WHATS GOING ON?
With the Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenburg affirming that Australia in recession, the need for economic stimulus is ever-present. Whilst initiatives such as the JobKeeper Payment, supplementary payments to individuals, and early access to superannuation have been effective in the short-term, there is a demand for broader strategic planning from the Federal and State Governments.
So far we have seen the HomeBuilder grants scheme. The package will boost the economy by keeping residential builders and trades in their jobs, however, the payments target audience of home-owners with surplus cash has been criticised. Arguably future stimulus grants should benefit those most disadvantaged in our society.
Be it public housing, community housing, or private rentals, there is a national shortage of affordable housing for those in need. In 2019 the national social and affordable deficit was 651,300 and this is expected to rise to 1 million by 2036.
A conglomerate of NSW based industry associations has recently called upon the State and Federal Government for greater investment in affordable housing and Victorian counterparts have done the same.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
There are many opportunities to improve the provision of affordable housing:
• Identifying unused government-owned land for development.
• Collaboration between designers, planners, housing advisors, philanthropists, councils and governments.
• Fast-tracking of approvals.
• Requirements for developments to include affordable housing.
CASE STUDY: COMMUNITY CARE ACCOMMODATION IN WANGARATTA
BY Projects has worked closely with community housing organisation BeyondHousing in developing an underutilised site to provide community care accommodation in Wangaratta. Thirteen 1-2 bedroom units will provide affordable housing to tenants with the capacity to act as transitional and crisis housing when required.
Marrying affordability with liveability was critical to the design, with each unit achieving at least silver standard under the Livable Housing Design Guidelines and also complying with the DHHS Housing Design Guidelines.
Access to quality green space is emphasized with each unit having ample private open space complemented by generous communal areas. A rain garden is featured at the low point of the site to aide with the retention of stormwater on-site.
With government funding, many more projects such as this could provide affordable housing to communities across Victoria. The expertise of designers, housing expert advisors, planners and the community are waiting to be utilised.
Zeb Kitchell, 8 August 2020
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.
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.
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 
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.
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. 
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.
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. 
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.
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 
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.
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.
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.
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. 
