What does building in a Surf Coast Shire Significant Landscape Overlay actually mean for your project?

See an example of our design in a Significant Landscape Overlay block at Bells Beach.

You've found the block. The views are exactly what you imagined. Then someone mentions the Significant Landscape Overlay — and suddenly you're not sure if you can build what you had in mind. Your real estate agent is vague about it. The council website is dense with planning language. And you're sitting with a block you love and a planning system you don't understand.

This is one of the most common conversations I have with new clients. So let me give you the plain-English version of what the SLO actually means for your project on the Surf Coast.

What the Significant Landscape Overlay actually is

The Significant Landscape Overlay is a planning control that applies to land with recognised landscape significance — places where the visual character of the environment is considered important enough to regulate how buildings appear within it. On the Surf Coast, this covers large parts of Torquay, Jan Juc, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, and Lorne, including esplanade sites, ridge lines, and areas with significant vegetation or coastal character.

The SLO doesn't stop you from building. What it does is place requirements on how you build — primarily around height, materials, colours, setbacks, and vegetation. It means your project is assessed not just against standard building rules, but against how your home will appear in the landscape.

Which Surf Coast suburbs are most affected

The intensity of SLO controls varies across the Shire. Some of the areas most significantly affected include:

•   Jan Juc ridge blocks — highly visible from the coastal corridor

•   Torquay esplanade and beachfront properties — within the Coastal Landscape Overlay

•   Anglesea — particularly blocks interfacing with heathland and the river corridor

•   Aireys Inlet — one of the most sensitively regulated villages on the coast

•   Lorne — almost the entire hillside above the town is subject to landscape controls

The first thing to check with any Surf Coast block is which overlays apply. This is available through the Surf Coast Shire planning portal or the Planning Maps Online tool on the Victorian Government website.

What the SLO means for your design

In practical terms, the SLO typically influences four aspects of your design:

Height. Most SLO schedules on the Surf Coast restrict building height to 7–8 metres above natural ground level, and often require that the roof does not sit above the tree canopy when viewed from public places. This sounds restrictive — but a well-designed two-storey home can almost always be achieved within these limits.

Materials and colours. The SLO typically requires materials and colours that are low-reflectivity and recessive in the landscape. Bright whites, highly reflective metals, and large areas of glass facing public viewpoints will generally not be supported. Earth tones, dark timbers, and materials that read as part of the natural setting work well and are also, in most cases, better design.

Setbacks and siting. Your home may need to be positioned to minimise its visual impact from public viewing points — roads, coastal paths, reserves. On sloping sites, this often means designing into the slope rather than over it.

Vegetation. Removing significant vegetation often triggers a planning permit requirement under the SLO, independently of any building permit. New planting to soften a building's visual impact is frequently a permit condition.

When you need a planning permit

Not all work in an SLO area requires a planning permit. Single-storey additions under certain thresholds, internal works, and some outbuildings may be exempt. But for new homes and significant extensions, you will almost certainly need a planning permit — and the SLO assessment will be part of that process.

This is where having an architect who knows the Surf Coast Shire planning system adds real value. The way you design the project from day one — the materials you specify, the way you site the building, the vegetation you retain — determines whether the planning permit process is smooth or contentious. Designing without understanding the SLO requirements leads to redesigns after lodgement, which costs time and money.

Why the SLO actually makes your property more valuable

Here's the counterintuitive truth about the Significant Landscape Overlay: it's one of the main reasons the Surf Coast looks the way it does. The controls that restrict what your neighbour can build are the same controls that protect your view, your setting, and the character of the area you chose to live in.

A well-designed home within SLO constraints — one that sits in the landscape rather than imposing on it — is also a more valuable home. It attracts buyers who appreciate quality design and environmental sensitivity. In a market where design literacy is high, homes that look like they belong sell better than homes that look like they were dropped from somewhere else.

The SLO isn't an obstacle to good design. In 30 years of designing on the Surf Coast, some of my favourite projects have been made better by the constraints it imposed.

What to do next

If you're buying a Surf Coast block and not sure whether an SLO applies or what it means for what you want to build, the smartest first step is a pre-purchase consultation with an architect who knows the area. An hour of Jeremy's time before you sign a contract can tell you exactly what's achievable — and what's not — on the block you're considering.

Thinking about buying a Surf Coast block that might be in an SLO? Call Jeremy for a pre-purchase consultation before you commit — 0402 952 810 or contact us through the website. No obligation, just an honest conversation about what's possible.

How much does an architect cost in Torquay — and is it worth it?

Most architects won't answer this question publicly. They prefer to discuss fees after the initial consultation, once they've built a relationship and you're already half-sold. I'm going to answer it directly, because I think you deserve to know what you're looking at before you pick up the phone.

The short answer: for a typical Surf Coast new home or significant renovation, expect architectural fees of somewhere between 8% and 12% of the total construction cost, depending on the scope of services. On a $800,000 build, that's $64,000 to $96,000. On a $400,000 renovation, it's $32,000 to $48,000. Those are real numbers, and I think they're worth discussing honestly.

The three ways architects charge

Architectural fees are structured in one of three ways, and which applies depends on the architect and the project:

Percentage of construction cost. The most common approach for full-service residential projects. The architect's fee is calculated as a percentage of the final construction cost. The advantage is that the fee scales with the project — if you build more, the architect earns more. The disadvantage is that the final fee is uncertain until the project is complete.

Fixed fee. Increasingly common for residential work. The architect proposes a fixed fee for a defined scope of services. You know exactly what you're paying from the start. This works best when the scope is well-defined — it can create problems if the project changes significantly during the process.

Hourly rate. Used for smaller pieces of work — pre-purchase consultations, design advice, planning permit reviews. Rates for registered architects on the Surf Coast typically range from $280 to $380 per hour.

What's included — and what isn't

Full-service architectural fees typically cover: initial briefing and site analysis; schematic design (the early design explorations); design development (refining the preferred design); documentation (the full set of drawings and specifications for planning permit and construction); planning permit management; building permit documentation; and contract administration (supervising the build and managing the builder relationship).

What's usually not included: council fees and charges, structural engineering fees, energy assessments, soil tests, surveying, and specialist consultants. These are project costs that sit outside the architect's fee, and on a typical Surf Coast project they add $10,000 to $20,000 on top of the architectural fee.

It's also worth noting that many architects offer partial services — design and documentation only, without construction administration, for example. This can reduce fees significantly and works well for straightforward projects with experienced builders.

The builder comparison

The instinct many homeowners have is to compare an architect's fee against what they'd save by going to a design-and-build company or a building designer instead. It's a fair comparison to make, and sometimes the design-and-build route is the right choice — particularly for straightforward projects on uncomplicated sites.

But there are things worth understanding about that comparison. A building designer is not a registered architect. The title 'architect' is legally protected in Victoria — only people registered with the ARBV can use it. Registration requires a degree, years of supervised experience, and a rigorous examination process. It's not a minor distinction.

More practically: design-and-build companies make their margin on the construction, not the design. Their financial interest is in building efficiently, not in maximising the design outcome for your specific site and brief. An independent architect's only financial interest is in your satisfaction with the design.

The Real Estate Agent comparison

Real estate agents charge a commission of between 1% and 3% on the sale price of residential properties. in my experience, this fee is non-negotiable as real estate agents work with a common understanding and interest to maintain their commission base. Keep in mind that this commission both the house and the land value – whereas architects charge professional fees based only on the value of the building works (i.e. the house).

Now think of the work that an architect does, grounded in years of study and professional knowledge and experience, to analyse the site, come up with a complex diet design solution, prepare planning documentation and a full set of tender drawings, negotiate with build surveyors and builders in order to deliver your house design. in some instances, a real estate agent can sell a house within a day – and will often sell a property multiple times over a period of years – each time receiving their commission.

How good design pays for itself

The strongest argument for architectural fees isn't the quality of the design itself — it's the downstream return on that investment.

A well-designed home uses less energy. Passive solar orientation, shading, cross-ventilation, and thermal performance aren't features you add to a design — they're consequences of getting the fundamentals right from the start. A home designed around these principles will cost significantly less to heat and cool over 20 years of ownership than one that wasn't.

A well-designed home sells better. In the Surf Coast market, where buyer sophistication is high and design literacy is increasing, homes with genuine architectural quality consistently command premiums. The data on this is consistent: design quality is a significant driver of residential property value.

A well-managed process avoids expensive mistakes. Planning permit refusals, mid-construction design changes, and builder disputes are all significantly more expensive than the architectural fees that would have prevented them. Having an experienced architect manage your project from start to finish is risk management as much as it is design service.

In 30 years of practice, I've never had a client tell me their architect was the most expensive thing about their project. I've had many tell me they wished they'd engaged an architect earlier.

What to ask before you agree to anything

Before agreeing to any architectural engagement, ask these questions: Will I work directly with you throughout the project, or will I be handed to a junior? How many other projects are you running concurrently? Can you show me three recent projects comparable to mine? What is your fee structure, and what does it specifically include? What are the exclusions?

At SurfCoast Architecture, the answers are: you work directly with Jeremy, always. The practice is intentionally small so every client gets genuine attention. And the fee structure is discussed openly in the first conversation.

Want to talk through what your project might cost — and what you'd get for that investment? Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute conversation. Call Jeremy on 0402 952 810 or get in touch through the website.

On job Satisfaction

I received a Facebook notification yesterday telling me that five years ago on this day, construction was completed on a major renovation I designed at Bells Beach. I forwarded this on to my wonderful client and this morning was invited to the house for a coffee. As I pulled into the driveway, I was struck by the way the house fitted into the environment of the Ironbark basin- 5 years of garden growth had really settled the house in. My former clients and now friends, N and S invited me into their house and I was overtaken with satisfaction with the job that I have the privilege of performing.

As they showed me, room by room, through the house we talked about the original building, the challenges, the decisions and the outcome of the two year process of design and construction. Over a coffee, I pulled out my phone and found photographs of the house before, my intervention. This 1980s double brick, exposed rafters and pine ceilings house was a complete mess and in need of a major renovation.

We talked of the impact of the one bold move – relocating a wall so that the kitchen faces the living room – on their lifestyle. This one idea, something that I intuited the very first time I walked inside the house, realised to principal central to most of my designs: making the kitchen the heart of the house.

We also talked about how the replacement of the tired timber cladding with Colorbond Monument worked with the brickwork to set the house into the green bushland landscape. And how the only addition to the existing building- the Master bedroom pod clad in fire-resistant Colorbond- fitted in with the language of the house.

Over our coffee driven conversation sitting at the kitchen bench, I had an overwhelming sense of the impact of this renovation on the lives of my friends and clients. Their sense of the house being such an intrinsic part of their lives- not only a place to live, but a part of them. As Nick texted me: “We LOVE it! It’s part of the environment and it’s a part of us”. I thjough- “my job is done…”

I don’t design houses for magazine covers. I design houses for people. I also design houses that respect the indigenous environment of the Surfcoast, aiming to minimise the impact of our interventions and to maximise the relationship between humans and the environment. I believe that the craft of architecture is under-valued in Australia – with volume builders offering  “free” design services, and architects having a reputation for excessive and expensive designs. I always say that your investment in design will produce returns in terms of lifestyle, reduced energy in maintenance costs and, ultimately, through capital gains upon sale.

Ultimately, architecture is all about people: building a relationship of trust between the client and the architect and the architect working creatively and in consultation with clients to deliver exceptional outcomes. These outcomes are not measured by the number of Instagram hits or awards- but by how architecture impacts the lives of real people.

Sometimes, the only way you find the true measure of that impact of your work is to sit down with a cup of coffee five years after the building is handed over.

Thinking about who to hire for your Surf Coast project? Call Jeremy for a free 30-minute conversation — 0402 952 810.

Bells Beach Renovation- Before

Bells Beach Renovation- Bedroom Pod- After

Demolition drawing of original floor plan

Proposed floor plan

Architect or Building Designer on the Surf Coast — What's the Difference?

By Jeremy Ham, SurfCoast Architecture

If you're planning a new home or renovation on the Surf Coast and you've started researching who to hire, you've probably come across both terms — architect and building designer — and wondered what the difference actually is, and whether it matters.

It does matter. The distinction affects your legal protections, your design outcome, and — on a coastline as regulated as this one — your chances of getting through the planning system smoothly. Here's what you need to know.

What's the actual difference?

In Victoria, the title "architect" is legally protected. To use it, a person must be registered with the Architects Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV). That registration requires a recognised degree in architecture, a period of practical experience (typically two years of documented work under supervision), and a professional examination. It's a meaningful bar.

The title "building designer" is not protected in the same way. Building designers can produce construction documents and manage projects competently — many are experienced professionals — but their qualifications, training depth, and ongoing requirements vary considerably. There is no single licensing body and no equivalent registration process to that of an architect.

This doesn't mean every architect is better than every building designer. But it does mean that when you engage a registered architect, you know exactly what standard of training and accountability sits behind the title.

Why does this matter more on the Surf Coast?

Anywhere in Victoria, registration matters. On the Surf Coast, it matters even more — and here's why.

The Surf Coast Shire is one of the most heavily overlaid planning environments in regional Victoria. Properties across Torquay, Jan Juc, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Lorne and beyond are routinely subject to combinations of:

• Bushfire Management Overlays (BMO) — affecting materials, construction method, vegetation clearance and cost. A BAL-29 or BAL-40 rating can add $30,000–$80,000 to a build.

• Environmental Significance Overlays (ESO) — restricting removal of native vegetation, affecting site coverage, setbacks and even which materials can be used externally.

• Neighbourhood Character Overlays (NCO) — sets out limitations on heights, building areas, site coverage, setbacks in order to retain the coastal character of the neighbourhood- requires very creative solutions.

• Vegetation Protection Overlays (VPO) — protecting significant trees in ways that directly affect where you can build and how.

Navigating these overlays requires more than design skill. It requires an intimate familiarity with how the Surf Coast Shire interprets and applies its planning scheme — knowledge that comes from years of working in this specific environment, lodging permit applications here, working with local planning consultants, and learning how council planners think.

A building designer who primarily works in metropolitan Melbourne may produce a beautiful design that, when it reaches a council planner, encounters an overlay condition they didn't account for. That means delays, redesign, additional cost, and in some cases a permit refusal that could have been avoided.

What does an architect actually do that's different?

Beyond credentials, there are practical differences in how a registered architect approaches a project.

Design thinking from first principles. An architect is trained to interrogate the brief before accepting it — to ask not just "what do you want?" but "why do you want it, and is there a better way to achieve the outcome?" The result is often a home that solves problems the client hadn't articulated, not just one that ticks boxes.

End-to-end service. A full architectural engagement covers concept design, design development, documentation, tender management (getting accurate quotes from builders), and contract administration during construction — which means your architect is on site regularly, reviewing work, and making sure what gets built matches what was designed. Many building designers offer documentation only, leaving the client to manage the builder relationship themselves.

Professional accountability. Registered architects carry professional indemnity insurance and are subject to ARBV oversight. If something goes wrong, there is a formal complaints and disciplinary process with real consequences. This matters when you're making one of the largest financial decisions of your life.

ARBV membership and ongoing development. Registration isn't a one-time qualification. It requires ongoing professional development and renewal — which means a registered architect's knowledge of building codes, energy efficiency standards, planning changes, and construction methods is kept current.

When might a building designer be appropriate?

Building designers can be a good fit for straightforward projects where planning complexity is low — a simple addition to a standard suburban block with no overlays, for example, or a small internal renovation that doesn't require a planning permit at all.

But on the Surf Coast, "no overlays" is the exception rather than the rule. If you're buying land or an existing home in Torquay, Jan Juc, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Lorne, Wye River or anywhere along the Great Ocean Road corridor, the chances are high that your property has at least one overlay condition that will shape what you can build and how much it will cost.

Before you assume your project is simple, it's worth finding out what overlays apply to your property. It's a free check — the Planning Maps Online site lists all overlays by address — and it could change your thinking about the level of expertise your project needs.

The Surf Coast question specifically

Thirty years of designing on this coastline has taught me one consistent lesson: what looks like a straightforward project rarely is, once you understand the site properly. The blocks are often difficult to build on, vegetated, the planning overlays are often stacked, the coastal conditions are specific, and council's expectations are higher than many clients expect.

The Surf Coast attracts buyers who've made a considered choice to live somewhere genuinely beautiful. The homes they build here should reflect that choice — not just in aesthetics, but in how they sit on the land, how they perform in the coastal climate, how they hold their value, and how they respond to the constraints of this particular stretch of coastline.

That's what a registered architect brings to the table. Not just technical compliance, but the design intelligence to turn a complicated site into a home you'll love for decades.

Ready to talk about your project?

Whether you've just bought land, you're planning a renovation, or you're still in the early stages of thinking about a new home on the Surf Coast — a conversation with Jeremy costs nothing.

Call Jeremy on 0402 952 810 for a free, no-obligation chat about what's possible for your project. Or get in touch online.

SurfCoast Architecture — ARBV Registered Architects since 1997. Torquay, Surf Coast Victoria.

ArchiCAD 3D model of Jan Juc house design at Planning Permit Stage