“Working with Allan and Mariana was a delight. We feel so lucky to have found them. From our first meeting Allan we felt that he had a genuine interest in our family, the way we live and what we wanted to achieve from our extension/renovation. He understood our little ex-govvie, our love of the neighbourhood and our desire to squeeze maximum usage out of our block. As our project began to take form we were watching our budget very carefully and appreciated Allan’s endless patience as we continually interrogated him about cost, possibilities for saving money and our desire to achieve the best outcome we could within our budget. The result is exceptional. Our first house has now become our ‘forever’ house. Barely a day goes by when we don’t pinch ourselves. Love it love it love it.”
Lisa DeSantis and David Moyle | Lyneham
“Allan and his staff were the loveliest people to work with in designing our new house. We took a very lengthy and ambitious wishlist in for a sustainable, solar passive house that suited our inner city block, with a flexible layout that could adapt to changing needs in coming years. Allan’s team amazingly achieved everything on that wishlist in a clever and beautiful design, and also took the time to ask our kids what they wanted in a dream house (… a secret connecting small door between their bedrooms, which is on the plan). They were professional, friendly, reassuring, really listened to what was important to us and reflected that in their work, and so patient every time we changed our minds and had more ideas, including when my husband decided midway that he would like to owner-build the place himself. Allan cheerfully made the necessary revisions to make this easier for us and calmly guided the project through a tricky approval process. We are currently building, and will post photos when we’re done. We highly recommend Allan.”
Linda Meisel and Tony Meixel | O’Connor
“We hired Allan and his team in 2013, to design and manage the build of an extension on our house in Mckellar, Canberra. Having never built or renovated before, it was important for us to find someone with experience and good judgement to design the extension and bring the build to a successful conclusion. Allan delivered on all counts, and we would highly recommend him for anyone considering a building project.
In the design phase, we found Allan attentive, flexible and easy to work with. We quickly arrived on a great design – spacious, attractive, making the most of the constraints of the existing house and block, while still straightforward to build, which was important in keeping the building costs down.
His practical and hands-on knowledge during the building phase, together with a good working relationship with the builder, was instrumental in bringing the project through smoothly and in line with our expectations.
What I appreciated most about Allan was not just coming up with a great design, but also having the practical construction knowledge, people skills, and attention to detail to get the design built with a minimum of fuss. There were no cost overruns or other surprises along the way, and today we have a house we are very happy with. We would happily recommend him to anyone considering building, extending or renovating their house.”
Jarl and Susan Lindrud | McKellar
“Allan Spira Architects designed us a beautiful airy eco-friendly four bedroom contemporary cottage in Canberra and helped us manage construction over a 12 month period with a limited budget. We also utilised the company’s interior design expertise. We were grateful for the warm and flexible approach to design and in depth local knowledge – it helped produce the bespoke responsible home we dreamed about.”
David Kelly and Philippa Venning | Lyneham
