About

Who we are and how we work

*Econests by* *arcologic* is the unique vision of John Damant of Arcologic Design who has spent the past two decades working towards a better way of designing and delivering sustainable homes.
Since 2000, Arcologic has been at the forefront of sustainable home design in Western Australia with multiple awards and competition wins behind our name. *We believe more people should have access to well designed, healthy homes that won’t adversely impact our natural world and the environment.*
We became involved with the Witchcliffe Ecovillage in 2019 as one of their preferred design professionals and have completed multiple custom homes in the Ecovillage.
Subsequently we realized that this project was the ideal canvas for us to offer an *alternative pathway* to enable the discerning buyer to procure a well designed sustainable home without the up-front costs, time, stress and uncertainty often associated with this process.
The Collections of home designs and system of delivery borne from this process are called *Econests .*

Why Collections ?

“ The idea of designing from a blank slate is intimidating and we were worried about the additional costs and approvals process of custom design“

Dane and Mai, Family Lot

For over twenty years we have been researching ways to make the home design and delivery process more simple and sustainable.

The design and construction process can seem overly complex , with building codes and energy requirements constantly evolving and building costs always on the move. Hundreds of new building products also come onto the market each year, and the ‘Paradox of Choice’ * can leave you feeling confused and stressed.

*The paradox of choice stipulates that while we might believe that being presented with multiple options actually makes it easier to choose one that we are happy with, and thus increase consumer satisfaction, having an abundance of options actually requires more effort to make a decision and can leave us feeling unsatisfied with our choice.

Add to this complexity the additional stringent Design Guidelines and Certification requirements of the Ecovillage and it may seem overwhelming to some. That is the reason many choose to either go with the standard plans offered through the Ecovillage and their associated builders , or engage a professional Architect or Designer to guide them through the time consuming and often expensive Custom Design process.

Now there is another way.

Make it simple.

If you’re buying into the Witchcliffe Ecovillage lifestyle you’ve probably made the choice to simplify life and enjoy a closer bond to nature and the community. We would like to help you on this journey by simplifying the often stressful process of planning and building your dream sustainable home from the very first step .

Our Six Step Process

1. You choose your design

Simply choose one of our unique pre-designed Ecovillage compliant plans from your preferred Collection for your Lot type.

2. You choose your finishes

Select from our range of pre-approved sustainable cladding options , colours and optional upgrades to personalise the look of your Econest .

3. You choose your interior

Select your preferred Theme from our predesigned options for your Collection, or request a personal consultation with our Interiors Team.

4. We document it

Once we have your preferences we will fine tune Documentation and Specifications to obtain final approvals and pricing from the Ecovillage and our builder.

5. They build it

Our selected builder Tallwood will contract with you and build your home to the highest standard , regularly updating you on site progress and any milestones.

Start the Journey

6. You live it

Handover is a big day in the life of Econests as this is the day you move in and can start enjoying the fruits of our vision, your choices and the Team’s hard work.

FAQs

On signing up with us you enter into a License Agreement that allows you to use our design to build a single Econest on your Lot. This fee is $ 7 500.00 ex. GST and is non refundable. Once all documentation is complete and approvals have been granted by the Ecovillage we charge $ 7 500.00 ex. GST as a Preparation of Plans fee.
This equates to a fee of between 2 - 3 % of build cost, far less than the 7.5 % - 10 % typically charged for Custom Design.
For final pricing to be obtained, we need structural engineering for your home. Because it is not a one - off design, this fee is around $ 1200.00 - $ 2500.00 ex GST which again is far lower than what is charged for a custom design.
We will also need a Contour and Feature Survey of your Lot which costs around $ 600.00 ex GST.
This is the quintessential ‘how long is a piece of string ? ‘ question . The answer is more about the value of what you are getting -a well designed solution based on years of research but packaged into an easy-to-choose offering with a variety of optional upgrades that make it a viable option to most. We have also made the conscious decision to only select quality fittings and fixtures that will last and have a good post sales service.
Our designs may cost more than some ‘off the shelf’ plans but substantially less than a full customised one - off design .
By designing Collections of homes whereby certain elements and products are used multiple times over several homes, we can unlock efficiencies and economies of scale that just do not exist in one-off custom homes.
Due to the current volatile state of the building industry it is hard to fix prices for more than a few months at a time . However, we can provide you with a budget estimate based on similar homes we are currently building .To get a final price on which your building contract will be based we need to tender each home depending on its site and your final selections. This usually takes around 4 - 6 weeks and can happen concurrently with us seeking building approvals from the Ecovillage.
We are setting up our systems to build a maximum of 20 Econests per calendar year .On top of this we may take on up to 5 Custom designed homes per calendar year in the Ecovillage.
We are currently taking expressions of interest for those wanting to build from the second quarter of 2024 onwards.
Once we have the necessary Approvals in place and start on site our build times are averaging 8 - 10 months to Practical Completion. Of course this can be delayed by unforeseen circumstances such as supply chain issues and extreme weather, but this is the timeframe we set out to achieve. Our builder will keep you updated regularly on project progress and if there are any anticipated time overruns.
Custom Design is a much slower and involved process so can take from 9 - 18 months build time.
Because we have a certain quality build we require to maintain our brand quality and ethos we have pre-selected local builder Tallwood based on their track record in the South West and Witchcliffe Ecovillage as well as their sustainable credentials.
They have also done the work to ensure we can offer our Econests at a fair market rate, and have the warranties and insurances we require in place. They use the same Trades and subcontrcators on our Econests that they use for their multi-million dollar homes they are renowned for. But above all, we chose them based on the quality of their building and the excellent project management skills they bring to their process.
The concept behind our Collections is that we offer a wide choice of plans, finishes and interiors which will make your Econest uniquely yours. Any changes to the plans, no matter how small, will increase the costs and scheduling down the line as every modification has a chain reaction . We have negotiated certain reduced prices with consultants and suppliers based on these not being one-off designs so any change voids these savings.
Unlike Custom Design we can offer these homes at a fixed cost and a fixed timeframe because we have done most of the work upfront.
However, if you are after something outside our Collections or that would need changes we suggest looking at our Custom design service instead.
At this stage our Econests Collections have been designed specifically for the Witchcliffe Ecovillage guidelines and Lots and we have partnered with local suppliers and contractors in the area. Depending on workload we may also serve the greater Margaret River region from Augusta to Bunbury. If you are outside these areas and would like something similar to one of the designs in the Collections in your area drop us a line and we will see how we can help.