New homes · Sydney and NSW
New home architects for Sydney and NSW
A new home designed for your site, your budget and the way you live. We test what your land allows, choose the right approval pathway and give builders documents they can price accurately.
- Registered Architect, NSW No. 11683
- CDC and DA approvals across Sydney
- Sloping, coastal and bushfire-prone sites
- Stage-by-stage fees, quoted to your scope
Every project is quoted to its scope. Tell us about your site and we will come back with a clear fee proposal.
Why an architect
A home designed for your site, not adapted to it
Project home designs suit many people. An architect-designed home makes sense when your site, your brief or your budget needs more than a standard plan.
Designed for the site
Orientation, slope, views, privacy and the planning controls shape the design from the start.
Designed for how you live
Layouts built around your household, now and in the years ahead.
An approval strategy
The right CDC or DA pathway, with the consultant reports Council or the certifier will ask for.
Documents builders can price
Clear, coordinated drawings and specifications reduce variations and surprises during construction.
What we design
New homes for every kind of site
LVA leads the design and coordinates a trusted network of consultants and builders, so you deal with one team from first sketch to construction.
| Service | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Custom new homes | One-off homes designed around your site, brief and budget |
| Knockdown rebuilds | Replacing an existing house with a new home on the same block |
| Sloping and difficult sites | Designs that work with the slope, access and drainage instead of fighting them |
| Coastal and waterfront homes | Homes that capture views and stand up to coastal conditions |
| Homes on bushfire-prone land | Designs coordinated with the bushfire assessment and construction requirements from day one |
| New home with a granny flat | A main home and secondary dwelling planned together |
| Homes for ageing in place | Accessible layouts that work for every stage of life. See our accessibility and SDA work |
Every project is different. Contact us to discuss scope and a quotation.
Knockdown rebuild or renovate?
Sometimes starting again is the better investment
A knockdown rebuild makes sense when the existing house has structural, layout or condition problems that would cost close to a new build to fix. Renovating makes sense when the bones are good and the planning controls would limit what a new home could achieve.
We compare both options for your site before you commit.
Renovate or rebuild? Read our guide · See our renovation and extension work
Bushfire-prone land
Bushfire requirements shape the design, so plan for them first
If your land is mapped as bushfire prone, the bushfire attack level (BAL) for your site sets how the home must be built under AS 3959, Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas. In NSW, development is assessed against Planning for Bush Fire Protection.
- Know your BAL early. A BAL certificate comes from Council or an accredited bushfire consultant. It affects materials, windows, decks and cost.
- It can decide the pathway. Complying development is not available where the site is assessed as BAL-40 or BAL-FZ, so those homes need a DA.
- Design responds to it. Siting, building form, materials and landscaping can reduce exposure and simplify construction.
- Reports at DA stage. A bushfire assessment report is lodged with the DA, and some proposals are referred to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
CDC or DA
The right pathway saves months
Many new homes and knockdown rebuilds can be approved as complying development (CDC) when the site and design meet every standard. A DA is needed where the site has constraints such as heritage, flooding or a high bushfire rating, or where the design goes beyond the standards.
We confirm the pathway for your address before design starts, so the drawings are prepared for it from day one.
Budget and energy
A home you can afford to build and run
Budget in the brief
We agree your construction budget before design starts and design to it.
Early builder and consultant input
Structural and builder feedback at concept stage, before costly decisions are locked in.
Energy and BASIX early
BASIX and NatHERS coordinated at concept stage, with orientation, shading and insulation doing the work.
Stage-by-stage fees
You commit one stage at a time, with a clear scope and fee for each.
Selected projects
New homes across Sydney
The Peakhurst House
A contemporary response to a traditional suburban street
View project →French Provincial Living, Canley Heights
A refined residence reinterpreting French Provincial architecture
View project →New House, Kingswood
A modern new home in Western Sydney
View project →Beach House, Eastern Sydney
A luxury home in the Eastern Beaches
View project → In progressSydney Ocean View House
A calm coastal home designed around the view
View project →Waterfront House, Northwood
A waterfront home in Northwood on Sydney's Lower North Shore
View project →Our process
From first conversation to construction
- First conversation. You tell us about your site, your brief and your budget. We tell you honestly what is realistic.
- Site review and fee proposal. Planning controls, constraints, bushfire and approval pathway for your address, then a written proposal with a clear scope.
- Concept design. Options tested against your budget, the site and the planning controls, with early structural and builder input.
- Approval. CDC or DA documentation, consultant reports, lodgement and responses to the certifier or Council.
- Construction documentation. Coordinated drawings and specifications for the Construction Certificate and for builders to price accurately.
- Construction. Support through tender and construction, so what gets built matches what was approved.
FAQs
Common questions about building a new home
Why not use a builder's standard home design?
A standard design can work well on a simple, flat block. An architect-designed home suits sites with slope, views, bushfire or heritage constraints, and briefs that a standard plan cannot meet.
Can a knockdown rebuild be approved under a CDC?
Often, yes, if the site and design meet every complying development standard and the site has no constraints that rule it out. Our free CDC or DA tool gives a first indication for your address.
What changes if my land is bushfire prone?
Your BAL rating sets the construction requirements under AS 3959. Complying development is not available where the site is assessed as BAL-40 or BAL-FZ, so those homes need a DA with a bushfire assessment report.
How long does it take to design and approve a new home?
It depends on the brief, the pathway and the Council. A CDC is usually faster than a DA. We give you a realistic timeline once we have reviewed your site.
Can you work with my builder?
Yes. We can document the home for your builder, or introduce builders from our network for you to compare.
How much does new home design cost?
Every project is quoted to its scope. Contact us with your address and brief and we will prepare a fee proposal.
Further reading
Read more before you build
Ready to talk about your new home?
Tell us your address and what you have in mind. Kevin will come back to you within two business days with initial thoughts and a fee proposal.