Windiate Architects PTY Ltd.

We met with several architects before choosing Gary Windiate to work with us on the design of a major renovation and extension to our heritage listed home. We could not be happier with our choice.Being a builder by trade and my wife with a keen eye for design, we both wanted to be hands-on during both the design and construction phases. Gary was very flexible to accommodate our involvement and structured his service offering and costing proposal to reflect that. He was such a calm yet dynamic force throughout the long process. He is supported by a skilled team and together they successfully managed our timeframes and the vast red tape involved with Council’s town planning and heritage departments. The result is a beautiful heritage home that functions flawlessly as a modern family. Gary was able to translate our very specific wish list into a reality. We highly recommend Gary and his team for any residential project, particularly heritage listed homes and complex projects.

There were many challenges in the brief we gave to Gary. We wanted a contemporary house in a heritage area. We also wanted a house that would be easily accessible for older and disabled persons. The land is narrow and slopes to the rear. Gary worked collaboratively with us on the design; he listened and constructively resolved the many issues that confronted us. The Council provided very few guidelines in relation to these requirements, but Gary was able to work through the impediments and obtain the approvals. We wanted a modern house that would stand as an equal to the historic 1880’s terraces around us. The appearance of the house needed to be in proportion with the adjacent double story victorian terrace. This was achieved through clever and nuanced design elements that elongated the façade, and was then absorbed into the rest of the house through interesting ceiling and room configurations.The hallways and rooms needed to accommodate possible future wheelchairs. So, all spaces are sufficiently wide and internal steps have been replaced with ramps. The use of internal gardens, both downstairs and upstairs, plus the liberal inclusion of skylights provide wonderful light and ventilation. An important feature is a large basement that has the laundry, a great deal of storage and work area, and all of the services such as hydronic heating, hot water, pumps, solar inverters and future batteries and the lift that moves through each of the three levels.Gary has achieved an outcome with which we are extremely pleased and he can feel justifiable proud of.

We engaged Windiate Architects in both consultation and design services. Gary Windiate and his team were great to work with, professional and prompt in response to questions. Gary's creativity, commitment, passion and desire to fulfill our vision was a joy to behold. We highly recommend Windiate Architects for their residential design and expertise.

We're midway through a fairly major project with Gary and have found him and his team invaluable in delivering against our intent (and the design requirements we didn't know we had). Windiate Architects have an excellent grasp of functional design and have made the absolute best of our challenging site dynamics.Gary in particular also has a great manner and is a good problem solver.

After speaking to a number of architects it was a difficult decision and we ultimately selected the person we felt the most comfortable with in entrusting him with designing our family home in St Kilda West. We couldn't have made a better decision as Gary was instrumental in coming up with extremely visually effective, practical and cost effective designs which is very rare that I can use these 3 words in the same sentence. Furthermore his knowledge with planning controls in an heritage overlay area made the project efficient and took out the guess work. We have been so impressed and pleased with Gary that we entrusted him with interior design improvements at our hospitality ventures - Seamstress Restaurant & Bar & The Emerald Peacock Rooftop & Cocktail Bar in Melbourne CBD. Gary is capable, creative & pragmatic and is solution driven I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

Before engaging Windiate Architects we carried out an extensive search of architects whose work appealed to us, and eventually narrowed the list down to three potential candidates. We then “Interviewed” each architect to decide which one we would engage.The deciding two factors that made us opt for Gary was that we liked what we saw in his resume, and importantly to us, we felt we could best work with Gary on an ongoing basis. Simply put, there was an easy relationship between us that made us feel that the process of designing our home would be a pleasant experience with Gary.During initial meetings Gary listened to what we hoped to achieve in building our home; plenty of natural light, three bedrooms including master bedroom and ensuite, study, bathroom, and kitchen/living/dining-room – all in an inner city suburb with a heritage overlay.Once we had put forward our hopes and ideas Gary went to work conceptualizing how our requirements might be met. While Gary took notice of what we asked for, he expanded on our ideas and brought his own flair and style to the project. If we weren’t all that keen on any of his ideas he listened to our concerns and either modified his plans, or explained why our alternative ideas would cause issues. His patience seemed endless.We sometimes wondered how Gary could be across almost every detail of our build, despite being involved in his other projects. But I guess that’s what professionals in any business do, it’s what clients have a right to expect, and Gary delivers in abundance.Gary has transformed our house from an impractical, dark, cold, Victorian terrace to a warm, contemporary, modern home. The functionality of the house is fantastic, there is an astounding amount of storage for example, but more than just practicality, we have a light filled, tastefully renovated house that has been thoughtfully designed in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Our neighbour came in for a look, the word she used over and over was “Wow.”Thank you Gary for all your efforts, we are immensely proud of our new home and would highly recommend you to any potential clients.