No project too small.
A council letter, a neighbour objection, work that was never approved, a design that blew the budget? We front council, brief your engineer and keep it all moving, and we'll tell you straight if it isn't worth doing.
Do you need a PA – We do all the PAs.
A straight read on what's wrong, what it will take and whether it's worth doing, even when the answer is "don't".
"I don't know if this is fixable."Council letters, conditions of consent, plans, consultant reports and planning speak translated into plain English.
"I can't make sense of this letter."Quick appraisals – what can and can’t you do, what’s the best pathway, what’s required for approvals.
"Will this even work on my block?"What council will want, in plain English, and how to give it to them. We front the conversations for you.
"What does council actually want?"Drawings and documentation for a CDC, DA, certifier & construction.
"I need drawings council will actually accept."Fixed price Statement of Environmental Effects (SEEs) and reports.
"Council wants a report and I don't know how to write one."Built something without approval? We manage retrospective Development Approvals and Building Information Certificates.
"We found out the deck was never approved."Boundary adjustments, realignments, paper roads and house moves, carried through to lodgement.
"The boundary is in the wrong place for what we need."What do you really want to achieve - lower-cost, simplify to meet the same requirement.
"Is there a cheaper way to do this?"Sustainability and healthy-home thinking built in from the start, not bolted on.
"I'd like this done properly."Thinking of buying? We check for unapproved works, easements and site constraints, and what the property could realistically allow, before you sign.
"We're about to buy. Is there anything wrong with this place?"Want to get the most from your sale – fast efficient value adds to meet your buyer’s aspirations.
"We're selling. What's worth doing before we list?"Neighbour objections and boundary friction worked through before positions harden. We broker the agreement.
"The neighbour is objecting."There is always stress building your dream – let us take it on so you can have more fun.
"It's all stressing me out."The right engineer, surveyor or certifier for a small job, briefed properly and kept moving.
"Who do I call?"Let us do the work. We’ll only call when you need to decide something.
"I can't keep track of all of it."Small steps, no padding.
Tell us what's stuck. You get a straight answer on whether it's fixable and what it would take.
We work out the cheapest legal route: exempt, CDC, DA, or sorting out what's already built.
Just the drawings, reports and applications council needs to see to say yes. No padding.
We'll deal with council, neighbours, your engineer, liaise with your architect, your builder and surveyor, get your geotech and environmental reports, get your electricity connected or the NBN hooked up - anything you want us to take care of so you can just enjoy the good stuff.
We keep one file and one timeline, and only call you when something needs your decision.
If you're a property developer who just wants to maximise density, go big, bypass local controls - we are not for you.
A few of the problems that have come through, and the PAs behind each.
An unapproved historical two-level deck extension, approved with compliance works.
Proper ApprovalsA twin block realignment, house move and renovation to free up an additional house site.
Property AdjustmentsA two-party rural paper road buyback, with boundary adjustments and plan submission, brokered with neighbours and council.
Property Adjustments, Peace AdvocateAn over-budget Wategos house design, solved with an exempt renovation inside the existing footprint.
Practical AlternativesA compliance report and design options for an expanded house on a bushfire-prone site.
Planning Alignment, Practical AlternativesSimple, low-cost CDC appraisals, so owners know where they stand before spending on drawings.
Plan Assessments
Building designer
Byron Shire and Northern Rivers
I'm not a planner. I'm a solver.
I'm not an architect. I'm a designer.
I've also been a fund manager, so I understand the importance of budgets.
The first time I submitted plans to a council, I drew them on the kitchen table and went in to the local council on the NSW South Coast. The planner said I needed more detail. Then he followed up and told me exactly what footing and timber sizes he needed to see to approve it.
That was a different time, before planning departments turned into indemnification departments. It's ridiculous how much money is wasted before a project even starts.
I've spent over 25 years in every part of a project: the unapproved deck, the neighbour who won't sign, the design that blew its budget, heritage controls that don't make sense, a hippy shack that needs a sign-off.
I know how council thinks, what certifiers need and which engineers are going to help.
I truly want to invoice you for as little as possible to land your project effectively. You shouldn't have to sell a child to get a project off the ground.
Tell me what's stuck. You'll get a straight answer on whether it's fixable and what it would take.