Planning Permits & VCAT
Planning applications, council negotiation and VCAT representation.
Learn more
Residential architects
Residential architects for homes and coast
New homes, coastal houses, renovations and heritage alterations in Melbourne, Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast, designed around site, light and the way you live.
In short
JAM Architects designs custom homes, coastal houses, renovations and heritage alterations across Melbourne, Geelong and the Victorian coast. Recent homes include Yarra Valley House in Kinglake, the Mt Eliza Residence, and coastal houses in Point Lonsdale and Fingal.
Residential architects
Homes designed for their place
A good house starts with its site: the slope, the sun, the view, the trees and the neighbours. Our homes are shaped by those things first, then by the way the family wants to live.
Yarra Valley House replaces a home lost in the 2009 Black Saturday fires: three linked pavilions of rammed earth and timber recycled from the site, around a spring-fed pond. In Mt Eliza, a horseshoe plan wraps a private north courtyard that only reveals itself once you step inside.
On the coast, our houses in Point Lonsdale and Fingal sit low in the landscape and use timber, masonry and natural finishes that weather well. In the city we work with heritage, such as a Victorian terrace in Parkville and one of Melbourne's earliest Singaporean kit homes in South Melbourne.
What we design
New homes, coast and heritage
Custom homes
New houses designed for a particular site and family, from Kooyong to Mt Eliza.
Coastal houses
Homes for Point Lonsdale, Fingal and the Bellarine and Surf Coast, designed for climate, view and landscape.
Bushfire and rural homes
Off-grid and rural homes such as Yarra Valley House, planned for landscape and resilience.
Heritage alterations
Additions to Victorian terraces and heritage cottages. Coventry Place won the RAIA Victorian Chapter John George Knight Award.
Renovations and additions
Extensions and reworkings that bring light and space to established homes.
Residential interiors
Kitchens, joinery and finishes designed by our interior designers alongside the architecture.
Featured projects
Selected work
Yarra Valley House
Built several years after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires destroyed the original house, the home connects people and building to the surrounding...
View project
Mt Eliza Residence
Set in an established Mount Eliza neighbourhood on a site sloping west to east with all-day northern sun, the house was designed to be shielded...
View project
Lonsdale Residence
Designed to suit the coastal character of Old Lonsdale and blend with the existing native landscape, the house is oriented north-east to frame...
View project
Noble Street
The house sits on a corner site that slopes toward the rear, with wide views across the Barwon River valley from the street frontage.
View project
Foam Road
Planning was shaped by the client's spatial brief together with the expansive views and natural elements of the site - "the design evolved in...
View project
Ward Road
The residence enjoys uninterrupted views of Swan Bay and its coastal setting of moonah trees, mangroves, wetlands and grasslands.
View project
Alexander Crescent
This coastal home sits in the 'old town' of Point Lonsdale, where timber-clad houses are set among tea trees.
View project
Gatehouse Street
"This classic Victorian brick terrace sits within the beautifully preserved heritage streets of Parkville." A modest heritage facade conceals...
View project
Moralla Road
The residence provides "a generously sized contemporary residence for a family" by building on an adjacent vacant lot beside the family's...
View project
Coventry Place
A heritage conservation project on one of Melbourne's earliest Singaporean 'kit' homes, protecting the original cottage while adding modern...
View project
Lifespaces Sanctuary House
A single storey home arranged as three pavilions around a central courtyard, which forms a private retreat at its core.
View projectRelated
Services that support it
Interior Design & Fit-Out
Workplace, retail, hospitality and residential interiors.
Learn more3D Visualisation
Renders, animation and VR for design, planning and sales.
Learn moreQuestions
Asked and answered
Do you design coastal homes on the Bellarine and Surf Coast?
Yes. Our Geelong studio designs coastal homes in Point Lonsdale, Fingal and across the Bellarine and Surf Coast. See Architects Geelong.
Do you work with heritage homes?
Yes. Coventry Place in South Melbourne, a heritage conservation project on one of Melbourne's earliest Singaporean kit homes, won the John George Knight Award from the RAIA Victorian Chapter and a Port Phillip Design & Development Award for Best Heritage.
Can you help with a planning permit for our house?
Yes. Many homes in heritage overlays and coastal areas need a planning permit. We prepare the application and deal with council for you.
Do you design sustainable homes?
Yes. Passive solar orientation, natural ventilation, solar panels and water retention are part of our residential work. Yarra Valley House is fully off-grid.
Next step
Tell us about your project.
A site you are buying, a planning permit, a new home or a full precinct: start with a conversation with one of our directors.
Contact
Start with a conversation
Tell us about the site and what you have in mind. A director from our Melbourne or Geelong studio will come back to you to talk it through.
Phone
Melbourne studio
Geelong studio