Better Home Design
stunning and sustainable architecture

What We OfferSustainable Living

Architectural
Design Services

We offer a comprehensive design service for your new home that starts by capturing your needs. We take care of everything including council approvals and can work with your builder or can recommend one to you.

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Sustainable
Living

You may be interested in reducing your impact on the environment, minimising the cost of utilities, or creating a healthy living space for your family. We can advise you on how to achieve some or all of these objectives and help you strike the right balance between up front capital investment and total cost of ownership.

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In home
technology

There is a lot to consider when building a home today. You want to minimise heating and cooling expenses, generate and store energy from the sun, ventilate you home to maintain a healthy environment; of course there is also the IoT (internet of Things) and connectivity which is going to change how we live, interact and work from home

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Material selection
and sourcing

Need help selecting the right finishes, bathroom and kitchen fittings, windows and lighting. We have a lot of experience strategically sourcing products and working with local trades to install them; we can help you save on cost by sourcing direct from manufacturers, and specifying products that minimise the cost of installation and maintenance

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Our experienceSome of our design projects

    St Ives Residence

    A great example of insulated concrete form (ICF) construction.

    Pymble Residence

    Open Plan living.
    A large family home which provides open plan living and entertaining areas that centre on a large enclosed courtyard and pool.

    Luxury Home

    The brief for this home was to utilise an existing pool and incorporate this into a design that includes an underground car park to take advantage of the sloping block.

    Lindfield Town-house

    A detached dual occupancy with living and entertainment areas that seamlessly connect inside and out.

    Killara Residence

    Modern family home with swimming pool.

    Turramurra Town-house

    An attached dual occupancy designed to retain the privacy of each dwelling.

Design ServicesHow we work

Design is a balance between form and function.

A great design starts with you

We like to start by understanding your needs, your dreams and the vision you have for your home. Our first meeting is our investment in getting to know your ideas.

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Creating your dream home

Once we understand your ideas and have taken a close look at where you will build, we get to work: meeting with planning authorities, surveyors and then lay down some creative concepts to discuss with you.

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3D Modelling

Not everyone can look at a 2 dimensional set of plans or even a sketch and get a good understanding of the spaces which we have designed for you. We offer 3D modelling to allow you to take a journey through your home before the construction of it.

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Approvals

There are a number of options to consider during and after completion of your design, we will advise you on how best to approach the approval of your build.

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Construction

When you are ready to commence construction we provide a hand-over and advice to your builder and project manager. We are also happy to recommend some of the builders that we have worked with and can tailor our recommendation based on the style and materials that you will be using in your construction

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Sustainable livingMake a difference

Sustainable living is one way we can make a real difference to the impact we all have on the environment and consumption of scarce natural resources. The good news is we can often do this and at the same time we reduce the cost of operating and maintaining a house. Here is just a small sample of the products and technologies you could consider that will improve sustainability, comfort and the health of your home...

Insulation

In Sydney we have a very temperate climate however this should not preclude the use of insulation to reduce heating and cooling expense; insulation also reduces noise issues. Another fact that many often overlook is the importance of thermal mass; with ICF construction you not only have good insulation inside and out which increases the time taken for heat to travel through the walls, the thermal mass of the concrete also means that there is a lot of heating or cooling to do before you notice any change to temperature inside the building. So it is the combination of insulation and thermal mass that is important which is why this type of construction is superior to well insulated stud wall constructions or un-insulated cavity brick. ICF construction is compatible in cost to insulated cavity brick wall construction however there are fewer builders that support the building method; fortunately we can help you there.

Heat Recovery Ventilation

With the use of better quality building products houses are becoming more "air tight" allowing you to keep heat/cold in or out. To ensure that the atmosphere in the house is healthy, you need to continuously replenish the air. Heat Recovery Ventilation systems (HRV) allow you to do this. They are essentially a big fan that is efficient (often >90%) at transferring heat between the air intake and air outlet. HRV units can also control humidity and can take-in humid air from laundries and kitchen range hoods. With many Australian's suffering from allergies HRV systems help by filtering the air before it enters the house. So if health and energy efficiency are important to you, consider a HRV system.

Solar and Battery Energy Storage

Solar panels have significantly reduced in price and improved in efficiency; as result solar panels now makes the return on investment (ROI) in solar a very worthwhile consideration. Home energy storage devices (essentially large batteries) are becoming more common and are being used as "peaking" devices to store energy during periods of low consumption (i.e.. middle of the day) and return the energy when it is needed instead of sourcing from the grid and your utility provider. The ROI for battery installation is not as clear-cut as solar with many households making the decision on storage because there is a "feel-good" factor associated with self-sufficiency and reducing grid energy consumption. Whatever your motivation, choosing the right battery and inverter is essential and all home owners should consider future proofing their in building wiring to cater for solar and battery storage even if this is not installed initially.

Building Management Systems

Technology is becoming a bigger component of new homes, in particular sustainable dwellings that leverage technology to reduce energy consumption. Building Management Systems (BMS or sometimes called Smart Home Systems) allow you to control all this technology using simple user interfaces including programmable switches and apps that can be downloaded to your phone, tablet or computer. BMS's also help deal with one of the challenges associated with traditional home wiring structures; once installed to change the function of a light switch involves config of software and invariably does not require any re-wiring in the house. BMS's can control sensors to protect you from fire, they can also manage security and even tell you how much electricity you are consuming and where.

Windows

Modern homes make more use of glass to open up areas and bring natural light into rooms. With regard to insulating a home and making it more sustainable: Standard single glazed windows are one of the biggest ways air and heat escapes/enters homes. The good news is that double and even triple glazed - PVC and thermally broken aluminium windows are now becoming more affordable in Australia. These windows are also low in maintenance, improve security and reduce noise.

Under-slab insulation

Under slab insulation is quickly becoming a standard construction method due to a reduction in the thickness of the concrete necessary and therefore a reduction in cost of the slab.

Our team Work with professionals

PATRICIA VANDENBRUEL

Co-Founder / (B Arch)

Trish's path to become an architect was fuelled by the growth in European modern architecture during the 90's; Trish was also influenced by Japanese architect Tadao Ando who's style is said to create a "haiku" effect, emphasising nothingness and empty space to represent the beauty of simplicity.


I don't believe architecture has to speak too much. It should remain silent and let nature in the guise of sunlight and wind.


- TADAO ANDO -

BRENDAN TREWARTHA

Co-Founder/ Engineer

Brendan cut his teeth as an engineer designing building management systems for large high rise buildings, ever since then he has been interested in technology and how this can be applied to residential homes including many that he has lived in. Passionate about the environment and sustainability Brendan has a wealth of knowledge and advice to offer clients considering alternative energy sources, energy storage and heat recovery and ventilation solutions. Homes need to double as an office for many of us today and the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to provide connectivity to devices throughout the home; having worked in the telecommunications, IT and consumer electronics sectors; Brendan often consults to Better Home Design clients about how to future proof their homes so they can benefit from existing and emerging technologies.


Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works.

- STEVE JOBS -

Contact us Keep in touch

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  • Address
  • St Ives, NSW 2075
    Australia
  • Phone number
  • +61 2 9415 6136