Richmond Architects

In 2024 we completed a heritage renovation in Richmond: a graded Victorian in a Heritage Overlay, taken through the City of Yarra's permit process and delivered. In 2025 another Yarra project followed in Princes Hill. We can be this matter-of-fact about Richmond because it is next door: our studio sits one suburb away on Wellington Street, Collingwood, inside the same council, and Yarra's planning counter at Richmond Town Hall is a place we actually stand in.

ONE SUBURB OVER

BY Projects Architecture handles Richmond's full spread of work, from cottage renovations to warehouse conversions. Behind the studio door: registered architect Barbara Yerondais FRAIA, and a practice record of 35+ years, 400+ projects across Victoria and 59+ heritage approvals.

35+

YEARS

400+

PROJECTS

59+

HERITAGE APPROVALS

PROJECT MIX

What Richmond owners
ask us for

Terrace & cottage renovations

Single-fronted and double-fronted workers' housing from the 1870s onward makes up much of Richmond's grain; the craft is winning light and storage from narrow plans without touching what the street values.

Going back or going up on tight lots

Where party walls, laneways and overlooking rules mean millimetres decide what the neighbours and the council will accept.

Warehouse & factory conversions

Richmond's industrial past, from the Bryant & May match factory to the Maltings silos under the Nylex sign, left a stock of robust shells; converting industrial buildings into homes and workplaces is a specialty the practice has honed across Melbourne's inner suburbs.

Infill, townhouses & small multi-dwelling projects

On subdivided ex-industrial land near Swan and Church streets.

Heritage restorations

For graded properties, covered in the approvals section.

THE FABRIC

Richmond's fabric,
honestly described

Richmond mixes three kinds of building life: precincts of modest Victorian and Edwardian workers' housing (Abinger Street, Gardner Street and Barkly Gardens among them), commercial spines along Swan, Bridge and Church streets, and the factories that once employed the suburb.

Each carries its own rules and its own opportunities, and the first question for any owner is simply which Richmond their property belongs to.

DESIGN & APPROVAL

Yarra's rules, from inside
the council area

The everyday layer comes first

Setbacks, overlooking, party walls and laneway access shape Richmond projects at least as often as heritage does, and a design that respects them from sketch one saves months of negotiation.

Gradings decide scope

Individually significant, contributory or not contributory: the grading, not the age, sets what can change, and even “not contributory” buildings inside a precinct need permits for most works.

Internal alteration controls

A small number of properties carry internal alteration controls, reaching interior works. We check yours before anything else.

The council's help is free and nearby

Yarra offers complimentary pre-application advice, and for smaller projects a planner gives verbal advice at Richmond Town Hall on Bridge Road, no appointment needed. We use both channels early and arrive with drawings that make the conversation short.

Honest timelines

Victoria's 60-statutory-day clock stops while information requests and referrals are resolved; we build programs around the true duration and say so up front.

Curious what your Richmond terrace or warehouse could carry?

The studio is a walk from Richmond, and the answer is drawn, not guessed.

BOOK A FEASIBILITY SESSION

OUTCOMES

What owners
leave with

A narrow house that suddenly has light where it matters. A shell with industrial bones and a working life ahead of it. A rear addition the street never suspects and the household never stops using. A permit strategy built on knowing how this council actually reads drawings. And first, always, a feasibility session that prices the ambition honestly against the property, before commitment, not after.

Fees are fixed and agreed before design work starts.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Richmond questions,
answered honestly

Is there an architect close to Richmond?

Our studio is at 86 Wellington St, Collingwood, one suburb from Richmond in the same council area, with a delivered Richmond heritage renovation on the record (2024). Feasibility sessions run at the studio.

Can a Richmond warehouse or shopfront become a home?

Frequently, yes; the answer depends on the building's grading, its structure and Yarra's permit pathway, and we tell you honestly which of the three will decide it.

What does an architect-designed renovation or extension cost?

Across BY Projects' delivered work, renovation budgets have ranged from approximately $250,000–$570,000, and substantial extensions have started around $1 million. These are portfolio examples rather than Richmond-wide price guides; scope and site drive the real number, and the feasibility session gives you one for your project.

Is my terrace too small to be worth an architect?

No, and we would argue the opposite: the tighter the lot, the more each design decision is worth. Narrow-lot work is precision work, and it is a specialty here, not a consolation prize.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Council links worth
bookmarking

Heritage overlay rules at Yarra

The council's Heritage Overlay guidance for owners.

Request Yarra pre-application advice

The council's complimentary pre-application channel.

Search the Victorian Heritage Database

Check whether a property is heritage listed.

Start the Conversation

Every project begins with a deep inquiry into site, heritage, and vision. Let’s discuss the strategic potential of your next work.

SCHEDULE A FEASIBILITY SESSION →

A PRELIMINARY CONSULTATION TO EVALUATE HERITAGE CONSTRAINTS, SITE POTENTIAL, AND PROJECT FEASIBILITY.