Demand is growing for residential construction companies that combine architectural design and building under one roof, as homeowners look for greater control over construction costs and fewer discrepancies between designs and builders' quotes.

Perth couple Gary and Melinda Ashwood turned to the combined model after buying an 850sqm City Beach block with ocean views in 2020. After speaking with six companies and hearing stories of homeowners paying independent architects for designs that later proved too expensive to construct, they engaged Cottesloe-based Humphrey Homes to design and build their home.

Gary Ashwood said they wanted confidence that what appeared on the plans could actually be constructed within their budget, rather than completing the architectural process and then having to abandon or substantially revise the design after receiving builders' prices.

Humphrey Homes director Dean Humphrey said differences between architects' plans and builders' quotes had become increasingly common since the pandemic, with rapid changes in construction costs making accurate pricing more difficult. Under the company's model, architects, interior designers and builders work together from the beginning, allowing proposed designs and specifications to be checked against current construction costs as the plans are prepared.

Humphrey said the company transitioned into a registered architectural practice in 2012 and now employs architects and interior designers alongside its building operations. The approach is intended to reduce the separation between the design and construction stages and provide one team responsible for the project from the initial design through to completion.

Some architects use independent cost estimators to monitor budgets, while other clients continue to prefer the traditional model of engaging an architect before separately selecting a builder. The combined model, however, has become another option for homeowners trying to reduce the risk of designing a house that ultimately exceeds their construction budget.

Award-winning luxury builder Giorgi Exclusive Homes also provides architectural design services, while MAEK in Peppermint Grove operates with the designer and builder as a single entity responsible for the project.