Prepare your project.
Free resources for clarity and confidence.
Starting a custom project is a big step, and the decisions made early define the outcome.
These tools and resources are designed to help you, from shaping your brief to understanding budgets and the path ahead. They are simple to use, free to access, and designed to bring clarity to your planning.
Our aim is to make bespoke architecture more approachable and achievable.
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1. Find Inspiration
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2. Consolidate Your Brief
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3. Check your Budget
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4. Understand the Process
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5. Talk to an Architect
Step 1. Get Inspired.
This collection of resources brings together some of the places we turn to for ideas, materials and thoughtful design. From architecture and craftsmanship to gardens, furniture and sustainable building, each site offers a different way of seeing how people shape the world around them.
Use these sources to explore, collect ideas and form your own vision. Whether it’s a detail, a texture or a way of living, inspiration is the first step toward creating something special.
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ArchDaily
The world's most visited architecture platform
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Pinterest
A visual tool to collect mood boards and explore style directions.
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Dezeen
Leading design magazine with architecture, interiors and product design stories.
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The Local Project
Australian projects celebrating detail, honesty and the relationship between architecture, furniture and landscape.
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Sight Unseen
Contemporary design and independent makers focusing on materiality, craftsmanship and emerging talent.
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Material District
A curated library of innovative and sustainable building materials.
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Green Magazine Australia
Focused on environmentally conscious architecture and design.
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Freunde von Freunden
Some Berlin inspired trendy stuff. Creative studios, homes and workplaces from around the world, with a personal and tactile lens.
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Wonderground
The official continuation of The Planthunter by Georgina Reid. It carries forward the same poetic, grounded storytelling about people, plants and place.
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Est Living
A little bit out there. Premium interiors and furniture publication featuring contemporary makers and artisan studios.
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Built by Nature
A European network promoting timber, bio-based and carbon-storing materials in construction.
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Earth Building Australia
Practical information and case studies on rammed earth, straw bale, and adobe construction in Australian conditions.
Step 2. Start your Brief with Clarity.
This short form helps capture the basic details of your project. In just a few minutes you can outline your ideas, priorities, and budget.
You can keep the brief for your own planning, or send it to us as a starting point for conversation. The more information you share, the easier it is for us to understand your project and provide guidance on scope, timing, and potential fees.
3. Budget Calculator.
Enter your budget and see how it divides across construction, design, approvals, fees, and contingency. From traditional structures to the fixed concept design fees we offer. This is a guide only, intended to illustrate how design fees compare and where your budget is spent.
Step 4. The Client’s Journey. Coming Soon!
The Client’s Journey is a downloadable guide for anyone considering a custom home or design project. It offers a clear picture of what it’s like to work with an architect. From first ideas to a finished build.
The guide is divided into two parts:
The Process outlines each project stage step by step.
The Joshua Brook Approach explains the values and principles that guide our work.
Together, they connect the how with the why. Helping new clients to understand what to expect, and what makes the journey worth taking.
Be the first to receive the guide when it launches!
Step 5. Talk with an Architect
If you’re serious about moving forward with a project, we offer an obligation free project consultation to go through your ideas, answer early questions, and outline the way forward.