Sandberg Schoffel Architects

Michael Sandberg was the architect on our home renovation. The house is a 1925 bungalow in a conservation area. Whilst maintaining the original front of the house in traditional style, Michael reworked the back of the house in a more contemporary style, opening the house up to the north aspect and providing much needed living spaces. Michael is very easy to work with. He is creative and flexible with ideas and is always available to discuss issues and ideas at short notice. This was our first renovation and we were given practical advice from the outset in relation to budget and time frames which helped a great deal in managing our expectations. Michael provided much needed advice throughout the project, helping with not only the design of the building but the fixtures and finishes as well. If I were ever building again I would ask Sandberg Schoffel to work with us.

My wife & I are currently working with Michael on our 3rd project. The previous two were 'knock downs' with new homes, each development's new building cost was over $2.500,000, meticulously designed by Sandberg Schoffel. Michael always encouraged our own in-put which Michael would review & discuss with us on all occasions to make sure both homes were 'our home' as well as always ensuring these changes were appropriate & suitable to fully benefit us, this was Michael's unique expertise. Space & storage was very important as well as ensuring all living areas were maximised for use, this is another aspect where Michael excels. Michael works extremely well with both the builder & the trades & brings to our attention, at our regular site meeting, variations to consider which we found to be extremely important throughout the construction period.

I have used Michael Sandberg of Sandberg Schoffel many times. I am a property developer. I have always found him to be innovative, easy to communicate with, and a good listener. He is able to design functional homes with beautiful form that are also "green". One thing I really like - is that all of his designs are fresh and new ie it is difficult to pick a MS designed house as they do not look alike. I love working with Mike and hope to continue to do so for many years to come. I have recommended him to many friends and colleagues.

We met a number of architects at the beginning of our decision to renovate and Michael from Sandberg Schoffel was the one we met who could immediately see and talk to the potential. He asked intelligent questions and really understood our needs as a family and how those needs would change as our family grew in age. He was also able to quickly understand the issues with the current structure and how we could change them into positives through the design process. Michael is an expert on the planning laws, particularly in our tricky heritage area and was able to reverse a number of local DA requirements. He was so dedicated that at one point he walked round the neighbourhood to gather photographic evidence of precedents in the area. He was clear and accurate on budgets and held the builders completely to account. He was worth his weight in gold and completely covered his cost by identifying savings and simpler solutions with the builders. He was also able to specify fabulous finishes and advise us on where to invest our dollars to create a bit of wow. Where we had questions, he was patient and always took our feedback on board. I have recommended Michael on many occasions to friends and would not hesitate to work with him again.