neighbors, especially to minimise the impact of 3 apartment blocks behind the site. Consultation with the Manly reality who sold us the house revealed that the potential purchasers who attended open for inspections so the apartments right when entering the house, so turned on their heals and left.

The planning of the house first moved the entry, changing the view to the truck of an amazing gum tree. The extensions sits under the canopy of this protected tree of the Northern Beaches, with various roof windows looking out to the canopy.

The rear living room cantilevers 3m over the rock shelf, part of the original escarpment hemming in a small tributary of the Manly Lagoon, which enters the sea at Queenscliff, just north of North Steyne.

Driving from Bilgola Plateau, Avalon and later Scotland Island, our dedicated carpenters loved the massive Blackbutt timber beams that were held together by laser cut steel brackets. They likened it to building a bridge, it was uplifting to hear them say “I love this type of work”

Shou Sugi Ban charred timber cladding, fibre cement sheet interally and externally, poured terrazzo floor, birch ply and a stunning brass kitchen bench sit with reclaimed pavers from the original house to create a palette of materials that mirrors the seasonal changes of the Angophora trees dark over the year.

A return Client after we designed their holiday house in Shoreham, the Pounds admitted straight up that they (or he) had bought the “ugliest house” in one of Elwood's best streets, and on first inspection, we agreed with them.

We also agreed that the house had great "bones" and could become something very special.

The brief was to demolish the rear of the house and replace with a new kitchen, meals and living area, along with the private, warm lounge room. A light court was added to bring light into the centre of the home and made for a great feature when entering the house and coming down the stair.

A vertical timber screen using Australian hardwood battens sits on a steel frame, making the existing balcony private from the street for the front bedroom to use.

The master bed suite sits overlooking the bay with the initial site inspection revealing that a view to the You Yangs could be scene 40km away on a sunny day. This view was captured with a carefully positioned window in the shower.

The walk-in robe had custom joinery designed, including drawer inserts for ties, jewelery and various knickknacks to keep them organised.

The rooms were carefully composed considering the best hanging position of the couples extensive art collection along with paint colours selected the compliment the artwork.

A cycling change robe was designed into the laundry that was accessible directly from the garage so heading out for a morning ride didn’t disturb the whole household.

The rear garden had a pool with the whole of the rear of the house opening up with massive glass sliding doors. A big porch roof protects this from hot west sun and shelters the BBQ area for rear round outdoor dining.

The Schroeders had come to us with a house which we designed the renovation for a few years before. They came back again, originally with the intent of renovating, but it soon became apparent that a new build on another site was the best option to deliver what they wanted.

Solar passive design on a difficult N-S running Herne Hill, Geelong site drove the form of this house. High clearstory windows illuminate the living, dining and kitchen area with the polished concrete slab absorbing the direct daytime sun, releasing it as heat at night. The architecture features modern forms but with conventional materials to meet he budget. Double glazed for energy efficiency.

A multi-generational home including grand mother, parents and 4 children, the efficiency of the plan and functional wet area design was critical to keep this families mornings running smoothly.

Natural Australian timbers, feature concrete blocks, feature galvanised steel beam and fibre cement sheet were carefully composed to create elevations that were well balanced, with the folded forms of the metal roof overhanging the perfect distance to protect critical windows on hot summer days.

Designed and renovated over 3 stages, Wallace Street made a dark and pokey early 1900's, clinker brick house, into a warm, sunlit family home, for a busy family of 4

Aberdeen Street was Brent and Nellie's second renovation for their growing family.

Brent and Nellie's hands-on experience in building and project managing their own renovations, with their own budgets to manage has given them insights into why budget management is so important.

The success of a project is not meeting the singular goal or "a great home". It is involves a lot of tough decisions, and for the majority of people, compromises, to ensure households aren't heavily burdened by a budget overrun, whilst still getting to the quality they would like.

Brent worked at Hamlan Homes as their Head Architect for 2 years and was involved in the development of their corporate strategy, which resulted in the development and launch of a new range of homes in 2016.

This range has been hugely successful, with Display Home awards, but also some of the facades become known as the new coastal aesthetic for the Bellarine and Surf Coast.

Working within Builders such as Hamlan and Burbank Homes has provided noby architects with a massive amount of experience in build-ability, affordable construction and project/team management.

We continue to work with Hamlan Homes in developing their new houses and facades for their ranges and hope to work with other Builders in regional NSW and Sydney.

Frank Street Development was designed by Brent whilst working with Hamlan Homes. It’s a relationship that continues, with noby architects continuing to work on developments with The Begley Group and associated businesses.

Frank Street features 6 townhouses set within a street with a mix of 50’s modern, 90’s mock-heritage developments and modern houses.

The design response sort to transition from the more traditional aesthetic on each end to more contemporary in the centre. Floor plans were designed to appeal to a wide range of people, including families, but also retirees by creating houses that allowed for them to ‘age in place’ with all they need on the ground floor.