The method
Precision wears black.
Six movements. Each has a named fee, a named deliverable and a defined end — and you can stop at the end of any of them.
Why it is built this way
The fear is never the design. It is the unknown.
Almost nobody hesitates over a building project because they dislike the architecture. They hesitate because they cannot see the bottom — what it will cost, what happens if they change their mind, and how far in they are before anyone tells them the truth.
So the method is built to answer that. Every stage is a defined piece of work with a fee attached and a document at the end of it. You always know what the next step costs before you take it, and you are never committed to the one after.
The other half is that design and construction are the same practice here. Your project is priced by the people who will build it, at the point where the design can still change. That is why our projects do not die at tender.
- 01
The Threshold
Qualification conversation
A private conversation about your site, your intent and your budget — and an honest answer on whether Darkitecture is the right practice for it.
No fee
A direct answer on fit, and a written next step.
- 02
The Site Reading
Feasibility + sketch design
A site visit and analysis — planning, orientation, context, views, sun, prevailing wind — resolved into two sketch options and a real number.
Fixed fee
Two sketch plan options and a pre-build feasibility covering total project investment.
- 03
The Silhouette
Concept design + budget pricing
Concept design where the architecture takes shape — form, mass and internal resolution — priced by the builder before you go further.
Staged
Resolved concept design, 3D model walkthrough, and a builder-prepared cost estimate.
- 04
The Material
Development approval + interior design
We manage the development application while the interior architecture is resolved — joinery, kitchens, bathrooms, lighting and every surface.
Staged
Full interior design, a selection schedule, an updated 3D model, and a lodged development application.
- 05
The Blackprint
Construction documentation + building approval
Every drawing, specification, consultant input and selection consolidated into the single document that makes a fixed-price contract possible.
Staged
The complete construction document set, a fixed-price contract estimate, and building approval.
- 06
The Vigil
Construction support + contract administration
Architectural oversight for the entire build — resolving detail as it arises, holding the design intent to completion.
Staged
Ongoing architectural support through construction, extending to full contract administration.
Most projects begin at stage two. The scope, the six steps and the fee tiers are set out in full on the sketch design page. To bracket the build itself first, run the cost to build calculator.
The method applied
The same six movements, four kinds of work.
The next step
Start here.
One short conversation about your site, your budget and what you want to build. No fee, no obligation, and a straight answer on whether we are the right practice for it.