In-Home Consultation
In-Home Consultation Service
Over the years, Tochi has built considerable experience designing and building numerous architectural renovations, additions and energy-efficiency upgrades.
Our In-Home Consultation Service gives you the opportunity to make use of this experience without having to commit to a more involved design process. We visit your home and help you to understand the potential of your house and block, and give advice on whether your goals are achievable and your budget realistic. We may come up with ideas and possibilities you haven’t thought of.
This service is designed to make you feel confident about taking the first step in the transformation of your existing home.
We begin by giving you a questionnaire to help us understand the characteristics of your existing home, your priorities, goals and budget. Tochi researches applicable planning rules and possible constraints applying to your block and then organises a time to visit your home in person. We take the time to tour the house with you and investigate the roofspace and subfloor. We use a high-resolution infra-red camera to “see through” the walls and ceilings and identify whether there is insulation present and if there are problematic gaps and interruptions to the insulation. We sit down with you to answer your questions and discuss your goals and requirements in detail.
Following the visit, we prepare a report that contains a summary of the potential scope of your project and advice on your options and next steps. The report will answer questions like:
What planning restrictions apply to my block?
Is it possible to achieve my goals with my budget? If not, are there other possible options that could be achieved?
What is the potential for building an addition to my existing house?
What is the potential to improve the comfort and energy-efficiency of my existing house?
Are there ways to bring more natural light into my home and to make better connections to outdoor spaces?
Do I need a Planning Permit or a Building Permit or both?
What other permits and reports are required?
Do I need an architect, a draftsperson, an interior designer? What are their approximate fees?
What other consultants e.g. engineers, inspectors are required, and what are their approximate fees?
How long does the design process take, and roughly how long does the construction process take?
What kind of builder or tradespeople do I need?
Are there any upgrades I could do myself?
Are there materials I could salvage and reuse?
Can I live in the house while it's being renovated?
Contact us to book an In-Home Consultation Service
This service is available in Melbourne and surrounds. The consultation fee starts at $690 plus GST, depending on your home’s location and size.
There is no expectation that you will use Tochi for any future architectural services following the consultation. If you do decide to engage us, we will deduct the cost of the consultation from our architectural fees.
What the service doesn’t include
This is a consultation only, and while we may suggest ideas about the potential size and location of renovations or additions, we don’t provide you with specific designs or sketches.
We provide our opinion of what is a feasible budget for your project based on previous similar projects we have been involved with. However, detailed cost breakdowns are outside the scope of the consultation.
We provide advice about consultants and reports you may need (e.g. soil assessment and engineering assessment), but we don’t engage or coordinate these services as part of the consultation service.
All of the above are included as part of our Architecture Services. If you already have a clear idea of your project scope, you might want to begin with architecture services directly.