New Farm – Million dollar makeover
Owners Dream
To complete a makeover-before-sale to capitalise on the return from this investment property originally bought and renovated in the 80s when the owner was a student.
Site Condition
Long-term rental had left this blue worker’s cottage dark, dirty and neglected. The deck and stairs were rotten and, meanwhile, scrub turkeys had moved into the back yard. A good local real estate agent valued it at $850,000.
Design Solution
Project management, working with a stylist, landscaper and subcontractors, repaint and repair the house and garden. The property sold before auction for $1.12m with a $360,000 net profit for the owner.
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Our Happy Clients
We knew we only had one chance to get the look and the acoustics right and the room also needed to work if we ever sold the home.PlaceMate took into account not just the acoustics, but also the aesthetics of the room. We are delighted with their work
Greg & Trish Elgar BrisbaneFor an architect, Jan’s not an idiot.
Dave Maguire BuilderOur experience with Placemate Architects was outstanding. They did three
things we appreciated, and nothing we didn’t.
They focused on understanding our needs and what we wanted.
They, Jan specifically, consistently generated creative design options to
assist in the extraordinary number of decisions that need to be made from
the very big to the very small.
And they matched us with exactly the right builder, the excellent Harris
Constructions.
Our decision to work with Placemate Architects meant we got what we wanted,
on time and on budget.

Best use of a steep site
PlaceMate designs topped the state at the Queensland Master Builders Association Housing & Construction Awards for best use of a sloping site over $250,000 for two contemporary townhouses built on a 500sqm site that dropped 10 meters from a busy road. All four bedrooms and living areas captured the city views.

Best renovation $250-$500,000
PlaceMate designs took home the prize at the Queensland Master Builders Association Housing & Construction Awards for the best renovation $250,000 – $500,000 for a 1910 cast concrete Californian bungalow-style house in Indooroopilly. The winning design unified alterations undertaken in the 50s, 70s and 80s and added a new wing.

Recognised in The Courier-Mail
PlaceMate’s skills were recognised in The Courier-Mail in January 2016 for our transformation of a Shorncliffe residence originally built around 1910.
Registered with Board of Architects Queensland
Registration Number 2457
Our Client Success Team
Placemate Architects works with successful and innovative clients. Together we achieve significant and lasting transformations of cities, houses and landscapes.