STUDIO PROFILE
Established in 2007, Big House Little House is a Brisbane based building design studio focusing on the design and specification of custom residential projects across south-east Queensland.
We’ve been designing big and little (mostly big) houses over the past sixteen years, earning a reputation within the industry for professional and practical advice as well as producing clear and easy-to-read plans.
As your building designers, we’re proud to be part of your dream home story; working with you throughout the design and documentation process to ensure your house is practical, suited to your needs, but most importantly - meets your project budget
CHRIS BRUMBY - director
There's no doubt building design has always been Chris' passion. You're looking at a man who was building cities out of Lego since he was knee-high. A passion he turned into a career, establishing Big House Little House in 2007. You'll find him most days fuelled by a batch-brew and a side of bacon, drawing house designs for clients.
Chris is both the Director and lead designer at Big House Little House - overseeing all aspects of the business. While we might wear a lot of hats at work, it's a farm hat for Chris on weekends. When he's not behind the desk you'll find him tending to the land of his hobby farm in the Scenic Rim.
Likes - greyhounds, fast cars, ham & cheese croissants, photography, naps, japanese whisky
Dislikes - pollution, slow walkers, bad driving, small talk, tofu
PROJECTS WE WORK ON
Mid to high-end new homes and renovations are our bread and butter. Whilst we have the capabilities - small scale renovations including decks and carports, cosmetic upgrades and low-end 'cheap as chips' spec homes aren't really our thing. A typical Big House Little House project starts from 1mil+ and will set you back between $3500-5000 per sqm to build.
DESIGN FOCUS
Your construction budget is our number one focus. Coming up with practical and functional designs which satisfy your brief are a given, however the biggest design constraint we aim to work around is your budget, rather than delivering a grand design that we all know will never get out of the ground. We also ensure that every project is uniquely designed to compliment the block of land and it's surroundings, whilst maximising views, light, privacy and breezes.
OUR VALUES
No BS! We don't have the time, nor the energy to play games or muck around - we just want to get stuck in to designing cool houses for our clients. At Big House Little House we bring a no fuss, straight talking and pragmatic approach to the table. Whilst we try to keep everything as professional as required, we also endorse having fun with our clients throughout the design process.
HOW WE GET IT DONE
64% computer drafting. 12% email. 16% coffee. 2% hand gestures. 6% naps. 3D drafting software including shiny rendered images ensure you get a good idea of how things will look and function before they are built. We manage and organise all of the consultants you’ll need from the site investigation right through to the start of construction. We have a solid network of surveyors, town planners, certifiers, hydraulic and structural engineers etc which will get you ready to start turning dirt.
INTERIOR DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
The devil is in the detail - which is why we work closely with interior designers. This optional service will provide you with a full specification document that not only provides clarity for our clients but ensures that the builders are able to provide you with an 'apples for apples' quote.
BUILDERS
Over the years we have developed relationships with a handful of reputable builders. We can happily introduce you to them throughout the design process, however at the end of the day it is up to you to select your builder of choice. Big House Little House does not offer a project management service at this stage, but we do love to stay involved during construction to answer any queries the builder might have, as well as taking a few progress shots for our social media channels.
