A patient,
hand-sketched process.
Eight phases from the day you first call us to the day we hand you the keys. Nothing is hidden, nothing is rushed, and the same person walks beside you through every stage.
First conversation.
A 60–90 minute call or studio meeting. We do not show you any work in this conversation. We listen — about your family, your routine, your inheritance from the home you grew up in, your morning coffee corner, the dream you've stopped saying out loud. No commitment from either side. No follow-up pressure. We will tell you, by the end, whether we're the right studio for what you want.
The site walk.
We come to your plot — or if you haven't bought one yet, we walk a few you're considering. Two architects, one site lead, half a day. We measure the soil, watch where the sun lands, listen for the road, talk to your neighbours, sketch the trees. We come back to the studio with a 14-page site survey that we share with you whether you hire us or not.
The written brief.
We co-author a document with you — your brief. It is not a checklist. It is a story of the home you want to grow old in, with rooms, rituals, and constraints. We send it back to you for edits. Then we sign it together. This document anchors the next 20 months. When in doubt, we ask: does this decision agree with the brief?
Sketches on paper.
We present three concepts. Hand-drawn, A3 prints, in the studio over chai. Different geometries, different orientations, different soul. You pick one — or we hybridise. Software does not open until this stage is signed off. We argue the most here; the build is the calmest because of it.
Photoreal 3D walkthrough.
The chosen concept goes into SketchUp, then Lumion. You walk through your home before it exists — exterior at noon, interior at golden hour, monsoon mood at 7pm. You point at things and we change them. This is the cheapest time to change your mind. Many do.
Drawing package.
The technical heart of the project. Plans, sections, elevations, structural drawings, electrical layout, plumbing, joinery details, every interior element. The set goes to the municipal corporation for permits and to our site lead for execution. Every detail is drawn — we don't decide things on site.
The build.
12–18 months on site. Our site lead lives within 15km of the project — he's on it daily. You receive a video tour every Saturday morning. We hold a monthly review with you on site. Vendors are paid against milestone, not against time. There is no markup on materials — you see every bill.
Handover & after.
We hand over the keys, walk you through every switch and tap, leave behind a maintenance handbook, and check on the home twice in the first year. The defect liability period is 12 months — anything that misbehaves is on us. We come for the housewarming. We see most clients twice more, in passing, in the years after.
It begins with a conversation.
No commitment. No proposal. Just an honest 90-minute chat — about your site, your family, and whether NHgreen is right for you.