ARCHITECT PARTNER FOR BRISBANE CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS

20+ Years of Craft

Two decades designing high-end homes and hospitality. Seasoned judgment at every decision so your Brisbane home feels effortless now—and ages beautifully.

Global Perspective

Projects across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia inform climate-smart planning, refined material palettes and serene spatial flow—translated to Brisbane’s subtropical lifestyle.

BOAQ Registered Architect

Queensland-registered, meeting statutory standards and ethics. We navigate approvals and deliver precise documentation to protect your vision from concept to completion.

Get access to your

Design Brief Checklist

Use this in your first meeting to capture scope, budget cues and must-haves—then hand it to your architect to reduce back-and-forth and variation creep. Fill in the form and write ' Design Brief ' at the How can we help? box

Are we a fit

Our fit criteria

• Partner: Brisbane / SEQ custom home builder (design-led)

• Project: New custom homes or major renovations (not cosmetic-only)

• Priorities: Buildable clarity, climate-smart comfort, durable materials, low running costs

• Working style: Early decisions, fast turnarounds, clear documentation and collaboration

Not a fit: Volume builds, cosmetic-only renovations, “ASAP drawings”, or projects where key decisions are left until site and then handled as variations.

The best projects happen when builder and architect operate as one team—clear intent, clear decisions, calm delivery.

Why fit matters

A custom home is a chain of trade-offs and decisions. When priorities are clear early and the brief is tight, pricing is cleaner, RFIs drop, and changes don’t snowball into variations. In Queensland, undocumented variations are a common cause of budget blow-outs and disputes—so alignment upfront protects everyone.

Contextual Elegance

Architecture tuned to Brisbane’s sun, shade and breezes—so the plan feels effortless to live in and straightforward to deliver. We design for a sub-tropical climate where cooling and ventilation matter most, not just the photo.

Craft & Material Mastery

Materials that wear in—not out. We select robust, low-maintenance finishes and details that suit Brisbane conditions, so the home stays solid, touchpoints improve with time, and the builder’s reputation holds years after handover.

Summer-First Performance

Comfort comes from the fundamentals. Orientation, shading and cross-ventilation are designed in early, with glazing kept under control—reducing reliance on mechanical cooling and keeping interiors calmer in peak heat.

Legacy Integrity

Clear decisions. Clear documentation. One team. We front-load the critical choices and document intent precisely to cut RFIs and prevent change from turning into variation creep—because poorly documented variations are a common cause of serious building disputes in Queensland.

Design intent that holds on site—comfort, clarity, and longevity.

Our Promise

The Experience

Vision & Discovery

We turn the first client meeting into a proper design brief—priorities, constraints, budget cues and decision-makers—so the project starts aligned and stays aligned. A design brief should describe expectations and the time/cost/quality frame (not “design solutions”).

Micro-deliverable: Confirmed brief + site realities summary (1–2 pages).

Design & Refinement

We test options quickly, then lock the winning scheme early—planning, light, shade and ventilation—so pricing is cleaner and the job doesn’t drift later.

Micro-deliverable: Concept pack (plans + key moves + outline material direction).

Documentation & Approvals

We document intent with the level of clarity a builder can price and deliver—coordinated details where it matters, fewer gaps, fewer “interpret it on site” moments.

Micro-deliverable: Approval set + build/tender set (pricing-ready).

Builder Collaboration

We work builder-anchored: review buildability, assist value management without killing the intent, and keep decisions moving with a clear cadence—so change doesn’t quietly turn into variation creep. In QLD, failure to properly record/approve variations is a common cause of serious disputes—so we design to minimise them and document change properly when it happens.

Micro-deliverable: Buildability review + decision log + site review notes (as needed).

Legacy Hand-Off

A home that performs in Brisbane’s climate, wears in beautifully, and reads as one coherent system—so it still feels right years later.

Micro-deliverable: Care + materials dossier (maintenance + key contacts).

Buildability Kickstart

Clarity in 45 minutes—so every next step is confident.

For Brisbane custom home builders starting a new custom home or major renovation, this session turns a first conversation into a usable design brief and a clear path forward. We align priorities, constraints, budget cues and decision-makers—so the design phase starts aligned and doesn’t drift into variation creep later.

What you receive

• Pre-Call Brief Capture (10 minutes) — a short questionnaire you can fill in after the client meeting.

• 45-minute call with the Principal Architect — focused on scope, constraints, risks, and the decisions that must be made early.

• Brief + Risk Snapshot (PDF) — priorities, red flags, and the first decision gates (so pricing and design don’t chase their tails).

• Next-Steps Roadmap — recommended service depth, indicative timeline, and who needs to decide what next.

Eligibility

Brisbane custom home builders delivering design-led new homes or major renovations • modern, climate-responsive priorities • willing to front-load key decisions • design start 4–8 weeks (or booked pipeline).

Not a fit: volume / project homes • cosmetic-only renos • “ASAP drawings” • jobs where key decisions are left until site and handled as variations.

About Wigwam Architects

Wigwam Architects partners with Brisbane / SEQ custom home builders to deliver design-led homes with early decisions and documentation that holds on site.

Led by Larry Vlad, Registered Architect (QLD), we bring 20+ years across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia—shaped by high-end residential and hospitality standards where clarity, sequencing and performance matter. The result: modern homes that are straightforward to build, comfortable in Brisbane’s climate, and made to age with integrity.

Builder FAQs

Do you have an office / can we meet in person?
We’re remote-first and don’t offer office meetings. For Brisbane projects, site visits are reserved for key milestones; everything else runs via a clear weekly cadence online.

Do you work with major renovations as well as new homes?

Yes. We take on new custom homes and major renovations that re-plan how the home works (not cosmetic-only).

Who do you work with?

Brisbane / SEQ custom home builders delivering design-led homes who want early decisions and documentation that builds cleanly.

When should we engage?

As early as possible—ideally before pricing. Early clarity reduces churn later and helps prevent changes turning into variations. QBCC is blunt: variations should be kept to a minimum and must be properly recorded and approved.

What do you deliver for pricing and approvals?

Coordinated, pricing-ready sets with the key details resolved where they matter—so the site isn’t forced to “design it in the field.”

Can we do partial service?

Yes. From concept + brief capture through approvals/tender sets, or full documentation plus builder collaboration during delivery.

How do you reduce RFIs and delays?

By making design intent buildable and unambiguous—RFIs often come from unclear documents and poor coordination, and they can cause real program delays.

How do you handle changes without chaos?

We front-load decisions, keep a simple decision log, and document changes properly—because undocumented variations are a common source of disputes and blow-outs in QLD.

What style do you design in?

Calm modern—coherent planning, natural materials, and climate-tuned comfort designed for Queensland conditions.

Do you work remotely?

Yes. We run a tight cadence with clear decision gates; you can remain client-facing for meetings and samples while we drive clarity and documentation in the background.

What budgets / scale are a fit?

We’re best suited to design-led custom homes and major renovations where documentation quality and long-term performance matter.

What you’re signing up for

Send this form and we’ll reply by email with the best next step. If it looks aligned, we’ll invite you to book a short call to clarify scope, timeframes, and how we can support you.

This isn’t a design review. It’s the first step to check alignment and decide the cleanest next move.

Remote-first, site-aware. No office meetings. We collaborate online with a clear cadence; site visits happen at key milestones.

Capacity note: If we’re full, we’ll offer a waitlist or a later start window.

Ready to explore your next build?