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Stunning House Design for Mandurah Homeowners

House Design in Mandurah

Enjoy the design flair of an architect with the service and price of a builder. At Compass Homes we’re your ‘All In One’ house design and building service that won’t just draw up your dream space, we’ll bring it to life, too.
At Compass Homes, we understand that designing a new house can be exhilarating – or exhausting. Your experience comes down to the experts you trust with your vision, and with 28 years of experience creating modern Mandurah homes, we’ve got the team, talent, and tools to help.
As a multi-disciplined home building company, we provide a single point of contact across design and construction. From estimates to pre-construction planning, home design to engineering, sub-contracting to construction, we pave the way for creative solutions that keep your costs down, minimise disruption, and deliver the home you’re looking for.

Call us on 08 9583 4102 to start a conversation about your new home, or click here for a fast and FREE quote on your next house design.

Where do I start if I want to design a house?

Finding a house designer is like finding any home improvement service – it starts with homework.
Unlike buying tools at Bunnings, the client/designer relationship is very personal and requires ongoing communication and trust. Your choice in home design expert needs to understand your tastes, budget, style, hobbies and even your future goals.
To find the right experts, start by asking for referrals from friends and family. Do they know of any home design companies in Perth with a track record of success or homes that are similar to what you envision?
You can also reach out to experts in related fields for advice. Do you know any plumbers, sparkies, landscapers or DIY home improvement fans? They may have insight into local home design companies that you’d otherwise miss out on.

If your friends and family don’t have any options, there are plenty of resources online to help jumpstart your search. Websites like Houzz and Hipages list dozens of local home designers, making it easy to browse and compare.

Finally, be prepared with ideas and inspiration to show to your selected home design experts. Designing a house may be their specialty, but it’s your home. Find floor plans, layouts, rooms, and styles that you like. The more information you have, the easier it is to find a house design service that suits you.

Is there a faster way to find Mandurah’s leading experts?

Not looking to spend your spare weekend scouring Google for tips? No problem.
You can start with us instead.
At Compass Homes, there’s nothing we love more than collaborating with a passionate soon-to-be homeowner to design a home that meets their every want and need. Although property ownership is the great Australian dream, it’s becoming harder and harder to enter the real estate market with skyrocketing prices year on year.
On top of that, buying someone else’s home doesn’t guarantee you’ll find all the designs and rooms you’re looking for. And when existing layouts are restricted, the simple solution is to reach out to our house designing experts at Compass Homes and tell us a little about your vision.
We believe a design requires trust and collaboration, and we’re excited to hear about your vision and help find the most effective, and affordable, path to bringing that vision to life.

Let’s start with a chat and see if our service is right for you. Reserve a free consultation with a home design expert by using our online booking for.

What are the advantages of a specialist building service?

You value your time and money, right?
With an ‘all in one’ service combining the design and build portions of your construction project, you save on both. Rather than deal with an endless carousel of builders, project managers, designers, architects and tradies, you’ll deal with one easy to access and friendly face from start to finish.
Designers who think like builders, and builders who think like designers, unlock a range of advantages from the start of your project to the handover of keys.

Benefits of a specialist design and build service include:

A blended approach to home design allows you to factor in cost and complexity from project inception through completion. This gives you the peace of mind that your final budget won’t contain any nasty surprises (or endless commissions and fees from multiple experts), with budget blowouts an unfortunate side effect of hiring an architect to design a home when they don’t have the build-side experience to know whether their design is practical or not.
With 28 years of experience helping Perth residents design their new homes, the Compass Homes team is made up of licensed, insured and registered builders who can help you save time and money during your next exciting construction project.

How much does it cost to design a house?

Expect standalone house plans to cost between $3,000 and $15,000, depending on the complexity of your home and the expertise of the drafting team.

Keep in mind, this price only applies if you’ll be hiring experts to draw up your home design, then taking those designs to a builder, in which case there’ll be a second (much higher) cost to build your Mandurah home.
At Compass Homes, we’re a design and build company. This means we draw up your designs and implement our vision, cutting out any excess middlemen that can lead to budget blowouts and significant construction delays.
Most design and build specialists will charge a percentage of construction costs rather than a fixed rate or hourly rate. For house plans and council-approved structures, expect to pay between 3% and 5% of total building costs.
However, if you’re not sure of your building costs, or still at the start of your house planning journey, your home designer may revert to a fixed rate. If this feels like a lot of ‘rough estimates’ and ballpark figures, well…they are.
Designing a home is a complex process, which makes a definitive price range tough to nail down. The simplest way to budget your design cost is to speak to your local design and build team and ensure the drafting stage is a collaborative process.

Consider asking the following questions to ensure you’re finding a fair price that meets your expectations:

  • What is your fee structure?
  • Is council approval included in your quote?
  • What other costs should I expect down the line?
  • What costs will I incur if I make changes to my house in the future?

When sourcing quotes, include as much information as possible. From photos of homes that inspire you to floor plan ideas online, the more context you provide, the more accurate your quote will be.

How can I keep the costs of my new house down?

Everyone knows that building a new home comes with certain costs, but that doesn’t mean you need to blow your budget to wake up in your dream property.
The design of your home will contribute to your overall costs, with complex house plans typically costing more in materials, labour, and site preparation. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a luxurious, custom home at a price that works for you.
At Compass Homes, we understand there’s a difference between paying for a quality home and overpaying. That’s why deliver every project with a combination of efficient and direct building methods to keep construction costs low but quality, design and satisfaction sky high.

How long does it take to design a home?

We’re specialists at turning visions into reality, so the time it takes to draft a home design that matches your needs ultimately depends on the complexity of your home, and whether you’ve decided on a home design already.
For example, if you’re excited by our project gallery and would like a home to match the ‘vibe’ of an existing property, it’s likely we’ll need more time to design your house than if you’ve already decided on the number of rooms, layout and primary inclusions.
On average, the pre-construction phase can take between 3 to 6 months.

Can my house be designed on a sloping or difficult block?

Absolutely.
Not every block of land in and around Perth offers a flat, even surface. You may encounter a range of topography challenges from sloping land to narrow lots, downward, upward, sideways, or uniquely shaped.
While these may look challenging, they allow for creative custom building designs and processes from stylish split-level homes to two-storey homes that take advantage of vertical space. At Compass Homes, we have almost three decades of experience behind us to ensure your block of land, no matter how unique, can become home to a custom design that reflects your taste, lifestyle and budget.

Why Choose Compass Homes

No one thinks building a new home is easy – but that doesn’t mean it should be hard.
As Mandurah’s trusted house design experts for the last 28 years, we have a deep understanding of the aesthetic and practical considerations behind the suburb’s most eye-catching and liveable homes.
With a focus on bespoke designs we don’t think cookie-cutter is ever good enough, and strive to offer a design and build service that offers value for money, a personalised service, a straightforward building process, and superior quality workmanship.
As your team of local home designers, we’re licensed, insured and registered, but so are 9 out of 10 Mandurah-based design and build specialists, so why do we stand out?
In short, because we focus on building relationships first, and homes second. You’re never a number on a spreadsheet when you trust our team to bring your vision to life, but a partner we collaborate with and empower to make informed decisions.
Because no one thinks building a new home is easy – and at Compass Homes, we ensure the process isn’t hard.

Frequently Asked Questions About House Design Services in Mandurah

Should I hire an architect before choosing a builder?

No.
Although many people start with an architect, then take the design to a builder, an all-in-one design and build service is more efficient and affordable. At Compass Homes, we design AND build your new home, with a single point of responsibility eliminating tens of hours of red tape, keeping your costs down, and delivering a finished home sooner.

Is home design difficult on a narrow block?

Only if your design and build service lacks imagination.
The average block size in Australia has decreased by 22% over the past 15 years, leading to a demand for creative homes that utilise space without sacrificing form or function. Our design specialists and home builders have the tools and the talent to craft a floor plan that meets the challenges of a narrow block, while elevating your standard of living when it’s time to hand over the keys.

Can builders design homes?

Yes and no.
Most builders who offer home design services are working with project homes. Each project home is mapped out from the start, which helps builders understand exactly what’s required in terms of resources and labour, and deliver a home on a budget and within a set time-frame.
The only downside? There’s very little (if any) room to move if you’d like to make changes or tweak the layout. This drives many Perth residents to start Googling architects and expensive home designing agencies that end up adding thousands of dollars to their overall build cost.

The solution?

‘Design and Build’ contractors (like the Compass Homes team) who can draw up a 100% custom design that’s unique to you (and giving you every feature and room you’ve been dreaming of) as well as deliver on the practical side whether it’s laying brickwork or organising contractors for your carefully chosen bathroom fixtures.