Barbara Yerondais : Principal Architect & Founder

A Legacy of Quiet Strength

In Melbourne’s layered streets—where history lingers in every arch and light—we craft homes that carry forward. At BY Projects Architecture, Barbara Yerondais leads with the grace of someone who’s shaped spaces for 35 years: not just buildings, but lives. Her work honors your story, blending heritage depth with sustainable tomorrow. From intimate revivals to community-scale impact, we deliver with care that builds trust. Ready to shape yours? Claim your free consultation.

At a Glance:
Proven Authority

  • Volume: 400+ projects delivered, $300M+ in value—from $1M+ residential renos to 235+ social housing dwellings since 2009.
  • Trust: FRAIA Fellow, ARBV/ARBQ registered, 5-star reviews, zero major variations. Fixed-fee clarity from day one.
  • Wins: RAIA Renovator Achievement (1991), Planning Institute Honour (1993), Paul Harris Fellow. 59 heritage overlays navigated, 20-30% efficiency gains standard.
  • Reach: Partnerships with 10+ councils (Hume to Whittlesea), AIA/NAWIC/Community Housing Federation ties. Suburb-savvy: Albert Park to Shepparton.

These aren’t numbers. They’re the quiet proof we show up—experienced, reliable, ready for your scale. Explore our process.

Barbara’s Path:
Expertise Earned with Grace

Barbara Yerondais FRAIA MAICD NAWIC holds a B.Arch from RMIT (1987), FRAIA and registrations in Victoria and Queensland. Her foundation? Walker and Yerondais (1989-2009): 30+ heritage restorations, 96 public housing units (28 new, 68 renos). Since founding BY in 2009, she’s overseen 235 social dwellings across Victoria—greenfields like Ringwood’s 156 apartments, partnerships yielding real community wins.

Lecturing shaped her: RMIT tutor/lecturer in construction (1986-1991), University of Melbourne in property and capstone design (2010-2020). She’s mentored 13+ women via AIA Vic since 2009—growing the program from 5 to dozens—and one young Rotarian architect, still connecting over career turns.

Barbara’s grace comes from her second-generation migrant roots: a commitment to cultural ties, social inclusion, and resilient design. As she puts it: “This is your dream home. Let’s talk about it, and let me get a picture of what you’re interested in.” It’s collaborative, never imposed—building relationships that feel like partnership. Keep reading to meet the team.

For the full story—her resiliency through early challenges, determination in mentoring, and expertise that turns vision into legacy—read Barbara’s Journey. It’s the deeper why behind the work.

Meet the team below.

FIN OUT MORE

Your home, your terms.

Residential | Renovation | Commercial | Interior.

Testimonials

Jordan Hughes profile pictureJordan Hughes
23:36 01 May 25
Barbara Oh profile pictureBarbara Oh
08:27 11 Jul 24
I highly recommmend the team at BY Architecture.

Barbara, Howard and the team designed a wonderful extension to my late 1960s Melbourne home, ran the tender process to find me a builder, and superintended the build contract.

The design process that Barbara took me through was comprehensive, well-considered and highly collaborative, and the resulting extension and renovation was incredibly well-tailored to my specific needs and desires.

The tender process was similarly well-run, and we ended up choosing a builder that Barbara had worked with many times before and recommended. The recommendation was a great one and the entire build ran very smoothly, with the many quirks arising in a typical renovation being dealt with intelligently and with no fuss.

During the entire time I worked with them, Barbara and her team went over-and-above to keep me happy. As a result of their attention to detail and their focus on customer service, they ensured that what can often be a stressful time was actually a pleasure. I cannot thank them enough and would work with them again in a heartbeat.
thir carc profile picturethir carc
12:44 17 Jun 24
Barbara is very friendly and easy to work with. Thank you for the great advices.
Response from the owner 23:14 17 Jun 24
thank you Arik. Happy to be helpful
Emily Campbell profile pictureEmily Campbell
02:59 31 May 24
Barbara and the BY Projects team were fantastic to work with for our knockdown-rebuild. We had no idea what we were doing or getting ourselves in for, and through every stage of the process Barbara explained everything and was supportive and transparent.
She drew plans for a beautiful house for us which fulfilled everything we wanted while adding such flair and style that we never could have imagined ourselves.
I was so glad to have her and her team on my side throughout the build process, as we would have struggled to advocate for ourselves (or even notice) mistakes or defects by the builder.
Overall, we just couldn’t be happier with the final result.
Response from the owner 06:53 31 May 24
Thank you for your enthusiasm Emily. And thank you for trusting us with your dream Home. It's been a pleasure working with you and your family, and we trust you will enjoy your home for the years to come.
Jennifer Hauptman profile pictureJennifer Hauptman
03:43 04 Feb 24
Koray Yazgan profile pictureKoray Yazgan
03:49 13 Mar 21
We recently had the pleasure of carrying out a renovation for Barbara and BY Projects Architecture.
The project ran very smoothly from receiving the plans, to handover day.
Barbara pays very close attention to detail and takes great pride in her work.
We look forward to working with BY again on future projects.
Response from the owner 22:11 30 Mar 21
Thank you Koray. It was a pleasure working with AMCON Homes, we look forward to working with you again in the future.
Janardhan S profile pictureJanardhan S
05:35 15 Feb 21
Barbara provided excellent professional advice regarding Town planning and approval process by the Council. She went out of her way to find the right information and help me. Will surely use their services again when necessary.
I would highly recommend them.
Response from the owner 01:37 16 Feb 21
Thank you Jarardhan. We do hope you find a more suitable site soon to build your dream homeBarbara
Sophie Banfield profile pictureSophie Banfield
13:34 29 Apr 20
We were in a very difficult position after a VCAT rejection. Barbara came into our project and reimagined what was possible with our property. Going from a house with three shops with significantly reduced value to a development with two town houses, a cafe and all able to be subdivided into three separate properties. Barbara was positive, enthusiastic, charming at planning meeting and all in all kept us positive and hopeful. Barbara went through the whole process with us and I would say went above and beyond what would generally be expected. She worked well with our development team, working out strategies for planning challenges. We are very thankful for her time and energy.
Mark Shannon profile pictureMark Shannon
23:46 24 Aug 19
We engaged Barbara and her team many times over many years for our Building Development Projects, including Multi Residential, Child Care and Mixed Use. Most recently for a couple of houses in Port Melbourne with complex Heritage Overlay requirements.

Barbara worked with us closely to ensure all design requirements were achieved to exceed market expectations. All permit requirements were managed in a professional and timely manner, and all processes were met on time and on budget.

The finished buildings were outstanding and the realized sales well above market expectations.

We highly recommend BY Projects Architecture for their Design sense and construction experience.
Virginia Jackson profile pictureVirginia Jackson
05:25 24 May 19
I have worked with Barbara and the team at BY Projects on a number of projects now. Its hard to think how you could get better value for money. They are great architects - that goes without saying. But its the extra mile they go to on your behalf in order to secure the very best for you that makes all the difference. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for your next project.
Response from the owner 06:02 24 May 19
Thank you Virginia for your kind words. It is always a pleasure working with you.

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