Our extension that DAA designed for us exceeded our lofty expectations.
We found the creative process inspiring, collaborative and felt well guided through each step of the building process.
From the material palette through to the final bold architectural forms, everything large or small was grounded in Sam’s considered aesthetic and his understanding of the ethos of the project.

We asked Tim and the team at DAA to help us renovate our bungalow in a way which would be functional, bring light and views to our home, be sympathetic to the original architecture and live within our budget!
Tim listened (a lot) and then came up with a bold design that we loved and which ticked all our boxes.
DAA worked with us on the important design decisions throughout the build and helped us get a result we are quite simply delighted with.

I engaged DAA to design my Titirangi home in 2012. I know a few architects personally, so asked them who they recommended (other than themselves) and Tim and Sam were consistently named in those recommendations.
It was the right choice.
Many people say building a house is stressful. But (spending the money aside), I loved the process and much of the credit for that sits with DAA. They listened to my ideas, shared theirs, were happy to debate and be challenged. They were empathetic and understood what I was trying to create in a home. It felt like they cared about the project as much as I did.

The single level house with its distinctive roof shapes that Tim and the team at DAA designed in 2016, nestles on a sloping site overlooking Sandpit. With its concrete floors, exposed trusses and lots of glass it has a wonderful airy and warm beach vibe.We bought the house in 2023 and wanted to add a separate master wing, study and also enlarge the living area a little.It was immediately apparent that this could be achieved by creating a north facing sheltered courtyard enclosed on three sides.We were very keen on maintaining the look and feel of the existing house. DAA achieved this by seamlessly replicating the sharp 22 degree rooves, repeating the cedar cladding and joinery and maintaining a distinctive black band on the new parapets.It is difficult to see where the old and new parts of the house begin or end so that the whole seems now to have always been intended. More than this aesthetic success is the brilliant way the house ‘works’ for us. We love its easy versatility - a house full of family and friends or just the two of us, it is cleverly designed for its occupants and perfectly captures the way we live.We loved the collaborative way DAA worked with us. They listened and suggested, they brought our dreams to life in creative and imaginative ways but most of all, they made good architecture accessible, unpretentious and fun.

As soon as we met Sam, we knew he got us - we were on the same page from the start, and his creative approach has breathed new life into our home. Sam and team worked hard with us, and our builders, to create a new version of our home that feels modern but still deeply respectful of the home’s origins. Throughout the process they were great to deal with and helped us navigate the many decisions that goes with a renovation like this — we love the result.

Our experience working with Sam and his team felt very personal and collaborative. We have ended up with a house we love that reflects our own style but with a lot of extra design details we would have never come up with ourselves. Highly recommend.

Sam took our design brief and delivered more than we thought possible, creating a home that is more amazing than we hoped and that we absolutely love and enjoy living in. Nothing was a problem, and his collaborative process made the experience enjoyable and seamless. We recommend DAA for innovative architectural expertise. Thanks Sam and the DAA team!

In 2013, after discovering The Bay of Islands on a visit from Australia and falling in love with Russell, we purchased what many of the locals called ‘the ugly leaky house’. No question, it was a knock down and rebuild so we began the search for the perfect architect. As soon as we met Tim, we knew he was right for the job. Creative, contemporary and highly skilled, Tim was welcoming and collaborative from the start. We were still living and working in Australia when the build commenced, however, as the bulldozers arrived, so did Covid. Luckily Tim came to the rescue, project managing while we participated via Zoom. Many and varied challenges along the way were solved by Tim and the DAA team’s calm, considered approach. The result: a home that sits proudly yet unobtrusively on the site, beautifully complementing its surroundings. The clever yet constrained use of materials, natural flow of rooms and purposeful angles mean that not only does the design work as a home to be lived in, it takes full advantage of the outlook over the bay. Now it’s referred to by the locals as ‘that beautiful house with great views’.