Statkus Architecture Pty Ltd

We engaged Ben to carry out the design and contract administration for the renovation and extension of our Edwardian home in Northcote and couldn't be happier with the outcome. Ben and his team (Minnie & Vern) were 100% professional, always available with advice and were a pleasure to deal with. Ben is not only creative but is truely passionate about what he does which shows in his work and attitude. He was able to not only provide us with a unique build but also challenged us to think outside the box. I would use Ben and the team at Statkus again and would highly recommend them to anyone looking to engage an architect for their project.

From the start, the Statkus Architecture team showed an amazing level of creative design and flair, with the result being a wonderful renovation and extension that exceeded our expectations. We now have a beautiful, stylish but practical home that has recharged the existing period features of an old Edwardian semi-detached to sit comfortably beside modern architecture. With Statkus Architecture there was always exceptionally clear communication, with nothing ever being beyond one more explanation to make sure we understood all the options available. We were always kept informed about any issue as it arose during the build, and discussion or negotiation to resolve any issue was simple and straight forward. Statkus Architecture had a very positive working relationship with the building contractors and effectively negotiated with them and the local authorities when required. Statkus Architecture had a sound understanding of all aspects related to the designing, planning and building phases, with costs being within budget and never a surprise. We would recommend Statkus Architecture to anyone who is looking for enthusiastic creativity, with a high level of professionalism and dedication to quality design.

We approached Ben after being highly impressed by his work for friends of ours. This was our first experience with an architect so everything was new to us. He made the whole process very clear and straightforward, and we had absolute confidence in his management of the building tender, surveying, permits etc.

 Our house is an old Victorian weatherboard in Melbourne’s north. We were looking to create more living space to accommodate our family as the kids got older. Ben’s very first drawings showed how carefully he had listened to our brief and he was a great support as we worked to refine our thinking over the next few months. He was able to come up with solutions that reconciled demands from each of us that we ourselves had come to a stalemate on. 

His team respected our preferences but also enhanced ideas by showing and explaining more contemporary designs. Thankfully, he kept our budget in mind when we were going crazy and bingeing on architectural magazines. We’ve lived in the space for 6 months now and we couldn’t be happier with the end result. It is light and feels spacious without having taken up more backyard space than we were comfortable with. Thanks to Ben, Vern and Minnie, we now have a beautiful open living area with clear zones for dining, study and lounge, as well as a powder room and laundry. It’s a real joy to live in the space that Ben and his team has designed for us. We highly recommend his work.

We engaged Statkus Architecture to design a partial renovation of our terrace house in 2015, including the incorporation of a small laundry, extra storage and a new bathroom. Space constrained our options, which meant that Ben Statkus, the architect, had to engage in a considerable amount of problem solving to come up with a brief to suit the limited space. His response was to emphasize and utilize the height of our building. The end result was a beautiful and functional renovation including a new European style laundry and stunning bathroom as well as additional changes throughout the house. The house feels much more spacious while actually fitting in more utilities. It was a joy working with Ben and his firm. He took notice of our brief, he was understanding and accommodating when we modified the original proposal, and his project management was excellent. He met all the deadlines and worked really well with the builders. Most importantly we loved his proposal. We are thrilled with the final results and couldn’t recommend Statkus Architecture more highly.

Statkus Architecture designed and administrated the contract of our home extension in Newport. They also helped with the design (and added some wow factor - CURVED YELLOW ACRYLIC WALL!! So awesome) of the existing house where the majority was renovated as owner builder to help us keep the build costs down a little. Ben and the team were lovely to deal with right from the start. We actually met with Ben to discuss the design/build process prior to us even purchasing our new home. Ben didn't miss a beat on our design brief, everything was covered even better than we could have imagined. He really did listen to what we had to say all the way through the project. It was wonderful meeting Ben on site and seeing how excited he was with the progress, you could really see how much he loved his job. I can still remember meeting him on site early on in the project when we could barely find a floor that hadn't been ripped up for him to roll out the plans and explain the idea of the above mentioned CURVED YELLOW ACRYLIC WALL! You could just see the excitement spilling out of him! Just wonderful! He had a great relationship with our builders which helped the project run smoothly and I can recall our builder saying Ben's plans were very detailed and the pretty pictures (clearly not the technical term and not the exact words of the builder) that were in the plans were really helpful to visualise the project. We are over the moon with the final product and love living in our new home. It suits our little family perfectly! We are looking forward to working with Ben and the team again one day.

Oh my - the team at Statkus - Ben, Vern and Miinie are simply brilliant! To say we got our dream renovation is an understatement - is breathtakingly beautiful. The team are profession, yet friendly and always up for a social chat - and the most important thing is - they listen to your brief. I can't wait to do another project with them and hopefully soon...

Ben Statkus designed our home for five in Northcote, Melbourne, Australia. We are thrilled with the results. Ben did a fantastic job creating open and light-filled spaces with fabulous dramatic touches. Ben spent lots of time with us in the design phase to develop our ideas and his in a collaborative way. He presented creative and innovative design responses to our brief, working with us to create a home that is spacious, functional and beautiful to be in. We have a relatively small block and did not want to lose the little garden space we had, yet at the at the same time we needed to extend our living space to create room for our family, including our three growing children. Ben came up with ideas such as our 'snug' which create additional shared living areas that are flexible for family and entertaining. Ben carefully selects materials that offer minimal cost, maximum energy efficiency and are elegant in design. He values community and neighbourhood in his approach, aiming to create architecture that he is proud of, that his clients love and that contributes to the streetscape. We discovered that the trades really enjoy working with Ben's designs, because his work is creative but not impossible to implement. Our plasters, bricklayers and cabinet maker found it really engaging to work with his ideas and enjoyed the results of their labor. We really enjoyed working with Ben, and we love our new home!

Statkus Architecture was briefed on the renovation of, and an extension to, an inner city Melbourne Victorian cottage. The house was previously renovated around the 1980s and needed a complete refresh - essentially a re-build - comprising new flooring, re-rendering brick walls and replacement of kitchen and bathroom. The 3-metre rear extension was designed to link the house to the back garden via moveable glass wall and transition from the floor boards of the house to decking. The design cue was to "bring the garden into the house". Another design cue was to "have a progression in time of the interior from the heritage listed front of the house (which was to stay true to the 1880s build) to reveal a contemporary extension as one walked through the house". The final design response met and in most cases exceed expectations. Statkus Architecture was able to turn the brief into a great design response. Despite this being a relatively small project, Ben, the architect was enthusiastic and very diligent in all aspects of the design and build. We found a balance between our design requirements and his creative final design. Statkus Architecture was easy to work with. The Contractor chosen for the build was highly competent, efficient and had great attention to detail. Other than some surprises the 130 year old house had in store for us and difficulty with the flooring supplier, the build was completed on time and close to budget. We were very pleased with the outcome.

Statkus provided us with architectural services and project management for our renovation within the existing house footprint. Ben provided excellent input to the process and provided us with many useful variations while not overriding our initial requirements. His delivery of all documentation was timely and detailed and his relationship with the builder was excellent - not a builder he had worked with before. An excellent result all round.

We employed Ben Statkus to design an extension on our weatherboard home in Melbourne's inner north in 2010. Throughout the whole process Ben was easy to communicate with, listened carefully to our needs and was happy to change details we weren't sure about. The result was a two room studio and updated laundry and bathroom that, while contemporary in design, effortlessly links the new part of the house to the old. People who come to our house always comment on how striking the design is. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ben to prospective clients.

Ben and his team have done an amazing job transforming the rear of our Californian Bungalow into a modern family home. Our brief to create a modern interpretation of the the Cal Bung was achieved beyond our expectations respecting the integrity of the original home. Ben managed the project from project concepts through to delivery on the ground. When we met Ben we knew he would listen to our ideas but also challenge us to think about different options in a collaborative manner. This is exactly what we wanted and why we chose to use an architect. He also understood what our needs might be as our family grew and our needs changed. He also really listened to our brief and brought us back to that many times. He was also very aware our budget and helped us to manage that and to juggle where we would be best to spend our money. We were also really committed to reusing materials where we could and he was able to do this in our renovation. Ben was very responsive to our timelines. When we realised that we needed to fast track the extension due to family circumstances, Ben quickly designed a process that enabled us to condense a number of stages into one and enabled us to get the project out to tender quickly. His recommendations for products and finishes were just what we wanted and this really facilitated us fast tracking this process. It also shows he understood what we were trying to achieve. When we made product suggestions he was not an architect so set on his own vision that he couldn't cope with our suggestions. Many people have come through our house and asked us for product names based on what they have seen in our extension. Ben managed the building process brilliantly. He has a quiet, non confrontational way of dealing with people that kept things moving with the builder and was able to make changes on site with the builder as required. This enabled us to sit back and not worry about the building process at all. We are so happy with our house. The kitchen is one of my favourite rooms. Ben is a brilliant kitchen designer. Everyone makes comments on it. The colour scheme was a little bit scary on paper but we trusted Ben and it works just brilliantly. Overall we would highly recommend Ben and his company to manage your process. Thanks again Ben !

Having been commissioned by Ben to complete numerous photography projects, It is exciting to see what Ben and his team come up with next. I enjoy looking at the use of materials and how Ben has blended them into the environment with respect and quality of workmanship ensuring the end product is eco-friendly, functional and stylish.