Building or renovating your home is one of the most significant things you'll ever do. It's exciting, it's personal — and if we're honest, it can feel a little overwhelming at times too. That's exactly why you made the right call having the right team around you.
After two decades and hundreds of projects, we know one thing with absolute certainty — the best outcomes aren't just the result of great design. They're the result of two sides of a table working in the same direction.
When that happens, it's something special. The design gets bolder. Decisions get made with confidence. The process feels less like a series of hurdles and more like a journey with a destination everyone's excited about.
What makes that happen? Honestly — trust. Not blind trust. Earned trust. The kind that builds naturally when communication is open, when questions get answered directly, and when everyone in the room is genuinely working toward the same thing.
From our side, that means being straight with you — always. If something is going to cost more, take longer, or needs a rethink, you'll hear it from us directly and early. No surprises. No fine print moments.
From your side, it means staying engaged with the journey. Bringing your thinking to meetings. Making decisions when they're needed. And telling us when something doesn't feel right — because the only thing that ever makes a project harder is when concerns go unspoken.
That's the partnership we're built on. And it starts right now.
Every project we take on gets our full attention, our full expertise, and a team that genuinely cares about getting it right for you. Two decades. Hundreds of homes. We've seen everything — and we've handled it.
The best projects we've ever delivered had one thing in common: clients who were engaged, decisive, and trusted the process. Your thinking, your wishlist, your honesty — these are what we design from.
When things get complex — and sometimes they do — we're the people in your corner, helping you navigate it. That's the whole point. Not just of this guide, but of the entire partnership.
We believe in great design, clear communication, and a process that makes this journey as enjoyable as the result.— Synergy Building Design
Every project at Synergy is handled by a small, dedicated team. You'll get to know us well — and that's exactly how we like it.
Anthony leads every project from the front — overseeing design direction and making sure the big picture never loses sight of the details that matter. He's genuinely in awe of anyone who starts this journey — who hands their trust to someone they've known for five minutes and says 'design me something I'm going to love.' He doesn't take that lightly. Not ever.
anthony@synergybd.com.au
Sophie is a gun at what she does — but what sets her apart is that she's quietly your biggest advocate in the room. She'll fight for your brief, push back when something isn't serving you, and make sure the design never drifts from what you actually wanted. If you ever feel unheard, Sophie's the one making sure that doesn't happen.
sophie@synergybd.com.au
Eloise has an eye that most people spend a career trying to develop. She cares deeply about how a space actually feels — not just how it looks on paper. When Eloise is involved in your project, the result isn't just a well-designed room. It's a space you'll walk into and immediately know is right.
eloise@synergybd.com.au
Every project we take on follows the same four phases. Not because it's the only way to design a home — but because it's the best way. Each phase builds on the last, nothing gets skipped, and you'll always know exactly where you are and what comes next.
For a full breakdown of what's included at each phase — deliverables, consultant requirements, and the specific conditions that apply to your project — refer to your design proposal and agreement.
The deliverables, inclusions, and conditions for each phase of your project are set out in detail in your design proposal. Please refer to it alongside this guide.
Before anything is drawn, we listen and we look. We visit your site, assess what it offers and what it demands, and work with you to sharpen the brief before a single line is drawn. Most clients are surprised by how much this phase changes — and improves — what they originally had in mind.
What we need from you: your thinking, your wishlist, and your honesty about how you actually live.
Working from the brief, we develop the layout, form, and design direction. This is also where interiors come to life — mood boards, material selections, 3D perspectives of key spaces. By the end of this phase you won't just have plans. You'll be able to see, feel, and walk through your home before it's built.
What we need from you: clear feedback, confident decisions, and trust in the process.
With the design resolved, we translate it into a complete set of technical drawings — coordinated, compliant, and ready for approval and construction. Every detail gets resolved. Every consultant gets coordinated. Nothing goes to a builder that isn't ready.
What we need from you: timely approvals and prompt responses when we reach out.
Optional — available at hourly rates. For clients who want us close during construction, we offer ongoing support through tendering, builder queries, documentation control, and site meetings. It's the difference between a home that gets built, and a home that gets built the way it was designed.
Ask us about what involvement during construction looks like for your project.
A great design meeting isn't one where ideas get discovered for the first time. It's one where considered feedback meets prepared responses — and the conversation moves the project forward.
That's exactly how we run ours.
The more prepared you arrive, the further we go. When you've sat with the drawings, talked through the decisions, and come in with clear feedback — we spend the meeting making progress rather than catching up. In our experience, a well-prepared client gets significantly more out of every session than one who reviews the package for the first time in the room.
The studio is closed on Queensland public holidays. Meetings are not available on these days.
The meeting allocation included at each stage is outlined in your design proposal. Please refer to it for the specific terms that apply to your project.
We'll send you the design package ahead of time. Sit with it properly — not just a quick scan, but a genuine review. Look at it. Live with it for a day. Talk it through with whoever else is involved in the decisions. Note what's working, what isn't, and what questions you have.
Then, before the meeting, send us your feedback. When we receive your thoughts in advance, we come prepared with answers, options, and solutions. The meeting becomes a conversation rather than a reaction — and that's where the best design decisions get made.
You don't need to write an essay. A few clear points go a long way — what you love, what concerns you, what you'd like to explore differently. If you've seen something — a photo, a reference, a detail in another home — share it. The more specific you can be, the better we can respond.
If you're making decisions as a couple or family, talk it through together first. Walking into a meeting aligned saves time and gets you further, every time.
The more prepared you arrive, the further we go. When you've sat with the drawings, talked through the decisions, and come in with clear feedback — we spend the meeting making progress rather than catching up. A well-prepared client gets significantly more out of every session, and that time is genuinely yours to use.
Each stage includes a meeting allocation as outlined in your design proposal. If a meeting runs beyond that allocation, we move into our standard hourly rate automatically. Where we can, we'll let you know — but in the flow of a good conversation, we may not always catch it ourselves. The best way to avoid an unexpected invoice is to come prepared, stay focused, and send us your feedback before the meeting rather than working through it in the room.
Where additional meetings are needed beyond the stage allowance — to explore options, revisit decisions, or work through something in more detail — these can be arranged and are charged at our standard hourly rates in accordance with your agreement.
We're a small studio and we like it that way. It means you'll always deal with the same people, get consistent answers, and never feel like you're starting from scratch every time you reach out.
For anything project-related — questions, feedback, documents, decisions — email is always the best way to reach us. It keeps everything documented and means nothing gets lost. Please allow 24–48 hours for a reply. We'd rather give you a good answer than a fast one.
Monday to Thursday 9am–4pm and Friday 9am–3pm, excluding Queensland public holidays. If we can't pick up, leave a message and we'll get back to you.
For anything related to fees, invoices, or accounts, reach out to our finance team directly to make sure it's handled without delay.
We share our work, our process, and our projects on Facebook and Instagram. Give us a follow — there's a good chance your project will make an appearance.
Before we begin, you'll receive a commencement fee invoice specific to your project. This is a non-refundable payment and is required before any work can commence. The amount is outlined in your design proposal.
Most invoices are issued once a deliverable has been completed and sent to you. Payment terms are set out in your design agreement. If you have questions or concerns about an invoice, reach out immediately — we'd rather resolve something quickly than let it sit.
Sometimes projects evolve — a direction changes, something gets added, a stage needs revisiting. Before any additional work begins, we'll provide a written quote so you know exactly what it will cost. No surprises, no retrospective charges. The conditions that apply to variations are set out in your design agreement.
Your project will require external consultants — surveyors, engineers, energy assessors, certifiers and others depending on your scope. These fees are separate to Synergy's design fee and are your responsibility as the client. We'll identify who's needed early, get quotes approved by you, and coordinate their engagement. Refer to your design proposal for the consultants identified for your specific project.
Prompt payment keeps your project moving. When invoices fall overdue, it creates friction in the process. We'll always communicate openly if things get tight, and we ask that you do the same.
After two decades of delivering homes, we've seen the same patterns emerge on projects that lose momentum. And almost none of them are what people expect.
When we send you a package for review, we ask that you respond within the timeframe set out in your design agreement. Design has momentum — when feedback arrives clearly and on time, we can keep moving. If you need more time, just tell us. We'd always rather know than wonder.
One decision made confidently keeps everything in flow. The projects that run on time are almost always the ones where both sides stay in rhythm — packages get reviewed, feedback comes back, and questions get asked early rather than late.
Prompt payment keeps your project moving. If cash flow timing is ever an issue, talk to us early and we'll work something out. We just need to know.
Council assessment times, consultant availability — these are real and we manage them as best we can. We'll always keep you informed and be honest about what's causing a delay and what we can do about it.
Stay in touch. Stay engaged. The rest we can figure out together.
Budget is one of the most important conversations we have — and one of the least understood parts of the design process. So let's be straight about it from the start.
We're designers, not builders or quantity surveyors. With over two decades of experience we have a strong sense of where projects are heading — and we'll share that honestly at every stage. But we can't give you a guaranteed build cost. What we can do is keep the conversation alive and flag concerns early.
The most common challenge we see isn't clients who don't have a budget — it's clients who aren't sure what their budget can actually deliver in the current market. Build rates shift. Material costs change. We'll always give you our best read on where things sit.
This is one of the most valuable things you can do for your project — and most people do it too late. A good builder brought into the conversation during design can give you real cost feedback before decisions are locked in. We're happy to provide referrals to trusted builders if you need a starting point.
Every decision you make has a cost implication — some small, some significant. We'll give you the tools, the experience, and our honest read at every turn. We'll talk about budget at every stage. We'll never let it become the elephant in the room.
Designing your home is only part of the journey. Getting it approved, documented, and handed to a builder involves a broader team — and we want you to understand how that works before it becomes relevant.
Most projects require specialists beyond our team — surveyors, structural engineers, energy assessors, town planners, and building certifiers. We'll identify who's needed early, coordinate their engagement, and manage communication between disciplines so nothing falls through the gaps. The consultants required for your specific project are identified in your design proposal.
Council and certifier timeframes are outside our control. We prepare your documentation to the highest standard — but assessment times and council conditions are part of the process. We'll stay across it, respond promptly, and keep you informed at every step.
Our core scope is design and documentation. Landscaping, fencing, and construction supervision aren't included as standard — though construction supervision is available through our Deliver phase. Interior styling and furniture selection are available as additional services if you'd like to take the vision all the way through.
Once your construction documentation is complete, approved, and paid for, your plans are released to your builder and our formal engagement concludes. From that point, your builder becomes your primary point of contact for everything on site.
We don't disappear — you're always welcome to reach out with questions. If you'd like us more formally involved during construction, that's exactly what our Deliver phase is for.
If anything feels like it might be in a grey area, just ask. We'll always tell you clearly what's within scope and what isn't.
You've taken the first step. You've committed to doing this properly — with a team that cares, a process that works, and a result that will outlast the journey it took to get there.
We don't take it lightly that you've chosen us. We never do.
Review it carefully, and when you're ready sign it and return it to us at hello@synergybd.com.au and/or anthony@synergybd.com.au. It protects both sides and means we can get to work with complete clarity.
Once we receive your signed agreement and commencement fee, everything is locked in. Payment details are set out in your design proposal. You'll receive confirmation from our team once it's through.
Our team will be in touch to schedule your first meetings — the site visit and scope meeting. Then we get to work. Welcome to Synergy.