Janine’s Story

Renovating her Home

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Janine came to Assess That Address because she felt as if the floor plans for her renovation could use some love and finesse, she already had a draughtsman and approved CDC for an extension but felt that the internal planning could be more efficient. Emma created a concept design and several iterations of the floor plan working completely remotely through lockdown.

Janine was able to make the best possible use of her space, and adopt architectural concepts into her project including passive heating and cooling, carbon negative construction materials.

As a psychologist and travel lover, Janine is fascinated by Japanese culture and design concepts. Emma created a modern contemporary interpretation of the principals of Japanese design including wabi sabi, tatami proportion and traditional materials. The design is able to capture the elegance and subtlety of this ancient culture without mimicry to seamlessly integrate concepts it into a modern Australian home.

Emma analysed the sunlight affecting the site, and identified opportunities to enhance the orientation through internal planning. She also researched and sourced sustainable construction materials for the project, including a quote for the costs. This allowed Janine to closely manage her budget and select products to splurge on and identify opportunities to save money.

Emma also provided guidance on interior design, and styling and was able to make major improvements to the existing plan, even to the approved CDC - all without triggering additional council approvals!

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Janine couldn’t be happier with the outcome and took great joy in the process.

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“Emma was simply delightful to work with and what a talent! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the process. I felt she listened and was so intuitive with her designs and finishes. Emma is an obvious choice, particularly for her exceptional professionalism and beautiful creative eye.”

Muneeb’s Story

Building his house!

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Muneeb came to Assess That Address with a floor plan designed by a mass homebuilder. There’s no other way to put it, the plan was very poorly designed, and Muneeb had been talked into unnecessary and expensive additions that he simply would never need or use.

The house would have been cold, dark and very expensive to build. Emma worked with Muneeb to redesign the house from scratch saving him 75 square meters in wasted corridor space and oversized un-useable rooms, he ended up with spaces which simply look and function far more efficiently. He ended up saving $130,000 and his home will be passively heated and cooled without the need for air conditioning, even in Melburnes hot summers and cold winters. Muneeb thought he’d saved money by going through a mass home builder company, but he found out that he was actually wasting money on bad design and getting a substandard home.

Muneeb was thrilled with his new floor plan, because the spaces are now more flexible, and better suited to his way of life. His home is drenched in natural light, and able to host 7KW North facing solar system on the roof. His home is more beautiful, comfortable and affordable as a direct result of working with Emma.

He was even able to take the plan back to his construction company to have them build it for over $100,000 less than the original price tag.

Josh and Ishbel’s Story

Buying their first home!

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‘As first home buyers, we were a bit overwhelmed as we started the process for finding and buying a house. We had so many practical, emotional and financial questions swirling around in our heads. 

Once we’d found a place we were really interested in, we needed to arrange our finances, get building inspections and find a conveyancer. All before auction in just a few weeks - while both working full time and juggling family responsibilities. 

While the legal and financial aspects were our immediate concern, we also wanted to get a sense of what we could do on the site in the future. We wondered - what are the council rules that determine if and how we could extend or modify the existing house or knock down rebuild from scratch? Could we add a granny flat? Could we add a second storey? 

And then, given these constraints, what could a future extension, rebuild or granny flat design look like? We didn’t need (or want to pay for) detailed plans – we just wanted some concepts on paper, tailored to the site, to give us an idea of what was possible. 

Fortunately, we found Emma to help us navigate and find answers for all these questions. Emma quickly understood our situation and provided the information we needed to proceed with confidence. 

Her report summarised the characteristics of the site, the council requirements and a high-level indication of future extension, granny flat and rebuild options. Her written report was comprehensive and easy to understand. She synthesised and demystified technical planning information, drawing out what it meant for the site. 

Emma took the time to explain and discuss her findings and insights in person with us – making sure we were all on the same page. 

We were impressed by Emma’s focus, attention to detail and obvious extensive technical expertise, as an experienced architect. Her thoughtful design perspective helped us see possibilities we never could’ve on our own. 

For most of us, buying property is one of the biggest decisions of our lives. In choosing a property, Emma supported us to make an informed choice which will give us options in the long term. 

Emma was a great support and an absolute pleasure to work with – friendly, professional and responsive. She shared our excitement about the property and genuinely cared about what it could all mean for our future. I highly recommend Emma’s services to others in a similar position.’

Steve and Paola’s Story

Growing their portfolio!

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Steven and Paola own 12 properties - they needed to know which had the highest growth potential, and which could be better utilised. Emma was able to identify cost effective solutions to increase rental yields, and add long term value to the properties, as well as shedding light on Sydney’s Strategic Planning direction, and its long term impacts on the suburbs they have invested in.

Steve and Paola were impressed with the wide knowledge and clarity of thinking that Emma bought to their portfolio. She presented easy to implement recommendations on every property at several investment thresholds - low medium and high cost options + insight on future growth in that suburb.

Emma was able to educate them on how council controls show which areas within a suburb and a city will change. She can pre-empt schools and hospitals yet to be constructed and identify infrastructure direction.

Investors seek advice from agents, and financiers on property assets - financial advice is fine if you’re investing in shares, but property investment requires a property expert who understands construction, planning regulatory frameworks and design. Emma has a decade of experience working for major architecture firms to conceive, design and implement Sydneys largest developments - designing entire suburbs, skyscrapers, airports, rail lines and schools. No financial strategist has the experience or capability across these sectors to comprehend or advise on the impacts of planning direction.

Steve and Paola found that Emma was able to break down these concepts into a manner easy for them to understand, and relevant to their properties. This new understanding of urban planning will help inform future purchasing decisions and indicates where capital investment might yield sustained growth.

They couldn’t be happier, and continue to seek Emma’s advice on assessing new purchases.