The Arch.Hive Process
Browse our range of architecturally designed, consent-ready homes and select a plan that best matches your style, vision, and property.
If you’re unsure which plan is right for your site, our sales consultants are here to guide you —helping you choose a design that fits both your goals and your land.
Step 1 — Choose Your Design
Each Arch.Hive plan is available in three tiers—Essentials, Classic, and Prestige—with different levels of specifications and finishes to suit your investment level.
Every plan shows an Arch.Hive package cost, which includes:
Consent-Ready documentation for the build, which will be used to build your home & apply for consent on your property.
Structural engineering plans & detailing has already been designed for the build. Engineering may need to be adjusted to suit your property.
Detailed interior design specifications & finishes schedule
Look-book to match the interior design schedule.
Detailed interior design drawings (eg, cabinetry designs, tile set out plans, plumbing set out plans, electrical and lighting plans ).
QS (Take-off build budget) You can use this to manage your budget, and your builder and contractors can simply apply their rates to the QS for an accurate and fair budget.
Below the package price, you will see the estimated build cost under each tier, giving you a clear idea of what it will cost to build your home for your chosen specification level.
The estimated build costs reflect a range, as the final costs will vary depending on your location, site conditions, chosen builder, contractors, and final interior selections within our packages, but this approach provides early budget clarity so you can make confident decisions.
Step 2 — Select Your Budget Tier
Book your initial 30-minute consultation, hosted either in person or over Zoom. This session is complimentary and gives you the chance to learn more about the Arch.Hive process, ask questions, and discuss how your chosen design can be tailored to your property and lifestyle.
Step 3 — Complimentary Consultation
We arrange planning reports specific to your property, such as:
A council feasibility report
Topographical survey (property contours)
Geotechnical report (Soil type and foundation recommendations)
These provide the detailed site information needed to understand planning requirements, identify constraints, and ensure your chosen design is best suited to your land.
If you already have these reports, our architectural team can use these in their initial review.
Step 4 — Site Planning Reports
This is the point where your vision becomes an official Arch.Hive project. Once you’re ready to move forward, we’ll provide a detailed agreement package that clearly sets out:
A full list of inclusions and deliverables for your chosen plan and tier.
A tailored project timeline, showing what happens at each stage and when.
A transparent payment schedule, aligned with project milestones for peace of mind.
Progress claims are structured as follows:
30% deposit upon signing the agreement.
50% payment prior to your property-specific design presentation.
20% payment upon sign-off of the property-specific concept design.
By signing the agreement, you secure your place in our project pipeline and lock in our team of architects, designers, and consultants to bring your design to life. From here, you’ll have complete clarity on the process, budget, and outcomes—giving you confidence to move forward.
With Arch.Hive’s streamlined approach, starting from consent-ready architectural plans, you significantly reduce the design timeline while gaining structure, certainty, and transparency for the design process. You’ll know exactly what’s included, what to expect, and how your chosen plan will be tailored into your future home.
Step 5 — Agreement & Timeline
We then move into the concept design stage. You’ll meet with a sales consultant and our architect for a 1.5–2 hour design workshop, either in person or online. Together, we’ll review your project, chosen plan, and any customisation requests in detail.
Your plan is then modelled specifically to your property—factoring in site contours, foundations, orientation, landscaping, and council requirements from your planning reports.
At this stage, you can customise the design to suit your lifestyle and vision—whether that’s increasing the footprint, adding bedrooms or living areas, reconfiguring layouts, or selecting new cladding and finishes. This is where your chosen plan begins to take shape as your home.
Step 6 — Concept Design Stage
Following the workshop, our architect develops your design—modelling your chosen plan with the agreed adjustments and site-specific details.
Within 2–3 weeks, we’ll host a design presentation, where you’ll see your home brought to life. During this session, we’ll walk you through the full concept, highlight how it has been tailored to your site, and refine any final details together.
This stage ensures you have complete confidence in your design before we progress to detailed documentation.
Step 7 — Concept Prep & Presentation
Once your concept is finalised and approved, your project is ready to move into site-specific consent detailing. This stage develops the technical drawings and reports required for council lodgement, including items such as:
Earthworks and site preparation plans.
Foundation and structural detailing.
Service connections and drainage.
Other property-specific requirements.
These consent details are not included in your initial Arch.Hive package and are charged at an hourly rate. This is because the scope and time required can vary significantly depending on your site conditions and the level of detailing needed.
Following this work, you will receive the complete consent-ready documentation set tailored to your property—ready for council submission and for your builder to begin planning construction.