Design that listens

Together, we shape spaces that respond — to where you are, and how you live.

I design homes in regional Victoria. The work involves understanding what your site can support, what regulations apply, and how the design will work for the way you live. That process requires decisions, takes time, and depends on clarity about what can be built and what cannot.

I’d love to hear what you’re planning, even if it’s early days

Thinking about a project?

Get in touch

Built and unbuilt, each shaped by place.

A few selected homes — each begins by listening, and grows from what’s already there.

Shoreham coastal house designed by Inspace Building Design
Rural home in Yackandandah designed by Inspace

Shoreham

Set into a slope, with timber decks linking indoors and out — shaped for quiet coastal life.

Yackandandah

The house became a platform — bridging the valley, holding the view, working with the land.

House in Yackandandah on urban edge designed by Inspace

Yackandandah

Courtyards between timber pavilions — raised above the land, shaped by the directness of rural forms and the way farm buildings gather over time.

An approach shaped by listening

I begin with understanding what your site will allow, what the planning scheme requires, and how you actually want to live. Those three things rarely align easily. Sites have constraints that are not obvious until someone examines them. Planning overlays, bushfire regulations, and setback requirements shape what is possible. And what people imagine they want often needs testing against how they will actually use the space.

My role is to work through that complexity with you. Not by simplifying it, but by addressing it directly. The brief needs to fit the site, the budget, and the regulations. When it does not, something has to change. That process involves decisions, adjustments, and sometimes difficult conversations. It also requires honesty about what is possible and what is not.

I have worked with regional councils for many years and understand how planning schemes and building codes are applied in practice. I know what bushfire overlays require, how heritage controls shape decisions, and where flexibility exists within the regulations. That experience allows the design to develop with those constraints in mind from the beginning, rather than discovering them later.

The work moves through four stages: gathering information about the site and brief, testing how the brief can fit the site, developing the design in detail, and producing documents for approvals and construction. Each stage builds on what came before. Decisions are tested, adjusted, and refined as the project develops.

Featured
Gathering

I visit the site to understand its orientation, slope, access, and constraints. I review the planning scheme to identify overlays, setbacks, and controls that will shape what can be built. And I ask questions about how you live: how many people, what rooms matter most, what works in your current house and what does not.

This information shapes the brief. Not as a list of rooms or features, but as an understanding of what the house needs to do and what conditions it needs to work within. That clarity allows the design to develop with purpose rather than as a collection of ideas.

Imagining

Sketches and drawings test how the brief can fit the site. These show where the house might sit, how rooms could be arranged, and how the building could respond to orientation, slope, and access. They are not final designs but options to be tested against the brief, the budget, and the constraints identified earlier.

We discuss what works and what does not. Some directions are pursued further. Others are set aside. The goal is to arrive at an approach that addresses the site, fits the brief, and can be developed with confidence.

Developing

The chosen direction is developed into a resolved design. I refine floor plans to show room sizes, circulation, and spatial relationships. Elevations and sections show the building's form, roof pitch, and relationship to the ground. Materials, window sizes, and key details are determined.

The drawings become detailed enough to test the design against the brief and the budget. If adjustments are needed, they happen here. By the end, the design is ready for approvals and costing.

Refining

Technical drawings are produced for approvals and construction. Floor plans, elevations, sections, and details are drawn to scale with dimensions, materials, and construction notes. I coordinate with engineers, surveyors, and other consultants as required. I prepare and submit planning applications, work with council and building surveyors, and address any requirements that arise.

Once approvals are in place, the drawings go to builders for pricing. I answer questions, clarify details, and ensure the design is understood clearly enough to be built as intended.

Design isn’t just about form or space - it’s about understanding people, places and what really matters.

Get in touch

Not sure where to begin?

I can help clarify what’s possible…

A bit about me

I'm Peter Wood, designer and founder of Inspace. I live and work in regional Victoria, designing houses for sites I know well and conditions I understand.

Outside of work, I build furniture. That hands-on making shapes how I think about construction, materials, and the details that make buildings work. I prefer work that is practical, built to last, and suited to the place it sits.

I have been doing this for close to forty years. That time has been spent across design and construction, residential and heritage work, and a range of public projects. I hold a Master's degree in Architecture and a Bachelor of Construction Management. I have taught construction and design at tertiary level, which gave me a clear understanding of how regulations work in practice and where they intersect with design.

What I have learned is that good design comes from understanding constraints rather than ignoring them. Sites have limits. Budgets have limits. Planning schemes have limits. Working well within those limits requires honesty about what is possible and what is not. It also requires patience to test ideas, make adjustments, and arrive at decisions that can be built and lived with confidently.

These reflections extend the questions and observations that guide my projects.

Field Notes
A Miner’s Hut Near Home

A replica miner’s hut near my home prompted questions about accuracy, memory, and how early houses are represented today. Looking beyond the image, this reflection considers how provisional huts became houses through occupation and change, and what is lost when that process is flattened into a fixed aesthetic.

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What the Fibro Cottage Knew

I walk past a fibro cottage on Stringer Road most weeks over summer. Faded and modest, it will likely be replaced by something larger and more refined. Yet this small building once enabled a generous, forgiving way of coastal living, attuned to how people actually live and what they need from a house.

Read More →
Rethinking Home: The Quiet Power of Enough

What if a smaller, simpler home is not a compromise, but a correction? This piece reflects on sufficiency, scale, and the quiet satisfaction that comes from building only what is needed.

Read More →
More Field Notes

From past clients

I loved it straight away. The first sketch and 3D view just made sense—there was no need to see anything else.

Kate - Shoreham

It’s the first time we’ve felt truly understood in what we wanted to create. The design reflects that completely.

S and G - Beechworth

Some things worth knowing

  • Yes. I’m familiar with many regional councils and can help navigate overlays, planning applications, and bushfire or heritage requirements.

  • It depends on the scope of your project. I usually start with a conversation to understand your needs, then provide a clear outline of services and fees.

  • As early as possible — even before you buy a site or decide on the brief. Early conversations can help avoid false starts.

  • No.

  • It depends on the scope of your project - how long is a piece of string? A simple home might take 3-4 months from brief to documentation, while a more complex project could be 6-8 months. I'll give you realistic timeframes once I understand what you're planning.

  • Yes, I've worked across much of the state - from Apollo Bay to Horsham and places in between. While I'm based in regional Victoria, I'm happy to travel for the right project. Distance just means we might rely more on video calls during the early stages.

Thinking about a project?

Every project starts with a conversation.

I offer a short, obligation-free 15-minute phone or video call, a chance to understand what you hope to do and to see whether we are a good fit. Before we speak, I usually send a brief guide outlining how I work and what to expect.

I take on only a small number of projects each year, so that every project can receive my full attention.

Phone: 03 5728 1843

Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 9.00am - 4.00pm

If I miss your call, feel free to leave a message — or email instead.

Email: peter@inspace.net.au