The reason it so often disappoints is that it gets designed for the photograph rather than the year. A wide opening onto a west-facing paved courtyard looks wonderful in a brochure. In a real February it bakes from two in the afternoon and nobody uses it. The version that works is the one designed around how Melbourne's weather actually behaves, which is to say unpredictably and from several directions.

Start with orientation and the afternoon sun

The single biggest decision is which way the outdoor space faces. North is the quiet achiever, usable across more of the year and easy to shade in summer with a well-sized eave or pergola. West is the trap, glorious for an hour and brutal for three. If the block only offers west, the design has to work harder: deeper shade, planting, something to take the sting out of the late sun. Getting this right at the plan stage costs nothing. Getting it wrong costs a room you paid for and do not use.

Design the transition, not just the opening

The magic of indoor-outdoor living is not the size of the door. It is how the threshold is handled. A level transition from inside to out, so the eye and the foot move through without a step or a lip, is what makes two spaces read as one. Continuing a material across the boundary, or lining up the ceiling and the pergola, does more for the feeling of flow than any amount of glazing. This is the craft, and it is mostly invisible when it is done well.

Plan for the days it is not perfect

Melbourne gives you the full set in a week. The spaces that get used are the ones that work in a cool change and a hot northerly, not only on the one still evening a fortnight. Shelter from wind, some shade you can adjust, a spot that stays comfortable when the temperature swings twelve degrees between lunch and dinner. Designing for the imperfect days is what turns an outdoor room from a summer showpiece into somewhere the household actually lives.

I worked on a bayside extension recently where the whole project turned on exactly this. The owners had assumed the answer was the biggest possible opening across the back of the house. What they actually needed was a smaller, better-sheltered northern courtyard and a considered transition out from the kitchen. It is used every day now, which the enormous glass wall they first pictured never would have been.

If a proper summer connection to the outside is on your list, the useful first step is a feasibility study: a fixed-cost first step that works out what your block and its orientation will genuinely support, before you commit to anything. You can see how this thinking plays out in my portfolio of extensions, and if you would like to talk it through, get in touch to book a feasibility consultation.

Mark MacInnis is a Melbourne architect based in the city's south-east, working with homeowners across Brighton, Malvern East, North Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs on renovations, extensions and dual-occupancy projects. His work has been featured in The Age and Best Houses Australia.

Here is what actually happens, and what is genuinely useful to bring.

What the meeting is for

The first conversation is mostly me listening. I am trying to understand how your household lives now and how that is changing. Who is home, when, and doing what. What frustrates you about the current house, and what you would never give up. I am also, quietly, getting a feel for the block and what it will and will not allow. You do not need answers to all of this. Half of my job in that first meeting is asking the questions that help you find them.

What is useful to bring

A few simple things help more than a mood board. If you have them: a copy of the title or a recent rates notice, which tells me about the land; any plans of the existing house, even rough ones; and a rough sense of your budget range, even a wide one. Beyond that, bring your frustrations rather than your solutions. "The kitchen is dark and everyone ends up in it anyway" tells me more than "we want an island bench." The problem is far more useful to me than a proposed fix, because the fix is my job.

What you do not need

You do not need a finished brief, a budget worked out to the dollar, or a style picked out. You especially do not need to have already decided between renovating and rebuilding, or which room goes where. Arriving with all of that settled can quietly make the project worse, because the best ideas usually come from questioning the assumptions rather than building on them.

What happens next

If it feels like a fit, the sensible next step is rarely a full design. It is a feasibility study: a fixed-cost first step, run over a few meetings, that works out what is genuinely possible on your block and the likely cost of building it, before you commit to a full design or a builder. It is how the homeowners I work with turn a pile of frustrations and a vague budget into a real plan, without a large leap of faith at the start.

The thing I would most like you to take from this is that starting is smaller and less daunting than it looks. You do not have to have it worked out. That is exactly what the first meeting, and the step after it, are for.

If you have been circling the idea of a project and are not sure how to begin, get in touch to book a feasibility consultationand we will start with your normal Tuesday, not a mood board.

Mark MacInnis is a Melbourne architect based in the city's south-east, working with homeowners across Brighton, Malvern East, North Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs on renovations, extensions and dual-occupancy projects. His work has been featured in The Age and Best Houses Australia.

Why I start here, before any design work

A lot of architects will happily sketch you a beautiful concept in a first meeting. I don't, and it's not because I can't. It's because a concept drawn before I understand your household, your block, and your budget isn't really designed for you yet. It's a guess dressed up as a plan, and guesses are expensive to fall in love with.

A feasibility study exists to replace the guessing with actual information, before you've committed to anything beyond the study itself. It's a fixed cost, a fixed number of meetings, and a genuinely useful outcome regardless of what you decide afterwards.

The three meetings, in plain terms

Meeting one: I listen. This is the workshop session, and it's less like an interview and more like a genuinely open conversation about how your household actually lives. Not a wish list of finishes, a real picture of your normal Tuesday, your normal Sunday, who's home when, what's frustrating about the current layout, and what the next chapter of life in this home needs to look like. I ask a lot of questions here and do very little talking. This is also where I address the things people are usually anxious to ask but haven't yet: roughly what does something like this cost, roughly how long does it take, and what would the next steps actually be.

Meeting two: I bring back what I've found. Between the first and second meeting, I look properly at your block, orientation, constraints, council overlay requirements if relevant, structural questions if you're weighing renovate versus rebuild, and I start testing what's actually possible against what you told me you need. The second meeting is where I share that thinking, not as a finished design, but as a realistic sense of what your specific site can support and roughly what it would take to get there.

Meeting three: we refine and land on direction. By the third meeting, we're narrowing rather than exploring. This is where the realistic scope, and the realistic cost range that goes with it, comes into focus. You leave this meeting with a genuinely informed picture: what's possible on your block, what it would likely cost, and whether the project as you're imagining it actually makes sense, or whether the brief itself needs to shift.

What you walk away with

At the end of the three meetings, you have a clear, grounded understanding of your block's potential, a realistic cost range tied to your actual project rather than a generic estimate, and enough information to make a genuinely informed decision about whether to proceed. Some households proceed straight into design. Some take the findings away and sit with them for a while. Some decide, having seen the real picture, that this isn't the right project or the right time, and that's a legitimate outcome too. I'd rather you make that call with real information than commit further on a guess.

What it's not

It's not a sales pitch dressed up as a consultation. It's not a commitment to hire me for the full project, though most households who complete it do continue, simply because by that point we've already started working well together and you have a real basis for the decision. And it's not a generic questionnaire. Every feasibility study is shaped around your specific household and your specific block, because that's the whole point of doing it before the design work starts, not after.

Why this matters more than it might seem

Committing to an architect for a renovation or build is a genuine relationship decision, not just a purchasing one. You're agreeing to work closely with one person for what's often four months to well over a year. The feasibility study is designed to let you make that call properly: you get a real sense of how I work, how I listen, and how I think through a problem, before you're committed to the bigger engagement. If it's not the right fit, three meetings is a much smaller thing to have tried than a full design commitment.

Getting started

If you've read this far, you've probably already got a project in mind, the layout that no longer fits, the tired house with good bones, the question of whether to extend or rebuild. The feasibility study is where all of that starts to become concrete. Get in touch to book a feasibility consultation and I'll talk you through exactly what the first meeting looks like for your specific situation.

Mark MacInnis is a Melbourne architect based in the city's south-east, working with homeowners across Brighton, Malvern East, North Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs on renovations, extensions and dual-occupancy projects. His work has been featured in The Age and Best Houses Australia.

The decision that happens before any of the visible ones

By the time most homeowners start thinking about a renovation or a build, they're picturing finishes: the kitchen, the flooring, the bathroom tiles. Understandable, because that's what you'll touch every day. But the decision that actually determines whether your home is comfortable happens earlier, and it's rarely visible in a finished photo: which way the rooms face, and how much glass sits in which walls.

Get orientation and glazing right, and a home stays warm through winter and cool through summer with comparatively little help from mechanical heating and cooling. Get it wrong, and no amount of insulation or clever gadgetry fully makes up for it. This is the part of design that determines comfort before you've chosen a single tap.

Orientation: working with the sun you actually have

Melbourne's sun sits low and useful in winter, and high and harsh in summer. A north-facing living area, properly designed, captures low winter sun deep into the room when you want the warmth, while a well-considered eave or awning blocks the high summer sun when you don't. That's the whole trick, and it's older than any technology on the market. It's also the single biggest lever in how a home performs.

I take this particularly seriously working with sites like those around Brighton, where you're often dealing with a north or west aspect toward the bay. That exposure is a genuine asset, glorious light and a real connection to the coast, but it comes with real afternoon heat gain in summer if the glazing and shading aren't designed to handle it specifically. The same block can be either the best room in the house or the one nobody sits in by 4pm, depending entirely on decisions made at the design stage, not the finishing stage.

Every block is different. A north-south rectangular block gives you the clearest run at ideal orientation. A block running east-west, or a tight infill site hemmed in by neighbours, asks harder questions, and this is exactly the kind of problem worth solving on paper before it's solved in brick.

Glazing: more than just letting light in

Glass is where a lot of design intentions either pay off or quietly fail. A few things I weigh on every project.

Which direction is the glass facing, and how much of it is there? North glass, well-shaded, is an asset. West glass, unshaded, is a liability, low afternoon sun is brutal to sit in front of and expensive to cool against, no matter how good the glass itself is.

What is the glass actually made of? Double glazing has become close to standard on considered Melbourne projects now, and for good reason. It's a meaningful upgrade in comfort near windows in both directions, less heat loss in winter, less heat gain in summer, and it takes a genuinely cold or hot pane of glass out of the room's equation entirely.

Is there real shading, or decorative shading? An eave that looks right in the elevation drawing needs to actually be sized to block high summer sun while admitting low winter sun. This is a calculation, not a guess, and it's one of the quieter details that separates a home that performs from one that just looks like it should.

Comfort as a whole-house question, not a room-by-room one

Orientation and glazing set the foundation, but a genuinely comfortable home also thinks about insulation, airtightness, and increasingly, designing for an all-electric home from the outset rather than retrofitting it later. None of these are exciting to talk about at a dinner party. All of them show up on your energy bill and in how the house actually feels to live in, which is the part that matters once the renovation photos have been taken and you're just getting on with your life in the place.

This is also where the two things I write about most, comfort and flexibility, connect. A well-oriented, well-glazed room stays useful and pleasant in every season, which means it keeps earning its place in the plan rather than becoming the room nobody sits in. Good climate design and good long-term design are, in practice, the same design.

What this means at the start of a project

If you're planning a renovation or a new build, the conversation about orientation and glazing needs to happen at the very start, alongside the conversation about how your household lives, not bolted on afterwards once the layout is fixed. It's one of the things I map out during a feasibility study: understanding your block's orientation, working out where the north light actually falls through the seasons, and designing the glazing and shading to suit, before a single wall is drawn.

It's a fixed-cost first step, three meetings including workshop sessions to understand what matters to your household, and it gives you a clear, grounded picture of what your specific site can do before you commit to anything further.

If you're standing in a home that's beautiful in the brochure sense but uncomfortable to actually live in, get in touch to book a feasibility consultation and I'll start by understanding your block, your orientation, and how the light actually moves through your day.

I want to be upfront about something before I go further: I'm not going to give you a dollar figure in this piece, and if anyone offers you a confident number before understanding your block, your brief and your household, treat it with real caution. What I can give you is the shape of the budget, so the eventual number makes sense rather than landing as a shock.

The budget has more categories than most people expect

When homeowners picture a renovation budget, they're usually picturing the build itself, the trades, the materials, the labour. That's the largest category, but it's rarely the only significant one.

Design and professional fees. Architecture, engineering, and often other consultants depending on the project's complexity. This is the thinking that determines whether the build phase goes smoothly or turns into a series of expensive on-site decisions.

Council and statutory costs. Planning and building permits, and depending on your site, potentially other approvals. These vary by council and project, and they're easy to underestimate if you haven't budgeted for them from the start.

The build itself. Structure, services, fit-out, finishes. This is genuinely the largest line item, and it's also the one with the widest range, because it depends entirely on scope, finish level, and site conditions.

Contingency. A properly budgeted project sets aside a real contingency for the unexpected, particularly on renovations of existing homes, where what's uncovered once walls come off can't be fully known until it's uncovered. Skipping this isn't saving money, it's deferring a decision about how you'll handle a surprise you haven't had yet.

The things people forget. Temporary accommodation if you can't stay in the home during works, furniture and styling once it's finished, landscaping if the build disturbs the garden. None of these are optional if they apply to your project, and none of them are usually front of mind when someone first starts imagining the outcome.

Why the range is wide, and why that's honest, not evasive

Ask five people what a renovation costs and you'll get five different answers, and that's not because anyone's being cagey. Cost depends on scope, finish level, site conditions, structural findings, and current trade and material pricing, which shifts. A architect-led project on a straightforward block with a mid-range finish level sits in a genuinely different bracket from a complex extension on a difficult site finished to a high-end standard. Both are entirely legitimate projects. They're just not the same number.

This is exactly why I'm cautious about anyone who gives you a confident figure in a first conversation, before understanding your block, your brief or your household's priorities. A real budget comes from real thinking, not a rule of thumb applied to your postcode.

How to actually get a real number

The honest process looks like this. You start with a clear sense of what you want the finished home to do for your household, which shapes the scope. That scope, tested against your specific block and its constraints, starts to define a realistic range rather than a single figure. As the design develops and decisions firm up, materials, finishes, structural approach, that range narrows toward an actual number you can plan around.

This is precisely what a feasibility study is designed to do early, before you've committed to drawings or a builder. It's a fixed-cost first step, three meetings including workshop sessions to understand what matters to your household, that gives you a realistic sense of scope and probable cost for your specific project, so you can make a genuinely informed decision about whether to proceed, adjust the brief, or hold off, before the bigger costs are on the table.

The real question isn't "what does it cost"

It's "what does it cost to get what I actually need", which is a different question entirely, and one that can't be answered honestly without understanding your household, your block and your priorities first. That's not a way of avoiding the money conversation. It's how you have it properly, instead of anchoring to a number that was never really about your project in the first place.

If not knowing the number has been the thing holding you back, get in touch to book a feasibility consultation and we'll start turning that unknown into a real, grounded picture.

Mark MacInnis is a Melbourne architect based in the city's south-east, working with homeowners across Brighton, Malvern East, North Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs on renovations, extensions and dual-occupancy projects. His work has been featured in The Age and Best Houses Australia.

But briefs do change, and they change for a reason worth paying attention to: they follow how households actually live. Sitting across the table from homeowners in Kew, Malvern, Oakleigh and Carnegie this year, I hear the same handful of things again and again. Not styles — needs. Here are the five that are shaping 2026 projects on my drawing board, and what sits behind each one.

1. Defined openness — the correction, not the backlash

The biggest shift is the one I wrote about recently: households are stepping back from the single vast open zone, without wanting to return to a corridor of closed rooms. What they're asking for is a generous shared heart to the home, with rooms around it that have real boundaries and real jobs — a place to gather and a place to be apart, in the same plan. If your open plan living area works beautifully at 6pm and badly at 10am on a work-from-home Tuesday, this theme is about you. (The full thinking is in my earlier piece on open plan versus defined spaces.)

2. The workspace that is actually a room

For years, "home office" meant a desk in the spare room or a corner of the bedroom. In 2026 briefs, it means a room — with a door, natural light, acoustic separation from the kitchen, and a position in the plan that lets one person work while the household carries on. For couples who both work from home, it increasingly means two workable positions, not one. This is no longer an extra; it has become one of the first things we test in a floor plan, because it changes where everything else sits.

3. Rooms that will change jobs

The households I work with are thinking further ahead than they used to. Parents want a plan that works when the children are eight, and still works when they're eighteen, and still works when they've left. Others are designing with older parents in mind, or adult children who boomerang home, or the possibility of a dual occupancy on the block later. The design answer isn't more rooms — it's rooms deliberately shaped so they can change jobs without another renovation: a study that can become a bedroom, a rumpus that can become a self-contained space. Flexibility has quietly become the most valuable thing you can build in.

4. Comfort you can feel in July

Melbourne winters have a way of auditing a home's design. More clients now raise comfort and running costs in the first meeting — not as a sustainability statement, but as a lived frustration: the beautiful room nobody sits in because it's cold, the heating bill that arrives like a second mortgage. Good design answers this with fundamentals rather than gadgets: orientation, glazing, insulation, and the shape and volume of the rooms themselves. It is also, increasingly, about designing for an all-electric home from the outset. I'll go deeper on this in a coming piece on designing for Melbourne's climate, because it deserves more than a paragraph.

5. Heritage in front, life out the back

Some themes are perennially Melbourne, and this one is having a strong run: keeping the character front of a period home — the brickwork, the entry, the street presence — and doing the transformative work behind it, where the household actually lives. The craft is in the junction: how the original home and the new addition meet, so each makes the other better rather than the new part apologising for itself. Done well, you keep what the street loves and gain what your family needs.

What these five have in common

None of them is a look. Every one of them is a response to how a household lives — who is home, when, doing what, and how that will change. That is why they'll still make sense in fifteen years, when this year's colour-of-the-year has been repainted twice.

Where to start

If some of these themes sound like your house — the plan that no longer fits, the office that isn't a room, the cold spots, the period front with the wrong back — the useful first step is not picking a builder or a style. It is a feasibility study: a fixed-cost look at your home, your block and how you live, that tells you what is possible and the realistic cost range before you commit to anything. It is how the homeowners I work with turn a list of frustrations into a plan.

[Book a feasibility consultation] and we'll start with your normal Tuesday, not a mood board.

Mark MacInnis is a Melbourne architect based in the city's south-east, working with homeowners across Kew, Malvern, Oakleigh, Carnegie and the surrounding suburbs on renovations, extensions and dual-occupancy projects. His work has been featured in The Age and Best Houses Australia.

The kids have moved out, and the big open living zone that once held homework, dinner and three conversations at once now feels like a hall you heat for two people. Or the family has grown, and there is nowhere in the house where one person can take a call while another practises piano. Either way, the home that used to work doesn't quite fit any more — and the first question many Oakleigh, Malvern and Carnegie homeowners bring to us is some version of this one: should we open it up, or close some of it back in?

It is a better question than it sounds, because the honest answer in 2026 is: usually both, in different places.

Why open plan had such a long run

Open plan earned its popularity. Knocking through a dark 1970s kitchen into the living room transformed thousands of Melbourne homes — more light, better connection to the garden, one generous space where the household naturally gathers. For families with young children, being able to cook while keeping an eye on the play area is not a trend, it is a daily practicality.

The limitations only show up once you live with it. Sound travels. Cooking smells travel. Heating one vast volume through a Melbourne winter costs real money. And when everyone is home at once — which, with hybrid work, is now most of the time — there is nowhere to be apart.

What's changed since the household changed

Two shifts in how we live have quietly rebalanced the argument.

The first is working from home. When one or two people take video calls most days, "a quiet spot at the dining table" stops being a workable answer. A door you can close has become one of the most requested items in the briefs we take.

The second is the life-stage moment itself. A growing family often needs zones — connected, but separable, so that a teenager's music and a parent's meeting can coexist. A household whose children have left often needs the opposite: not more space, but better-shaped space. A smaller, warmer living area used every evening, and rooms that can earn their keep as a study, a guest room, or space for adult kids who visit — rather than one large zone that no longer has a job.

Neither of these points toward pure open plan or a return to the corridor-and-six-closed-rooms house. They point toward what we'd call defined openness: a generous shared heart to the home, with rooms around it that have real boundaries and real purposes.

The questions that decide it — before any walls move

When we start a project, we don't begin with the plan. We begin by listening to how the household actually runs, because that is what decides this question. The ones that do the most work:

Who is home, and when? A house that is full from 4pm onward has different needs from one that is busiest on weekends. Map a normal Tuesday before you commit to a layout.

Where does noise come from, and where does it need not to reach? Kitchens, kids and televisions on one side of the line; calls, sleep and reading on the other. If a layout can't keep those apart, it will frustrate you regardless of how it photographs.

What does winter cost you now? Volume is expensive to heat. A well-defined room with northern light can be comfortable at a fraction of the running cost of a double-height void. In Melbourne's climate this belongs in the decision, not in the fine print.

Which rooms have no job? If a formal lounge is used twice a year, that is not an argument for demolishing it — it is an argument for giving it a job worth keeping a door for.

What will this house need in ten years? The best answer for a family of five today should not box out the household of two it may become. Flexibility — rooms that can change jobs without another renovation — is usually worth more than either openness or definition alone.

What this means for your own home

If you are standing in a house that no longer fits — too open, too closed, or simply arranged for a life you're not living any more — the useful next step is not choosing a style. It is understanding what your specific house, on your specific block, can become, and what that would actually cost.

That is exactly what a feasibility study is for. It is a fixed-cost first step: we look at your home, your block, how you live and what you want to change, and give you a clear picture of what is possible and the realistic cost range — before you commit to drawings, permits or a builder. For most of the homeowners we work with, it is the point where "should we open it up or close it in?" stops being a debate and becomes a plan.

If your home has reached that point, [book a feasibility consultation] and we'll start the way we always do — by listening.

Mark MacInnis is a Melbourne architect based in the city's south-east, working with homeowners across Kew, Malvern, Oakleigh, Carnegie and the surrounding suburbs on renovations, extensions and dual-occupancy projects. His work has been featured in The Age and Best Houses Australia.

Before most homeowners speak to an architect, they usually have a secret collection.

A few screenshots on the phone.
A Pinterest board from 2019.
A saved Instagram post of a kitchen with beautiful light.
A photo of a friend’s hallway.
A note that says, “not too modern, but not old-fashioned either.”

This is normal. It is also useful.

A good look book can help you explain what you want before you have the architectural language to describe it. It gives your architect a visual starting point for your renovation, extension or new home design.

But there is a catch.

A messy inspiration folder can confuse the brief rather than clarify it. One minute you are saving warm timber joinery, the next you are deep in black marble bathrooms and Tuscan courtyards. The algorithm has taken the wheel, and your renovation has become a mood-board octopus.

The goal is not to collect every nice image. The goal is to build a focused visual guide that helps your architect understand what you are drawn to, what you want to avoid, and what matters most in your home.

What is a home renovation look book?

A look book is a curated collection of visual ideas for your home project.

It may include:

• Exterior styles

• Kitchen ideas

• Bathroom inspiration

• Materials and finishes

• Window and door styles

• Lighting moods

• Storage ideas

• Garden connections

• Period home details

• Examples of modern extensions

• Colours, textures and materials

• Things you dislike

For a Melbourne renovation or extension, a look book is especially useful when you are trying to balance old and new. For example, you may want to keep the character of a Victorian, Edwardian or Californian bungalow home while adding a more open, light-filled living space at the rear.

That visual tension can be hard to explain in words. A look book helps.

Why your architect does not need 500 images

More images do not always make the brief clearer.

What your architect needs is not a giant digital haystack. They need the golden needles.

A useful look book should show patterns. After reviewing your selected images, it should become easier to identify what you consistently like.

For example:

• Do you keep saving rooms with high ceilings?

• Are you drawn to natural timber?

• Do you prefer soft, neutral palettes?

• Are you saving homes with strong indoor-outdoor connections?

• Do you like traditional facades with contemporary rear additions?

• Are you drawn to built-in storage and uncluttered spaces?

• Do you like homes that feel calm, warm, dramatic, minimal or layered?

The pattern matters more than any single image.

A designer or architect may not copy the image, and generally should not. Instead, they use your look book to understand the feeling, priorities and design direction behind your choices.

The best tech tools for creating a renovation look book

You do not need a complex setup. Choose one main tool and keep it organised.

1. Pinterest for broad inspiration

Pinterest is still one of the easiest tools for collecting home renovation ideas. It works well because you can create boards, save images quickly, and organise ideas by room or theme.

For renovation planning, create separate boards or sections such as:

• Exterior

• Kitchen

• Bathroom

• Living area

• Period details

• Rear extensions

• Materials

• Lighting

• Garden connection

• Things we do not want

Designers increasingly recommend treating Pinterest as an evolving archive rather than a strict shopping list. The value is in spotting repeated preferences, not copying a whole room image tile by tile.

Best for: early-stage inspiration and discovering your design patterns.
Watch out for: saving too much without editing it later.

Useful link:
https://www.pinterest.com.au/

2. Houzz for renovation and home design examples

Houzz is useful for homeowners because it is focused on homes, renovations, interiors and professionals. Houzz Australia positions itself as a place for homeowners to find inspiration and professionals for home design projects.

You can use Houzz to save ideas into ideabooks, browse renovation examples, and look at how different rooms or exterior styles are handled.

Best for: real-world renovation references and room-by-room ideas.
Watch out for: international examples that may not translate neatly to Melbourne planning, climate, block size or construction costs.

Useful link:
https://www.houzz.com.au/

3. Canva for a simple visual look book

Canva is a good option if you want something more polished and easier to share. Canva offers mood board and whiteboard templates, which can be useful for grouping ideas visually and collaborating in real time.

You can create pages such as:

• Overall style direction

• Exterior inspiration

• Kitchen ideas

• Bathroom ideas

• Materials palette

• Lighting mood

• Must-haves

• Avoid list

This can become a simple PDF to share before your initial design consultation.

Best for: turning scattered inspiration into a clean presentation.
Watch out for: making it too pretty and not practical enough. The architect needs meaning, not a wedding invitation for your benchtop.

Useful link:
https://www.canva.com/create/mood-boards/

4. Milanote for a more flexible design board

Milanote is built for visual planning and mood boards. It allows you to add images, notes, links, videos, PDFs, colour swatches and other files into a flexible workspace.

This can work well if you want to combine inspiration with comments, such as:

• “We like the warmth of this timber.”

• “This kitchen feels too stark.”

• “Love the light, not the colour.”

• “This is close to the feeling we want.”

• “We want the extension to feel modern but not cold.”

Those comments are extremely valuable. Without them, your architect may not know whether you saved the image for the windows, the flooring, the ceiling height or the general atmosphere.

Best for: visual thinkers who want to add notes and organise ideas spatially.
Watch out for: overbuilding the board instead of curating it.

Useful link:
https://milanote.com/product/moodboarding

5. Google Drive or Dropbox for the practical folder

Sometimes the simplest system is best.

Create a folder called:

Home Renovation Look Book

Then create subfolders:

• 01 Exterior

• 02 Kitchen

• 03 Living and dining

• 04 Bathroom

• 05 Materials

• 06 Garden and outdoor connection

• 07 Things we dislike

• 08 Existing home photos

• 09 Must-have notes

This is not glamorous, but it is easy to share. It also lets you include photos of your current home, which are often more useful than another image of a $300,000 kitchen in Copenhagen.

Best for: easy file sharing and storing your own photos.
Watch out for: dumping everything in one folder with names like IMG_4729.

Useful link:
https://drive.google.com/

6. AI tools for sorting your ideas

AI can help you summarise what you like, especially if you have collected a large batch of inspiration.

You can use an AI tool to help you:

• Group images by style

• Write a plain-English design brief

• Identify repeated preferences

• Create a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves

• Turn messy notes into a cleaner architect brief

• Compare competing design directions

For example, you might write:

“Here are my renovation notes. Summarise the design style I seem to prefer, identify any contradictions, and turn this into a brief I can discuss with my architect.”

AI is not a substitute for architectural advice. It does not understand your site, planning controls, budget, structure, orientation or the real behaviour of morning light in a Melbourne winter. But it can help tidy the thinking before your first meeting.

Best for: clarifying messy notes.
Watch out for: letting AI invent design solutions before the site has been properly understood.

How to structure your renovation look book

The best look books are simple. Aim for clarity, not volume.

Page 1: The big picture

Start with a one-page summary.

Include:

• Project type: renovation, extension, new home or second-storey addition

• Suburb or general location

• Home type: period home, townhouse, family home, apartment, etc.

• Main goal: more space, better light, improved flow, ageing in place, entertaining, growing family

• Style direction: warm, calm, refined, contemporary, traditional, layered, minimal

• Budget awareness: realistic, staged, flexible or still being explored

Example:

“We want to renovate and extend our period home in Melbourne’s south-east. We like the character of the existing facade but want the rear of the home to feel lighter, warmer and more connected to the garden. We prefer natural materials, soft colours and built-in storage. We do not want the extension to feel like a glass box.”

That is already useful.

Page 2: The existing home

Include photos of your current home.

Add:

• Front facade

• Street view

• Entry

• Main living areas

• Kitchen

• Bathroom

• Outdoor area

• Awkward spaces

• Areas with poor light

• Things you love

• Things that frustrate you

This gives the architect context before they visit or review plans.

Page 3: Exterior inspiration

For Melbourne homes, exterior inspiration is important because the relationship between old and new can define the whole project.

Include examples of:

• Facades you like

• Rear extensions

• Window styles

• Roof forms

• Materials

• Garden connections

• Fencing or entry ideas

• Heritage-sensitive details

Add notes explaining what you like.

For example:

• “Like the way the new addition sits quietly behind the original home.”

• “Love the timber warmth, but this feels too dark overall.”

• “Like the steel-framed doors, but we want something softer.”

Page 4: Interior mood

This page should capture the feeling of the home.

Include images that show:

• Natural light

• Ceiling height

• Flooring

• Wall colour

• Joinery

• Furniture mood

• Texture

• Warmth

• Openness

• Calmness or drama

Avoid making this only about furniture. Your architect is more interested in the spatial qualities behind the image.

Page 5: Kitchen and living

For many renovation projects, the kitchen, dining and living area is the emotional headquarters of the brief.

Include examples of:

• Kitchen layouts

• Island benches

• Pantry ideas

• Dining connections

• Living room flow

• Built-in joinery

• Doors to the garden

• Window seats

• Storage ideas

Add practical notes:

• “We cook most nights.”

• “We need space for teenagers.”

• “We entertain casually.”

• “We want the kitchen to connect to the garden.”

• “We do not want the sink on the island.”

These comments are gold.

Page 6: Bathrooms and utility spaces

Bathrooms, laundries and mudrooms are often where budget and function need discipline.

Include:

• Vanity styles

• Tile direction

• Lighting ideas

• Storage

• Shower preferences

• Bath or no bath

• Laundry functionality

• Powder room mood

Be clear on what is essential and what is decorative.

Page 7: Materials and finishes

This is where your look book becomes more useful.

Include:

• Timber tones

• Stone or benchtop references

• Brick

• Concrete

• Tiles

• Paint colours

• Metal finishes

• Cabinetry colours

• Textures

Try to show combinations, not just isolated pretty things.

A renovation mood board should balance inspiration images with practical materials and finishes, because the look needs to work in your actual home, not only in a saved image.

Page 8: The “not this” page

This may be the most underrated page in the entire look book.

Include examples of what you do not want.

For example:

• Too white

• Too dark

• Too glossy

• Too industrial

• Too coastal

• Too ornate

• Too cold

• Too open

• Too trendy

• Too much black steel

• Too much visible clutter

This saves time. It also prevents polite design confusion, where everyone nods while secretly imagining different houses.

A simple system: collect, sort, edit, explain

Use this four-step process.

Step 1: Collect freely

For the first stage, save everything that catches your eye.

Do not overthink it. Use Pinterest, Instagram saves, Houzz, screenshots, Canva, Milanote or a folder.

Step 2: Sort by category

Move ideas into categories:

• Exterior

• Interior mood

• Kitchen

• Bathroom

• Materials

• Storage

• Garden connection

• Avoid

This makes the collection easier to understand.

Step 3: Edit ruthlessly

After a week or two, remove anything that no longer fits.

A strong look book is curated. If you have 200 kitchen images, choose the 10 that best represent your direction.

Step 4: Add notes

For each key image, write one sentence explaining what you like.

Use this format:

“We like [specific element] because [reason].”

Example:

“We like the timber ceiling because it makes the modern extension feel warmer.”

That one sentence is more useful than the image alone.

What not to do with your look book

Do not expect your home to look exactly like the images

Most inspiration images come from different sites, climates, budgets, eras and construction contexts. They are references, not recipes.

Do not mix too many styles

A little contrast is good. Total style soup is not. If your board includes Paris apartment, Byron Bay retreat, Japanese ryokan, industrial warehouse and farmhouse kitchen, your architect may need a compass and a chair.

Do not hide the practical problems

Include the ugly bits. Poor light, bad storage, awkward bathrooms, strange additions and tired rooms are all important.

The problem areas often reveal the real brief.

Do not forget lifestyle

A home is not a showroom. Add notes about how you live.

• Do you work from home?

• Do you entertain?

• Do you have children or teenagers?

• Do you need quiet zones?

• Do you garden?

• Do you want to age in place?

• Do you have pets?

• Do you need storage for sports gear, bikes or tools?

This helps the design respond to your life, not just your taste.

A useful look book template for homeowners

Here is a simple structure you can use.

SectionWhat to includeWhy it helpsProject summaryWhat you want to achieveGives the architect the big pictureExisting homePhotos and pain pointsShows the real starting pointExterior ideasFacades, extensions, materialsHelps define the old/new relationshipInterior moodLight, texture, colours, atmosphereCommunicates the feeling you wantKitchen/livingLayouts, storage, garden connectionClarifies the heart of the homeBathroom/laundryFixtures, tiles, storage, functionKeeps practical areas focusedMaterialsTimber, stone, tile, paint, brickShows your preferred paletteAvoid listStyles and details you dislikePrevents wrong turns earlyMust-havesNon-negotiablesHelps prioritise decisionsNice-to-havesFlexible wishlist itemsSupports budget conversations

How Mark MacInnis Architect can help

A look book is a helpful starting point, but it is not the design.

The architect’s role is to translate your ideas into a home that responds to your site, your budget, your council constraints, your existing building and the way you actually live.

Mark MacInnis works with Melbourne homeowners who want thoughtful renovations, extensions and new homes. A clear look book can help make the first conversation more productive, especially when you are trying to explain a feeling that words alone cannot quite capture.

Mark can help you move from:

• “We like this kind of thing”

• to “This is the right design direction for your home, site and brief.”

That is where the real value begins.

Final thought: your look book should start the conversation, not finish it

Technology makes it easier than ever to collect renovation ideas.

But the real skill is in editing those ideas into something useful.

A good look book does not need to be perfect. It needs to be clear enough to show what you value, what you are drawn to, and how you want your home to feel.

From there, a good architect can help turn the digital scraps into a considered, liveable and buildable design.

Planning a renovation, extension or new home in Melbourne?
Book an initial consult with Mark MacInnis Architect and bring your look book, sketches, screenshots or beautifully chaotic idea-folder with you.

How much space can we add?
Can we bring more light in?
Can we keep the period character and still create a modern family home?

Then comes the less glamorous but very important question:

Will council need to approve this?

For many homeowners, “council approval” feels like a foggy paddock of forms, rules, delays and neighbour concerns. But once you understand the difference between a planning permit and a building permit, the process becomes much easier to navigate.

And, importantly, easier to design for.

First: council approval is not always one thing

When people talk about council approval, they are often referring to a planning permit.

A planning permit gives permission to use or develop land in a particular way. In Victoria, a planning permit may be required for a new home, extension, renovation or additional dwelling, and it is issued by the local council. If your project needs a planning permit, it must usually be obtained before a building permit can be issued.

A building permit is different. It relates to whether the proposed building work complies with construction, safety and technical requirements under building legislation. In simple terms, planning asks, “Is this appropriate for this site and neighbourhood?” while building asks, “Can this be built safely and correctly?”

That distinction matters because some projects need both. Some may need only a building permit. Some smaller cosmetic works may not need either, depending on the scope.

When might a Melbourne home project need planning approval?

Every site is different, but planning approval may be triggered by things such as:

• Building a new home

• Adding a significant extension

• Changing the external form of the house

• Building on a small or constrained block

• Working on a property affected by a heritage overlay

• Changing how the land is used

• Building a second dwelling or small second home

• Creating overlooking, overshadowing or neighbourhood character impacts

• Building in areas affected by special planning controls, such as vegetation, flooding, bushfire or neighbourhood character overlays

For Melbourne homeowners, overlays are often the approval trapdoor. You may look at your street and think, “Plenty of people have extended.” But your property may have a heritage, neighbourhood character or environmental overlay that changes what council needs to assess.

This is especially common in established suburbs where period homes, narrow blocks and mature streetscapes are part of the area’s value.

Planning permit vs building permit: the simple version

Here is the practical difference.

Approval typeWhat it considersWho issues itWhen it happensPlanning permitLand use, neighbourhood character, overlays, siting, amenity, heritage, overlooking and broader planning rulesLocal councilUsually before the building permitBuilding permitStructural safety, construction standards, fire safety, health, amenity and compliance with building regulationsRegistered building surveyorBefore construction starts

The key point: a planning permit does not mean you are ready to build. It means council has approved the development in planning terms. You will still generally need the building permit process before work begins.

Likewise, a building permit cannot usually override the need for a planning permit. The Victorian Building Authority notes that if a planning permit is required, it must be issued before the building permit.

Why good design helps the approval process

Council approval is not just paperwork. It is also communication.

A well-considered design can show council that the project has been properly resolved. It can explain how the home responds to the site, the street, the neighbours and the existing character of the area.

This is where an architect can add real value.

For example, on a period home renovation, the approval challenge is often not simply “can we make it bigger?” It is:

• How do we retain the character that matters from the street?

• How do we place the new work so it feels sympathetic rather than bolted on?

• How do we bring in light without creating overlooking issues?

• How do we improve liveability without overwhelming the original home?

• How do we document the proposal clearly enough that council can assess it confidently?

Good design does not guarantee approval. Councils still assess projects against planning schemes, overlays and local policies. But a thoughtful design can reduce friction, avoid obvious objections and give the application a stronger planning story.

That is the quiet magic trick: not design as decoration, but design as evidence.

The common mistakes that slow homeowners down

Many approval delays happen before the application is even lodged.

1. Designing before checking the planning controls

This is the classic expensive detour. A homeowner falls in love with a concept, then later discovers a heritage overlay, height control, setback issue or overlooking concern.

The better approach is to check the planning constraints early, before the design becomes emotionally laminated.

2. Assuming neighbours have done it, so you can too

Nearby projects can be useful references, but they are not automatic permission slips. Their sites may have different dimensions, overlays, zoning, orientation or approval conditions.

3. Treating council as the enemy

Council planners are assessing whether the proposal fits the planning rules. A clear, respectful and well-documented application usually has a better chance than one that tries to bulldoze its way through the system.

4. Underestimating documentation

Council may ask for site plans, elevations, shadow diagrams, overlooking diagrams, neighbourhood character responses, heritage information or planning reports, depending on the project.

Incomplete documentation can trigger requests for more information, which can turn a simple timeline into a slow-moving possum in the roof.

5. Ignoring the building permit stage

Planning approval is not the finish line. Structural documentation, engineering, energy requirements and building compliance still need to be resolved before construction.

How long does council approval take?

There is no universal timeline. It depends on the council, the complexity of the site, whether further information is requested, whether neighbours object, and whether the application needs revisions.

Victoria’s planning system has been undergoing reform, including changes intended to streamline some residential approvals. Planning Victoria announced updated requirements for single dwellings and small second dwellings, with changes commencing from 8 September 2025.

That said, homeowners should still avoid assuming approvals will be quick. Build time into your project plan. A calm approval process is usually the result of early preparation, not optimistic calendar sorcery.

What should you do before speaking to council?

Before lodging anything, it is worth getting clear on four things.

1. Your property controls

Check zoning and overlays. These may include heritage, neighbourhood character, vegetation, flooding or other planning constraints.

2. The real project scope

Are you renovating within the existing footprint, extending, adding a second storey, building a new home, or changing the use of part of the property?

The more the external form changes, the more likely planning questions become.

3. The design priorities

Know what matters most. More light? Better connection to the garden? Preserving the façade? Creating private parent or guest zones? Improving resale appeal?

This helps the design respond intelligently rather than becoming a wishlist wearing a roof.

4. The likely approval pathway

An architect can help identify whether your project may need a planning permit, a building permit, specialist consultant input, or early council advice.

Where Mark MacInnis Architect can help

Mark MacInnis works with Melbourne homeowners who want thoughtful renovations, extensions and new homes that respond to the site, the brief and the character of the existing home.

For many clients, the value is not just in creating a beautiful design. It is in helping shape a project that can move through the approval process with fewer surprises.

That may include:

• Reviewing the opportunities and constraints of the site

• Designing with planning controls in mind

• Preparing clear architectural documentation

• Coordinating with relevant consultants where needed

• Helping homeowners understand the difference between design ambition and approval risk

• Creating a home that feels resolved, not just approved

Final thought: approval should shape the design, not shrink it

Council approval can feel like a barrier, but it is better understood as part of the project framework.

The best homes are not created by ignoring constraints. They are created by working intelligently within them, then finding the design opportunity hiding inside.

If you are planning a renovation, extension or new home build in Melbourne, the earlier you understand the approval pathway, the better your design decisions will be.

Planning a home project in Melbourne?
Book an initial consult with Mark MacInnis Architect to discuss your site, your ideas and the best next step for your project.

For many Melbourne homeowners, this creates a difficult question: how do you improve your home without letting the renovation budget run away?

The answer is not always to build more. Often, the best result comes from designing better.

Good design is not about adding the most expensive finishes or extending every available boundary. It is about understanding how you live, what your home already does well, where it fails, and how each design decision can work harder.

A thoughtful renovation should feel calm, useful and long-lasting. It should solve problems rather than create new ones. Most importantly, it should help you spend your budget where it makes the biggest difference.

Start with what the house already gives you

One of the most cost-effective renovation strategies is to work with the existing structure wherever possible.

Moving kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, structural walls and rooflines can quickly increase costs. Sometimes those changes are necessary, but they should not be the default starting point. Before assuming a major extension is required, it is worth asking whether the existing footprint can be improved.

Can a dark room be opened to natural light?
Can circulation be improved by changing doorways or internal openings?
Can an awkward rear area become a better living space without adding more floor area?
Can underused rooms be combined or reworked?

In many period and family homes, the problem is not always lack of space. It is poor layout, poor light or poor connection to the garden. Solving those issues can dramatically improve how a home feels without dramatically increasing its size.

Spend on structure, light and layout before finishes

When budgets are tight, it is tempting to focus on visible finishes first: tiles, benchtops, tapware, appliances and paint colours. These matter, but they are not where the real value of a renovation begins.

The most important design decisions are usually the ones that affect how the home works every day.

A well-placed window can improve natural light for decades.
A better kitchen layout can make family life easier every morning.
A strong connection between the living area and garden can change how the whole house feels.
A more efficient floor plan can reduce the need for a larger extension.

Finishes can be upgraded later. Poor layout is much harder to fix.

This is where architectural thinking can save money. A good design process helps prioritise the permanent decisions first, then makes the decorative and material choices work within the budget.

Keep the renovation focused

One of the biggest risks in any renovation is scope creep. It usually starts innocently.

While we are doing the kitchen, should we redo the laundry?
If we are opening this wall, should we replace all the flooring?
Should we also update the front rooms?
What about the bathroom?

Suddenly, a focused renovation has become a whole-house project wearing a fake moustache.

The best way to control this is to define the renovation’s purpose early. For example:

• We need a better family living area.

• We want more natural light.

• We need the kitchen to work for daily life.

• We want to preserve the character of the home while improving the rear.

• We need to make the house more comfortable without overcapitalising.

Once the purpose is clear, every decision can be tested against it. If it does not support the main goal, it may need to wait.

Choose fewer, better materials

A cost-conscious renovation does not need to look cheap. In fact, simple material palettes often create the most timeless results.

Using too many finishes can increase cost and make a home feel visually busy. A more restrained approach can be both more affordable and more elegant.

This might mean using one consistent flooring material through the new living areas, choosing a simple tile used well, or investing in quality joinery only where it provides genuine daily value.

The aim is not to remove character. The aim is to avoid spending money on visual noise.

A well-designed renovation often relies on proportion, light, detail and material restraint rather than expensive feature finishes.

Be careful with trends

Trends can be useful for inspiration, but they are a risky foundation for renovation decisions.

A renovation should last longer than a social media cycle. Highly trend-led choices can date quickly, especially in kitchens, bathrooms and fixed joinery. This can make a home feel tired sooner and may lead to another round of spending earlier than necessary.

A more cost-effective approach is to keep the permanent elements simple and durable, then use furniture, artwork, lighting and styling to bring in personality.

This is especially important in period homes. The best renovations usually respect the original character while adding modern comfort and function. They do not fight the house. They let the old and new parts have a polite, well-dressed conversation.

Design for flexibility

A renovation budget works harder when spaces can serve more than one purpose.

This has become especially important as more people work from home, support growing children, care for older family members or need homes that can adapt over time.

A second living area might also work as a study.
A dining space might include built-in storage.
A guest room might double as a work-from-home space.
A hallway might become a useful library or storage wall.
A small nook might become a desk zone rather than wasted space.

Flexible design can reduce the need for more rooms, more floor area and more future alterations.

Do not underestimate storage

Storage is not glamorous, but it is one of the great quiet luxuries of good design.

A home without enough storage often feels smaller, messier and more stressful than it really is. Adding thoughtful storage can improve daily life without adding significant floor area.

This might include built-in robes, kitchen storage, laundry storage, hallway cupboards, window seats with storage or joinery that makes use of awkward spaces.

Good storage reduces clutter, improves function and helps the architecture feel calmer.

Consider staging the renovation

Not every renovation needs to be completed in one stage.

For some homeowners, a staged approach can make more financial sense. The key is to plan the whole vision early, even if the work is delivered over time.

This helps avoid expensive rework. For example, if a future bathroom, extension or upper-level addition may be part of the long-term plan, early design decisions can allow for that possibility.

Staging works best when the first stage does not compromise the future one. That is where a clear masterplan can be valuable.

Know where not to cut costs

Budget-conscious design is not the same as cutting corners.

Some areas deserve proper investment because they affect safety, comfort, compliance or long-term performance. These may include structure, waterproofing, insulation, windows, drainage, electrical work, ventilation and professional documentation.

Saving money in the wrong place can become expensive later.

The aim is not to choose the cheapest option. The aim is to make informed decisions about value.

A good renovation budget should distinguish between:

• costs that improve long-term liveability

• costs that reduce future maintenance

• costs that support compliance and build quality

• costs that are largely cosmetic

• costs that can be deferred

That distinction can make the whole project clearer.

Work with an architect early

Many people assume an architect is an added cost. In reality, early design advice can help avoid costly mistakes.

An architect can help test options before you commit to a direction. They can identify opportunities in the existing home, clarify priorities, improve layout, consider planning constraints and help align the design with the available budget.

This is particularly valuable in Melbourne homes where heritage, period character, small blocks, awkward additions or planning overlays may influence what is possible.

The earlier these issues are considered, the easier it is to make smart decisions.

The best renovation is not always the biggest one

A successful renovation is not measured only in square metres.

It is measured in how the home feels in the morning. How easily the kitchen works. How light moves through the rooms. How well old and new parts connect. How comfortably the home supports daily life.

In a tighter economy, good design becomes even more important. It helps homeowners avoid waste, make confident decisions and create spaces that will continue to work well for years.

You do not need the biggest renovation to create a better home.

You need the right renovation.

If you are planning a renovation and want to make careful, design-led decisions before committing to a build, Mark MacInnis Architect can help you explore what is possible within your home, site and budget.

Get in touch to discuss your renovation plans.

Planning a renovation but conscious of budget?
Speak with Mark MacInnis Architect about practical, design-led ways to improve your home without overcapitalising.

That tension — beautiful street face, awkward and dark behind it — is one of the most satisfying problems in residential architecture to solve. And it's solvable far more often than people fear. Here's how I think about renovating a period home in Melbourne, and what to work through before you commit.

Keep the face, change the life behind it

The instinct to protect the character of a period home is the right one. But "keeping the character" rarely means freezing the whole house in time. The approach that works again and again is to retain and restore the heritage façade and front rooms, then add a modern extension behind or above it — open, light-filled living that connects to the garden and suits how a family actually lives now.

Done well, you get the best of both: the home still belongs on its street, and the new part is honestly of its own time. Good heritage work doesn't pretend to be old. It sits comfortably next to the old, letting each part be what it is.

What's worth keeping — and what isn't

Not every original feature earns its place, and not every "renovation" of the past decade is worth saving. Part of the early design conversation is deciding, honestly, what carries the character — the façade, the front rooms, the ceiling roses, the hallway proportions — and what can be reworked without loss. Older homes also hide their share of surprises behind the plaster, which is exactly why the planning stage matters more here than in a new build.

The permit question (and why it's not as scary as it sounds)

This is where people tie themselves in knots, so let me make it plainer than it usually gets explained:

• A building permit is required for essentially any extension or significant renovation. That's about structural safety and the building code — standard, expected, not a hurdle to fear.

• A planning permit is a separate thing. Many straightforward extensions don't need one. But if your home is in a heritage overlay — common across Melbourne's period suburbs — you almost certainly will, because council wants to see that new work respects the home's significance.

If you're in a heritage overlay, the property has a Statement of Significance that spells out what matters about it. That sounds bureaucratic, but it's genuinely useful: it tells us early what's protected and what we have room to move on. Designing with those controls from day one — rather than discovering them after you've fallen in love with a plan — is what keeps a project calm.

Renovate, extend, or move?

Sometimes the most valuable thing I do at the start is help someone realise the renovation they're picturing isn't the right call — that the budget, the block, or the bones point to a different path. That's not a wasted conversation. It's the cheapest, most important decision in the whole project.

Before you spend serious money on design, it's worth getting a clear, unsentimental picture of what each path actually costs — renovation versus moving — including the costs people forget: stamp duty, agent fees, temporary rent, the lot. (I built a free Renovate or Relocate calculator for exactly this.)

How a considered process actually runs

My work starts with listening, not drawing. A short Feasibility Study — a few focused sessions and a realistic cost estimate — tells you whether your idea stacks up before you're deep into documentation. From there, permits and plansgive your builder what they need to price and build accurately. And if you'd rather not manage the build yourself, I can oversee the builder so the home that gets built is the home we designed.

None of this needs to be overwhelming. A period home renovation is a big decision, but it's a sequence of smaller, clear decisions — taken in the right order, with someone who's done it before sitting next to you.

If you're staring at a lovely old façade wondering what's possible behind it, that's the conversation I most enjoy having.

It sounds like a budget question. In reality, it is a design question, a site question, a lifestyle question and sometimes a planning question wearing a budget hat.

For Melbourne homeowners, the answer is rarely obvious at first glance. An older home might have beautiful proportions, good orientation and character worth keeping. Another might be quietly working against you, with poor light, awkward rooms, outdated services and a structure that turns every small improvement into a costly negotiation.

Before you speak to a builder or start sketching out your dream kitchen, it is worth stepping back and asking: what are we really trying to achieve?

Why this decision matters before you start designing

Many homeowners begin with a solution already in mind. “We need an extension.” “We should knock it down.” “We just need another bedroom.”

Sometimes they are right. Sometimes they are solving the wrong problem.

A good design process starts by testing the brief. Do you need more space, or better space? Is the issue the size of the home, or the way the rooms connect? Is the existing structure worth investing in, or will it keep limiting the outcome?

This early thinking can save time, money and frustration. It also helps avoid the classic renovation trap: spending heavily on improvements that still leave the home feeling compromised.

When renovation makes sense

Renovation is often the right path when the existing home has strong underlying value.

That might mean good bones, solid construction, a street presence you want to preserve, or original character that gives the home warmth and identity. It may also mean the home sits well on the block, has access to northern light, connects naturally to the garden, or only needs careful reworking rather than a full reset.

A renovation can be especially worthwhile when the existing house already does some things well. Perhaps the front rooms have lovely proportions. Perhaps the roofline, brickwork or period details give the home a quality that would be expensive or impossible to recreate. Perhaps the home holds emotional value for the family.

In these cases, the design task is not to erase what exists. It is to edit intelligently.

A thoughtful renovation can improve flow, bring in light, open up living areas, add storage, improve energy performance and create a stronger relationship with the outdoors. Done well, it should feel like the home has been gently brought into its next chapter, not forced into a costume it never wanted to wear.

When rebuilding may be the better option

Rebuilding can make more sense when the existing home is working against almost every part of the brief.

This may be the case if the structure is poor, the floor plan is deeply inefficient, the orientation is difficult, or the home would require major upgrades to plumbing, wiring, roofing, insulation and foundations. When the cost of fixing the old home starts creeping close to the cost of building new, it is time to look hard at the numbers and the design potential.

A rebuild may also offer a better long-term result when the site has strong potential but the existing house does not make good use of it. For example, the home may block natural light, sit awkwardly on the block, ignore the garden, or fail to provide the flexibility a growing or changing family needs.

Rebuilding gives you the chance to plan the home from the ground up. Orientation, passive design, room relationships, storage, privacy, accessibility and future flexibility can all be considered together.

That does not mean rebuilding is automatically better. It simply means the decision should be based on evidence, not habit.

Why budget alone should not decide it

Budget matters. Of course it does. Homes are not designed in fairy dust and polite optimism.

But the cheapest option is not always the best value.

A renovation may look less expensive at first, but hidden costs can emerge once work begins. Older homes may reveal structural issues, outdated services, water damage, poor insulation or non-compliant previous work. These problems can nibble away at the budget like very determined termites.

On the other hand, a rebuild may involve higher upfront costs, but it can deliver a cleaner, more efficient and more resolved outcome. It may also reduce future compromise because the design is not constantly working around inherited limitations.

The better question is not “Which option is cheaper?” It is: “Which option gives us the best long-term result for the money we are prepared to spend?”

That is where an architect can help compare pathways clearly before you commit.

The site tells you more than Pinterest does

Pinterest is useful for collecting ideas, but your site is the real brief.

Orientation, slope, neighbouring properties, access, trees, setbacks, overlays, privacy, views and garden potential all influence whether renovation or rebuild makes more sense. In Victoria, planning considerations such as heritage overlays and neighbourhood character can also affect what can be altered, demolished or newly built. Heritage overlays can trigger greater scrutiny for changes to protected places or precincts, and neighbourhood character is a recognised planning consideration in Victoria’s residential development system.

This is why two homeowners with similar budgets can end up with very different answers. One site may suit a sensitive extension. Another may call for a complete rethinking of the house.

A good architect will look at what the site is offering, not just what the client is asking for. Sometimes the best opportunity is hidden in the garden, the light, the slope or the way the home could open to a quieter part of the block.

How an architect helps you compare the options

An architect can help you step out of the renovation-versus-rebuild fog and look at the decision more clearly.

This usually starts with understanding your goals. How do you want to live? What feels frustrating about the current home? What should change now, and what might need to change in the future?

From there, the architect can assess the existing home, the site conditions, the planning context and the likely design pathways. They can help you understand whether the current house has enough value to retain, whether an extension would solve the real problem, or whether rebuilding would provide a stronger result.

This process does not have to lock you into a grand project. In fact, one of the most valuable outcomes may be discovering that a smaller, smarter intervention is enough.

Good design is not about making everything bigger. It is about making the right things better.

Questions to ask before deciding

Before you choose between renovating, extending or rebuilding, ask yourself:

• Does the existing home have qualities worth preserving?

• Are the main problems layout-related, structural or site-related?

• Would an extension solve the issue, or simply add more space to a flawed plan?

• Is the home well positioned for natural light and garden connection?

• Are there planning overlays, heritage controls or neighbourhood character considerations?

• Will this home still work for us in 10 or 20 years?

• Are we chasing more space, or a better way of living?

These questions can bring the project back to what matters most: creating a home that suits your life, your site and your long-term plans.

Make the decision before you fall in love with the solution

Renovating, extending and rebuilding can all be good choices. The wrong choice is the one made too early, without enough information.

Before you commit to a direction, take the time to understand what your home is already doing well, what it will never do well, and what your site makes possible.

If you are unsure whether to renovate, extend or rebuild, Mark MacInnis Architect can help you assess the options and find the most thoughtful design pathway for your home.

Planning a renovation, extension or new home? Start with a design conversation with Mark MacInnis Architect:
https://www.markmacinnis.com.au/contact

The short version: new homes are likely to receive more policy attention, energy efficiency is becoming harder to ignore, and early planning matters more than ever. That does not mean rushing into a project with a tape measure in one hand and panic in the other. It means understanding the direction of travel before you commit to a design brief, budget or site.

New builds may become more attractive to investors

One of the biggest Budget changes is the reform of negative gearing and capital gains tax. From 1 July 2027, the Government will limit negative gearing to new builds, while existing arrangements remain unchanged for properties held before Budget night. Investors who buy established housing after Budget night will have more limited deductions, while investors buying new builds will still be able to deduct losses from other income.

For homeowners, this matters because policy settings may shift more demand toward newly built homes, townhouses and apartments. That could increase interest in new housing supply, particularly in growth areas or locations where planning rules allow more density. It may also affect land values, development feasibility and competition for well-positioned sites.

For people designing a forever home, the takeaway is not “build whatever is quickest.” It is the opposite. If new homes become more attractive in the market, thoughtful design becomes an even stronger differentiator.

Infrastructure funding may unlock more housing areas

The Federal Budget includes a new $2 billion Local Infrastructure Fund to help councils and state utilities deliver the basics needed for new housing, including water, power, sewerage and roads. The Government says this will support up to 65,000 homes over the decade and bring total housing-enabling infrastructure investment to $6.3 billion.

That is the less glamorous side of housing policy, but it is important. Homes do not happen just because land exists. They need services, access, drainage, power and approvals. Without that, a block of land can become a very expensive waiting room.

For homeowners and second-home buyers, this reinforces the value of checking site constraints early. Before falling in love with a block or committing to a design direction, understand the infrastructure, planning overlays, access issues, service connections and likely approval pathway.

Victoria is also pushing planning and housing reform

For Melbourne homeowners, the Victorian Budget adds another layer. The Victorian Government has committed funding toward housing reform, building industry standards, planning system updates, faster decisions and unlocking more land for housing. It also points to more homes near train and tram zones, plus greenfield planning work for family homes with backyards.

This does not mean every block suddenly becomes easy to develop. Planning remains highly site-specific, especially in established Melbourne suburbs. Neighbourhood character, heritage overlays, setbacks, overshadowing, overlooking and council expectations can all shape what is possible.

This is where an architect can save homeowners from expensive assumptions. A good design process starts with the site, not Pinterest. The dream board can come later, wearing sensible shoes.

Energy efficiency is moving from “nice to have” to core brief

The Budget conversation is not only about buying and building. It is also about running costs. The Australian Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program has been expanded, with the Government saying it expects more than 2 million Australians to install a battery by 2030.

In Victoria, there are also hot water rebates available for eligible heat pump and solar hot water systems, including higher rebates for locally made products.

For home design, the lesson is simple: energy systems should be considered at the start, not tacked on at the end. Orientation, insulation, glazing, shading, ventilation, solar readiness, battery location, hot water systems and electric appliances all affect comfort and long-term running costs.

A beautiful home that is expensive to heat, cool or maintain is not really finished. It is just waiting to send invoices.

Renovators should think beyond resale

The Budget may put attention on new housing supply, but many Melbourne families will still choose to renovate or extend rather than move. That can make sense, especially if the location is right and the existing home has good bones.

However, renovation decisions should be made carefully. If more policy incentives flow toward new builds, established homes may need stronger design, liveability and performance improvements to hold their value. A renovation that simply adds floor area may not be enough. The better question is: what does this home need to work beautifully for the next 10, 20 or 30 years?

That might mean a smarter floor plan, better connection to the garden, improved natural light, a more flexible second living space, accessible design for ageing in place, or a thermal upgrade that makes the home more comfortable year-round.

What homeowners should do before starting a project

Before designing a new home, renovation or extension, homeowners should review three things.

First, clarify the purpose of the project. Is this a forever home, a second home, a future downsizer, a family base, or an investment-influenced decision?

Second, understand the site. Planning controls, orientation, slope, access, services and neighbouring properties can all affect the design.

Third, build energy efficiency into the brief. Solar, batteries, heat pump hot water, insulation and passive design are not separate conversations. They belong in the same room as layout, budget and lifestyle.

A better brief creates a better home

The 2026 Budget will not design your home for you. Thankfully. Budgets are not known for their spatial elegance.

But it does signal where the market is heading: more focus on new supply, more pressure on planning systems, more attention on efficient homes and more reasons to make good decisions early.

If you are planning a new build, renovation or extension in Melbourne, the best first step is a considered design conversation. Mark MacInnis Architect helps homeowners turn ideas, constraints and lifestyle goals into homes that feel resolved, practical and personal.

Speak with Mark MacInnis about your renovation, extension or new home design plans through the contact page on the Mark MacInnis Architect website.

Sources used

• Australian Government Budget 2026-27: housing, infrastructure and first-home buyer measures.

• Australian Government Budget 2026-27: tax reform, CGT and negative gearing.

• AHURI summary of Federal housing measures and supply programs.

• Victorian Budget 2026-27: housing reform, planning, energy and rebates.

• ABC Budget analysis on negative gearing, CGT and expected housing supply impacts.

• Australian Government Cheaper Home Batteries Program.

• Solar Victoria hot water rebates.

A door is rarely just a door.

In residential architecture, the entry sets the tone for everything that follows. It is the threshold between public and private, street and sanctuary, first impression and lived experience. When well designed, it can bring clarity to a facade, create anticipation, and give a home a stronger sense of identity.

That is why doors are increasingly being treated as entry statements rather than simple functional elements.

For homeowners, builders, and interior designers, this shift matters. The right entry door can enhance street presence, connect exterior and interior material palettes, and strengthen the home's overall architectural language. It can also improve comfort and performance when considered as part of the broader building envelope rather than as a decorative afterthought. In Australia, that practical side matters more than ever, with current NCC energy-efficiency requirements and guidance from Your Home placing greater emphasis on glazing, orientation and thermal performance.

One of the strongest trends is scale. Oversized doors, taller openings and generous proportions are being used to create a sense of arrival. This does not always mean grand or flashy. Sometimes the most effective statement is a single oversized door with minimal detailing, perfectly aligned with the proportions of the facade. In other projects, a large pivot door becomes the focal point, giving the entrance weight, calmness and visual drama without relying on ornament. Pivot systems are increasingly associated with high-end residential design because they allow for larger, more sculptural openings.

A second trend is material honesty. Rather than using a door to mimic something else, current design leans toward materials that look and feel authentic. Timber remains a favourite because it adds warmth, texture and permanence. Lighter, natural timber tones have enduring appeal in contemporary homes, particularly when the architecture is restrained, and the material palette does most of the talking. Even when the overall design language is minimal, a timber door can soften the facade and ground the entry rather than make it feel cold.

At the same time, there is growing interest in refined glazing. Glazed and partially glazed doors can bring light deep into an entry sequence, create a stronger visual connection with the landscape, and reduce the heaviness of a large opening. But this only works when glazing is handled carefully. In Australian homes, the performance of glazed doors affects comfort significantly, especially when orientation, shading and weather sealing are ignored. Your Home notes that glazed windows and doors can have a major impact on heat gain and heat loss, which means a statement entry should still perform well in its climate.

That leads to another major direction: performance-led detailing. The most interesting entry doors now balance aesthetics with thermal performance, durability and compliance. Thermally broken framing, higher-performing glazing and carefully selected systems are becoming more relevant, particularly for architect-designed homes where large openings are common. Products and framing systems increasingly emphasise energy efficiency, structural capability and compliance with Australian standards for windows and external glazed doors.

There is also a clear move toward cleaner detailing. Flush finishes, concealed frames, restrained hardware and simplified junctions are giving entry doors a more integrated architectural role. Instead of screaming for attention, many of the best examples create impact through precision. A door might align with shadow lines, pick up the rhythm of vertical cladding, or disappear into a larger wall plane until the handle or pivot line reveals itself. It is a quieter kind of luxury, and a more enduring one too.

Is it worth investing in the home you have?

For many homeowners, a project like this starts with a bigger question: Is it worth investing significant money in upgrading and redesigning the home you are in, or does it make more sense to move? If you are weighing that up right now, our Renovate or Relocate? The tool is a practical starting point. It is built for Australian homeowners and helps you think through your decision clearly before committing.

For interior designers, the opportunity lies in treating the entry as part of the full spatial story. The front door should not be designed in isolation. It should speak to what happens immediately inside the home, whether that is a framed garden view, a compressed entry hall that opens dramatically into light, or a continuation of timber, stone or metal finishes. The old trick of choosing the front door last is, frankly, how you end up with a beautiful house wearing the wrong shoes.

For builders, the message is equally practical. Statement doors need early coordination. Oversized panels, pivot hardware, thresholds, weather seals, structural support and glazing performance all need to be resolved early in the design and documentation process. These are not items to leave until procurement panic o'clock.

For home owners, the key question is not simply, "What style of door do I like?" A better question is, "What should the entry say about this house?" In some homes, the answer will be warmth and privacy. In others, it will be openness, craftsmanship or quiet confidence. The best entry statements are not generic trends pasted onto the facade. They emerge from the architecture itself.

A well-designed door does more than welcome people in. It prepares them for the experience of the house.

And that is the real trend worth following.

Not sure whether to renovate or move on? If this article has you thinking about what your home could become with the right design investment, that question deserves a proper answer. Try the Renovate or Relocate? tool — a free Australian decision-making tool to help you work out which direction makes the most sense for your situation.

From oversized pivot doors to warm timber finishes and performance-led design, the right entry can completely change how a home is first experienced.

Deciding whether to renovate or relocate is one of the biggest crossroads a homeowner can face.

You may love your street, your school zone, your garden or the simple fact that your life already works where you are. But your house might not. Maybe the layout feels cramped. Maybe it is too dark. Maybe it no longer suits a growing family, changing work habits or the way you actually want to live.

That is where many people get stuck.

They know something needs to change, but they are not sure whether they should invest in the home they have or start again somewhere new.

The truth is, this decision is rarely just about money. It is also about lifestyle, location, timing, stress, long-term value and whether your current property has real design potential.

That is exactly why Mark MacInnis Architect has created the Renovate or Relocate tool — to help Melbourne homeowners weigh up both options more clearly before making a major commitment.

Why this decision feels so difficult

Most people do not compare renovating and relocating in a structured way.

Instead, they bounce between emotion and frustration.

One day it is:
“We should just renovate and make it work.”

The next day it is:
“Maybe it would be easier to move.”

And somewhere in between, they start scrolling property listings, pricing extensions, worrying about budget blowouts and wondering whether they are about to make a very expensive mistake.

The problem is not that you need more opinions from friends or a few late-night searches. The problem is that you need a better framework.

A good decision usually comes from asking the right questions:

• Does this home still have potential?

• Could better design solve the real issues?

• Would moving actually improve your lifestyle, or just replace one compromise with another?

• Are you underestimating the hidden cost of selling and buying?

• Are you emotionally attached to the house when the smarter investment may be elsewhere?

That is where a decision tool becomes useful. It helps turn vague uncertainty into something more practical.

When renovating often makes more sense

Renovating can be the stronger option when the location is right but the house is not.

This is common in Melbourne suburbs where people love the street, the orientation, the local amenities or the community, but the home no longer suits the way they live. In these cases, a well-designed renovation or extension can unlock value that is already sitting in the property.

Renovating may make sense if:

• you like where you live and do not want to lose the location

• the block or home has untapped design potential

• the issues are mostly layout, light, storage or functionality

• an extension or redesign could significantly improve liveability

• the long-term outcome would be better than buying a compromise elsewhere

A smart renovation is not about adding more for the sake of it. It is about creating a home that works better — more natural light, better connection to outdoors, improved flow, stronger thermal comfort, and spaces that feel more aligned with everyday life.

That is the architect’s lens. Not just “can we add a room?” but “can we make this home genuinely work better?”

When relocating may be the better move

Sometimes the house is not the problem. Sometimes the site is.

You may be dealing with a block that has limited access, difficult setbacks, poor orientation, too many structural constraints or not enough room to meaningfully improve the home without overspending.

Other times, the house simply no longer matches your goals. You may want a very different lifestyle, a different suburb, a larger land size, or a fresh start that would be harder to achieve through renovation.

Relocating may be the smarter option if:

• the property has limited capacity for meaningful change

• the cost of renovating is too high relative to the likely outcome

• your lifestyle priorities have shifted significantly

• you would still end up compromising after the renovation

• a better-suited property is realistically within reach

This is the part many people resist. They want the existing house to become something it may never comfortably be. A little brutal, yes — but better a moment of honesty now than years of living with an expensive compromise.

The hidden costs people forget

Whether you renovate or relocate, the danger is looking only at the obvious numbers.

With moving, people often focus on the purchase price of the next home but forget the friction costs around selling, buying, relocating and resetting everything.

With renovating, people often focus on the build budget but forget the value of good planning, temporary disruption, timing, and the risk of solving the wrong problem.

This is why a simple side-by-side comparison is so useful. It helps you see the full picture, not just the bit that is shouting the loudest in your head.

The right decision is usually the one that aligns:

• practical cost

• site potential

• family lifestyle

• long-term value

• emotional fit

Miss one of those and the whole thing can wobble.

Start with the tool, then get expert advice

Mark’s Renovate or Relocate tool is a smart first step because it gives homeowners a structured way to compare both paths before diving into plans, listings or quotes.

It will not replace professional advice — nor should it. A digital tool is helpful, but it cannot walk through your site, test design options or judge the architectural potential of your home. That is where experience matters.

If the tool suggests your current home may still have strong potential, the next step is not guesswork. It is a proper feasibility conversation.

And if the tool suggests relocating could make more sense, that clarity is useful too. It may save you from pouring money into a property that can never quite become what you need.

Either way, you are making a more informed choice.

Final thoughts

Renovating and relocating both come with trade-offs. The trick is knowing which set of trade-offs gives you the better outcome.

Do not make the call based purely on frustration, property envy or a half-baked spreadsheet. Start with a clearer framework.

Use Mark MacInnis Architect’s Renovate or Relocate tool to compare your options, then take the next step with advice grounded in design, feasibility and long-term thinking.

Because the smartest projects usually start well before the plans do.

CTA:
Try the Renovate or Relocate tool, then book a consultation with Mark to explore what is truly possible for your home.

Below are practical, design-led ways homeowners and renovators can create naturally cooler homes — without turning them into dark bunkers or gadget-heavy experiments.

Start with Orientation (It’s Free, and It Works)

Before materials, finishes or systems, orientation does the heavy lifting.

In southern Australia, the biggest heat enemy is low western sun. Bedrooms or living spaces facing west can absorb punishing afternoon heat that lingers well into the evening.

Practical design moves:

• Prioritise north-facing living areas for controllable winter sun.

• Push garages, laundries, stairwells or bathrooms to the west as thermal buffers.

• Minimise west-facing glazing, or deeply protect it with shading.

Orientation decisions made early can reduce summer heat load dramatically — often before insulation or air-conditioning even enters the conversation.

Design for Cross-Ventilation, Not Just “Open Windows”

Natural cooling depends on air movement, not just openings.

True cross-ventilation requires pressure differences: air must be able to enter, move through, and exit the home. Many houses technically have windows on opposite sides, but airflow paths are blocked by poor layout.

What works in practice:

• Openings on at least two sides of a space, preferably offset.

• Narrower floor plans that allow air to travel across rooms.

• Internal doors, highlight windows, or vents that allow airflow even when privacy is needed.

• Aligning openings with prevailing summer breezes, not just street frontage.

A well-ventilated home can feel 3–5°C cooler without touching a thermostat.

Use Shading as a First Line of Defence

Stopping heat before it enters the home is far more effective than trying to remove it later.

External shading is significantly more effective than internal blinds, especially during heatwaves.

High-performance shading strategies:

• Fixed eaves sized specifically for your latitude.

• Adjustable external screens or operable louvres.

• Pergolas with deciduous planting for seasonal control.

• Deep balconies or recessed windows on upper levels.

The goal is selective sun: welcome it in winter, block it in summer. Done well, shading becomes invisible performance.

Thermal Mass: Absorb Heat, Release It When It Matters

Thermal mass materials — concrete, brick, stone — can stabilise indoor temperatures, but only when used correctly.

They work by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it later, when temperatures drop. Without night purging, thermal mass can backfire and trap heat.

Best-practice use:

• Place thermal mass inside the insulated envelope.

• Pair it with night-time ventilation to flush out stored heat.

• Avoid overusing dark, exposed mass in poorly ventilated homes.

Think of thermal mass as a battery: useful, but only if it can discharge.

Courtyards and Green Buffers Create Microclimates

Internal courtyards, planted voids, and green edges aren’t just aesthetic — they actively cool the air before it enters the home.

Vegetation cools through evapotranspiration, lowering surrounding air temperatures and improving comfort.

Design applications:

• Central courtyards that draw air through living spaces.

• Shaded garden edges on the western side of the home.

• Green roofs or vertical planting where space allows.

A small, well-placed courtyard can outperform a much larger air-conditioning unit in perceived comfort.

Roofs and Ceilings Matter More Than Walls

In extreme heat, the roof is often the biggest source of heat gain.

Key considerations:

• High-performance ceiling insulation (beyond minimum code).

• Light-coloured or reflective roofing materials.

• Ventilated roof cavities to release trapped heat.

• Higher ceilings to allow hot air to stratify above living zones.

If your home feels hottest from above, the solution is usually architectural, not mechanical.

Design for the Climate You’re Getting, Not the One You Had

Heat-resilient homes are no longer a luxury — they’re future-proofing.

Good architects design homes that:

• Stay comfortable during power outages.

• Reduce reliance on active cooling.

• Adapt to longer, hotter summers without constant upgrades.

Natural cooling strategies don’t remove the need for air-conditioning entirely — but they radically reduce how often and how hard it needs to work.

Thinking About a Renovation or New Build?

Designing for extreme heat is about smart decisions made early — orientation, layout, shading, and materials — not expensive add-ons later.

If you’re planning a renovation or new home and want it to perform naturally in Australia’s changing climate, speak with an architect who designs for real heat, not just compliance.

👉 Learn more or start a conversation at https://www.markmacinnis.com.au

A cooler home is usually the result of better thinking, not more machinery.