Building design for Sydney homes since 1998
Extensions & additions, new homes, heritage conservation areas, complex sites.
Every project gets the design attention you deserve.
As seen on Grand Designs Australia
Greg designed a tiny house on the northwest coast of Tasmania for the program: a difficult site, a tight budget, and a lot of recycled material.
See the project →Building Design Services, Sydney Inner West
Residential Design
Renovations, extensions, alterations and new homes. Thoughtful, practical design for the way you actually live — and documented properly so your builder can price it and build it.
Residential Design →
Heritage & Conservation Areas
Federation, Victorian, Art Deco, California bungalow... If your home is a heritage item or is in a conservation area, the rules are different — and so is the approach that gets approved.
Heritage →
Commercial Design
Cafes, restaurants, offices and retail fitouts, warehouses and cold storage. Functional, compliant, and designed around how the business actually runs.
Commercial Design →
Planning - CDC & DA Advice
DA, CDC or exempt? Clear advice on which pathway applies to your property, what the controls actually allow, and how to keep an application moving.
Planning & DA Advice →Start with an Exploration Package — $795
Most people spend months, sometimes years, trying to work out what is actually possible with their home, and between council controls, unclear budgets and conflicting advice it is easy to feel stuck before you start.
The Exploration Package answers that for a fixed $795. You get a written report on your property covering the planning controls that apply, what is realistically possible and the approval pathway, with a concept plan and indicative budget guidance.
It takes about two weeks, or sooner if you need it. If you go ahead with the design, the $795 is credited against it.
What clients say on Google
“He took an old Victorian style terrace on a slope… and turned it into a space that a growing family can truly grow into and not feel like we're on top of each other.”
“Greg made the whole experience of dealing with council less stressful. He answered their every request and as such the submission was granted.”
“As a Quantity Surveyor myself and client, Greg's mantra of ‘the budget is the BUDGET’ proved to us that Karmatecture… was the designer for us.”
“Greg made everything easy to understand and took the time to answer all of my questions… bringing valuable experience and insight into council approvals and requirements.”
About Karmatecture
Since 1998, Karmatecture has been designing buildings that improve the way people live and work — family homes, heritage renovations and commercial spaces, across Sydney's Inner West and beyond.
Greg Prentice holds a double degree in Architecture from UTS and has practised as a building designer since 1998. He is a member of the Building Designers Association of Australia, carries current professional indemnity insurance, and works across Sydney's heritage conservation areas.
Greg currently has three projects under construction in Dulwich Hill and St Peters, of which two are heritage items.
What to know before you start
Straight answers to the questions people ask most before they renovate: how heritage rules work, which council approval you need, and what it will really cost.
How much does a home extension cost in Sydney?
The question I get asked more than almost any other: how much is this going to cost? And the honest answer is — it depends on the scope and the quality. But there are real costs to investigate before you start building.
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Heritage building styles — what is your home, and why does it matter?
One of the things I genuinely enjoy about heritage work is the buildings themselves — the extraordinary range of styles across Sydney's established suburbs, and what each one tells you about the period it came from. Colonial Georgian, Victorian Italianate, Federation, Art Deco, California Bungalow, Mid-century Modern, Sydney School — each one has its own character and its own story.
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Can I renovate internally without approval — heritage fabric, structural work, and high-value features
The internal renovation question comes up all the time — and for a lot of people in Heritage Conservation Areas across Sydney the answer is genuinely reassuring. Many internal works don't need council approval at all. But there are things to be aware of — heritage fabric, structural considerations, and high-value original features that carry real weight in any heritage assessment.
Read more →