How a project runs
The architectural process
A house project with an architect runs in six stages. It starts with a conversation and ends with a finished house. This page shows what happens at each stage, what you decide and how long it takes.
You do not sign up for all six at the start. Each stage ends with something in your hands and a choice about the next one. You can go on, pause or stop, and you pay only for the work done so far.
The six stages at a glance
First conversation
You haveA written proposal
Usual timeOne meeting
Brief, budget and site
You haveA brief, a budget and a signed agreement
Usual timeAbout 1 week
Concept design
You haveA concept you have chosen
Usual timeAbout 6 weeks
Developed design and approvals
You haveA worked-out design, and council approval if you need it
Usual timeAbout 6 weeks, plus 2 to 12 weeks if the council has to approve
Documentation, building approval and pricing
You haveFinal drawings, building approval and a builder's price
Usual timeAbout 8 weeks, then 4 to 6 weeks for builders to price
Construction
You haveA finished house
Usual timeOften 6 to 9 months
Where the time goes
For a small project, design and drawings usually take 4 to 6 months. A council application adds to that. Building often takes 6 to 9 months. Bringing a builder in early can shorten or remove the 4 to 6 weeks of pricing.
HAJA's fee for each stage is set out in a written proposal before you commit. As a guide, it is 5 to 12 per cent of the expected building cost. Surveys, engineers, approvals and the build itself are separate costs. You hire and pay those people directly.
Stage 1
First conversation
Is this worth doing, and is HAJA the right fit?
What happensYou tell HAJA about your site, what is there now and what you want to change. A meeting on site or at the studio follows. There is no charge at this stage.
What HAJA doesHAJA looks at the house or the block, asks how you live and listens for what is not working now.
Who else is involved
No one yet. Just you and HAJA.
You decideWhether to take the next step. You can also ask for a first concept for $400 in total. The $400 comes off HAJA's fee if you go ahead within three months of payment.
You have at the endA written proposal. It sets out your wishlist, a first budget, the likely timing and the fee for each stage.
How longOne meetingIf you ask for the first concept, HAJA takes you through it within two weeks of payment.
Stage 2
Brief, budget and site
What do you need, and what can you spend?
What happensYou and HAJA write down how the house needs to work and what you can spend. The two are tested against each other before design begins. You sign a written agreement before any design work starts.
What HAJA doesHAJA visits the site, records it with photos, video and a 3D scan, and confirms the key sizes and levels. HAJA also checks the council rules for your address and lists the surveys and reports your project will need. For a renovation, HAJA measures the existing house and draws it up.
You decideThe budget, and what matters most to you: the design, the cost or the time.
You have at the endA brief, a budget tested against it, and a list of the surveys and reports to order.
How longAbout 1 week
Who else is involved
Measures your land. The survey shows the boundaries, the levels, the trees and any house that is there now. Every drawing sits on top of it.
Typical cost$1,300 to $3,300A boundary survey, if needed: $800 to $4,500.
Drills small holes in the block and tests the soil. The engineer uses the result to design the footings.
Typical costFrom about $650
Stage 3
Concept design
What could it be?
What happensThe first drawings. They show how the building sits on the site, how the rooms relate, and where light and breeze come from. Most of the big decisions are settled here, when changes cost the least.
What HAJA doesHAJA draws several options by hand and tests each one against your brief and budget. Hand sketches are quick to change, so more ideas can be tried. For a renovation, the options show what to keep, what to remove and how old and new join. For a new house, they show where the house sits on the block and which way it faces.
What you seeSketch plans of the options, side by side. Plans can be hard to picture at first. HAJA shows you how to read them: the scale, the space around furniture and how the rooms connect.
You decideWhich option to take forward.
You have at the endA site plan, sketch plans of the options, concept plans of the one you chose, and a board showing the look and feel.
How longAbout 6 weeks
Who else is involved
Mostly you and HAJA.
Prices the design from the drawings, before any builder does. The trade name is quantity surveyor. It tells you early whether the design fits the budget. A builder you already have can do the same job.
Typical cost$1,500 to $6,000
Before you go on
Choose how you will find your builder.
There are two ways. You can bring one builder in now. Or HAJA can finish the drawings and ask several builders to price them, which is called a tender. HAJA works with either.
Bring a builder in early
How it worksYou choose one builder now. The builder gives price feedback while the design is worked out.
- You hear about cost early, while changes are still cheap.
- It saves time. It can shorten or remove the 4 to 6 weeks of pricing.
- The drawings can be simpler, which lowers the fee up front.
- Only one builder prices the work, so there is no second price to compare.
- With simpler drawings, more is decided during the build and the price is less certain.
Go to tender
How it worksHAJA finishes the drawings, then sends the same set to the builders you choose. Each one prices the same work.
- You can compare the prices like for like.
- The price is firmer, because it is based on finished drawings.
- It adds 4 to 6 weeks.
- You do not see a builder's price until the drawings are done. A cost estimator can check the cost earlier.
- It needs the more detailed drawings, which cost more in fees.
Stage 4
Developed design and approvals
How will it work, and will the council allow it?
What happensThe concept is worked out in detail, with materials, structure and advice from engineers and other consultants. Some projects need planning approval from the council. If yours does, HAJA prepares the application from the agreed concept and coordinates it.
What HAJA doesHAJA models the design in 3D and works through the difficult details early. HAJA also helps you find the engineer and the certifier, and fits their advice into the design. If you brought a builder in early, the builder prices the design as it is worked out.
What you seeThe house in 3D: views, walkthroughs and images of the finished rooms.
You decideThe layout, the levels, the windows and doors, and the materials.
You have at the endWorked-out plans, sections and elevations, a list of your selections, and 3D views. If the council had to approve the project, you also have its decision and a summary of the conditions.
How longAbout 6 weeksA council application, if your project needs one, adds 2 to 12 weeks.
Who else is involved
Works out what holds the house up: the footings, the frame and the beams. On a renovation, the engineer also checks the structure that is already there.
Typical cost$1,500 to $8,500 for a renovation
Drills small holes where the new footings will go. The engineer uses the result to design them.
Typical costFrom about $650
Writes the council application, lodges it and answers the council's questions.
Typical cost$1,500 to $5,000The council's own fee is extra: $1,500 for an extension or $2,400 for a new house (Brisbane City Council, 2026-27).
Bushfire report, for sites near bushland
Flood or stormwater engineer
Tree report, for protected trees$450 to $1,500
Noise report, beside a busy road or rail line$1,300 to $5,000
Building over a sewer, Urban Utilities fee$754
Civil engineer, for a new house on a sloping block
Stage 5
Documentation, building approval and pricing
What will it cost to build, and who will build it?
What happensThe design becomes drawings and specifications a builder can price and a private certifier can assess for building approval. Clear documents give builders a consistent basis for pricing.
What HAJA doesHAJA draws the full set: plans, sections, elevations and details. For a tender, HAJA sends the same set to the builders you choose, answers their questions, compares the prices and recommends a builder. A builder brought in early gives a final price from the same drawings.
What you seeFor a tender, the builders' prices side by side, with what each one includes and leaves out.
You decideHow detailed the drawings should be, and which builder to sign with. More detailed drawings leave less for the builder to guess.
You have at the endFinal drawings and specifications, building approval, and a builder's price you can sign.
How longAbout 8 weeks for the drawingsA tender usually adds 4 to 6 weeks. A builder brought in early can shorten or remove that step.
Who else is involved
Checks the design against the energy rules: insulation, glass and shade. Writes the report the certifier needs.
Typical cost$200 to $650
Checks the drawings against the building rules and gives building approval. Inspects the work at set points during the build.
For a tender, each builder prices the same set of drawings, so you can compare the prices fairly.
Stage 6
Construction
Is it being built as drawn?
What happensThe builder builds and is responsible for the site. HAJA can stay involved: visiting at key stages, answering the builder's questions and helping the built work follow the documented design.
What HAJA does, if you ask for itHAJA attends site meetings, answers the builder's questions and checks the makers' drawings for joinery and windows before they are made. When the builder proposes a change or a different product, HAJA tells you what it means for cost and design. HAJA does not supervise the builder.
You decideHow much site support you want, from on call to regular visits. You also decide on any changes that come up during the build.
You have at the endA finished house.
How longOften 6 to 9 monthsA renovation that stays inside the house can be shorter.
Who else is involved
BuilderRuns the site and hires the trades.
Private certifierInspects at set points and signs off at the end.
Structural engineerInspects the structure before it is covered up.
The whole process
Six stages. Each one ends with something in your hands.
First conversation
You haveA written proposal
Brief, budget and site
You haveA brief, a budget and a signed agreement
Concept design
You haveA concept you have chosen
Developed design and approvals
You haveA worked-out design, and council approval if you need it
Documentation, building approval and pricing
You haveFinal drawings, building approval and a builder's price
Construction
You haveA finished house
The first meeting is free. Tell HAJA about your site.
Book a free consultation