Residential architecture across Northern Sydney, from our Lindfield studio through Ku-ring-gai and the surrounding suburbs. New homes, granny flats, additions and dual occupancies resolved to local planning controls.
Northern Sydney is home ground for LCG Architects: our studio is in Lindfield, and the Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby and Willoughby council areas are where much of our work is. The housing stock runs from Federation and inter-war homes on large, leafy blocks in suburbs like Lindfield, Roseville, Pymble and Wahroonga to post-war brick houses and newer homes further north around Hornsby and Thornleigh.
The planning controls here have a particular character. Ku-ring-gai has extensive heritage conservation areas and a strong tree canopy, so additions are assessed on how they sit with the streetscape and existing trees, and arborist reports are common. Large parts of Hornsby and the bushland edges of Ku-ring-gai are bushfire-prone land, which brings a Bushfire Attack Level assessment into the design and the construction detailing. Sloping sandstone blocks are the norm, which shapes where a granny flat or a new level can go and how stormwater is handled.
Typical projects in Northern Sydney are second-storey and rear additions to period homes, secondary dwellings on the larger blocks, knock-down rebuilds, and dual occupancies where the lot size and zoning allow. In each case we read the local controls first, resolve the design once, and document it so the builder of your choice can price and build from the set.
Every project starts with a clear read of the local planning controls and the likely approval pathway, then design and documentation developed in parallel so the drawings price and build as intended.
Residential design and documentation built with approvals and construction in mind from day one.
Building Design & Drafting in Northern Sydney →Granny flats and secondary dwellings designed for clarity, compliance and repeatability across sites.
Secondary Dwellings in Northern Sydney →Extensions and renovations designed to integrate seamlessly with the existing home.
Additions & Alterations in Northern Sydney →Dual occupancy design that balances planning controls, site constraints and market appeal.
Dual Occupancies in Northern Sydney →Approval-ready documentation aligned with the right planning pathway.
DA & CDC Documentation in Northern Sydney →Clear, coordinated drawings prepared for pricing and construction.
Construction Drawings in Northern Sydney →Coordination with engineers, certifiers and other consultants as required.
Consultant Coordination in Northern Sydney →Before a design is fixed, the underground services on the block need to be found and the site surveyed. LCG Locating, part of the LCG group, maps utilities and scans concrete across Northern Sydney, so the survey, the locate and the drawings come from one team.
Many are, particularly in Lindfield, Killara, Roseville, Gordon and Pymble. A heritage conservation area does not stop you renovating, but it does shape what is visible from the street and usually means a council DA rather than a CDC. We check the listing for your address before design starts.
Yes, if any part of the block is mapped as bushfire-prone. The design then needs a Bushfire Attack Level assessment, and the construction detailing for the new work follows the standard for that level. We factor it into the design from the first sketch.
Usually, with the right placement and a design that works with the levels rather than fighting them. A detail and contour survey is the first step; from there we set the floor level, access and stormwater to suit the slope.
Mainly Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby and Willoughby, and also Ryde, Lane Cove and North Sydney. The process is the same with each: we read the LEP and DCP for your block and design for the pathway that applies.
Send through your site details and a note on what you are trying to achieve. We will come back with the right approval pathway and next steps.
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