PROCESS · HOW WE WORK
Every home begins with you.
Before a pencil meets paper, we spend time understanding the life your home is meant to hold. That is where the design quietly begins.
A CF Architects residential commission moves through six considered phases — Discovery, Concept, Refinement, Documentation, Construction, and Handover — over roughly 18 to 24 months for a new build. Curtis Fleur leads every phase personally, from the first site visit through to the moment the door opens for the first time.
WHERE IT REALLY BEGINS
The slowest part is the most important. Listening followed by crafting a personal Design Brief.
The most resilient homes share something in common - Time. They were given the time to begin properly. They started not with drawings but with deep listening, and with an architect willing to sit with the complexity of a life before reaching for a pencil. That is the work that shapes everything else.
THE CF ARCHITECTS APPROACH
A process built on presence — from first conversation to final handover.
CF Architects is an intentionally small, principal-led studio. Curtis Fleur is personally present at every phase — the architect you meet on day one, the architect on site through construction, the architect alongside you when the door finally opens.
The studio works with a select number of clients at any one time, across Gauteng, the Garden Route, and broader Southern Africa. That commitment is what allows your project to receive the studio’s full and undivided attention at every stage.
CAREFULLY CONSIDERED PHASES, EACH BUILT AROUND YOUR LIFE
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PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT PRESENT ON EVERY PROJECT, ALWAYS
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FROM DISCOVERY TO HANDOVER — CURTIS FLEUR IS YOUR SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT AND ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGHOUT
Principal-Led
THE SIX PHASES
A journey designed around your life, not our workflow.
While every project has its own rhythm and pace, these six phases represent how we guide you from the first conversation to the moment you step into a home that has been designed, in every detail, around the way you live.
Phase 01
THE FOUNDATION
DISCOVERY & DEEP LISTENING
Where the real design begins — before a single line is drawn.
Every project begins with a conversation — and we take our time with it. Before floor plans or finishes, we want to understand how you actually live. Not the polished version, but the real one. How you move through a space on an ordinary Tuesday morning. Whether you are a morning-light person or an afternoon-light person. What restoration means to you after a demanding week.
In parallel, we get to know your site. We walk it slowly, often more than once. We watch how the sun moves across it through the day. We observe the views, the wind, the noise, the trees, the contours, the moments where the land holds a particular quiet that the architecture should preserve.
Discovery is the marriage of these two pieces of work. The way you want to live, and what your site is quietly offering. The best opportunities and views of the land are matched to the rhythms of your day — so the architecture that follows is never imposed on the site, only ever answered to it.
Phase 02
IMAGINATION MEETS EXPERTISE
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Where everything we have learned about you becomes spatial.
With a deep understanding of your vision, your site, and your way of living, the creative work begins. This is where imagination and expertise meet — where the knowledge gathered in Discovery is translated into architectural ideas and spatial possibilities.
We explore multiple approaches. We consider how the building sits on the land, how spaces flow and connect, how light enters and moves through rooms across the hours of the day. We think about the relationship between inside and outside, between the house and the garden, between the private spaces and the shared ones.
Concept work at CF is taken seriously as a discipline in its own right. Space planning is tested and re-tested. Concept boards and moodboards are developed alongside the spatial ideas — gathering atmosphere, light, texture, and materiality into a coherent visual world that brings the design brief to life. Material palettes are curated with care, not as samples on a page, but as a holistic visual representation of the home you will one day live in.
This is the phase where your dreams, wishes, and aspirations begin to materialise — first as feelings, then as drawings, then as a complete visual world you can stand inside, react to, refine, and eventually recognise as your own.
What emerges is not a final design. It is a set of possibilities — a range of spatial ideas, each capturing something essential about what your home could become. We present the strongest design as a beginning for a real conversation, not as a finished proposal.
We always explore more than one approach at the concept stage — because the best idea rarely arrives first, and the most interesting spaces are often born from a collision between two different directions of thinking. We share the best design solution to simplify your experience.
Phase 03
WHERE IT BECOMES REAL
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT & REFINEMENT
This is where your feedback shapes a concept into a home.
Design development is the most intimate and collaborative phase of the process. A preferred concept has been chosen. Now we work through it in depth — together. Every dimension is interrogated. Every space is tested against the life it is meant to hold. Every decision is made with intention.
Room sizes and ceiling heights are developed with care — to create the specific quality of spaciousness or enclosure each space requires. Window placements are considered for the precise quality of light they will introduce at different times of day and different seasons of the year.
We dissolve the boundary between architecture and landscape — designing outdoor spaces as natural extensions of the interior world. The garden, the terrace, the pool edge: part of the architecture, not added to it.
This phase takes as long as it needs to take. We do not rush refinement — a decision made in haste at the drawing board is far more costly to correct on site.
DETAILED FLOOR PLANS
Accurate, dimensioned floor plans that reflect the final spatial arrangement — tested room by room against your brief and your way of living.
ELEVATIONS & SECTIONS
Comprehensive drawings of all facades and cross-sections — showing how the house reads from outside and how spaces relate vertically.
3D VISUALISATION
Rendered perspectives or models that allow you to experience the space before it is built — and to make informed decisions about details with confidence.
MATERIAL & FINISH SELECTION
A curated process of selecting materials, finishes, and textures — balancing beauty, durability, and budget in every choice.
Phase 04
PRECISION ON PAPER
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION & APPROVALS
The vision is translated into the precise language of construction.
Once the design is fully resolved, we translate every aspect of it into the technical documentation required to build it — accurately, completely, and to the standard required by both the municipality and your contractor.
This phase calls for a different kind of attention than the creative work that precedes it. It is meticulous and deliberate. Every structural element, every service penetration, every custom joinery detail, every material specification is communicated with the clarity required for flawless execution on site.
We manage the municipal submission and approval process on your behalf — navigating each step with patience and expertise so that you experience the progress, not the paperwork.
Municipal approvals in South Africa are rarely fast. We manage your expectations honestly and navigate the process proactively — so that delays, when they occur, are minimised rather than magnified.
CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
A complete set of technical drawings — structural, architectural, and detail — that communicate every aspect of the design to the contractor building it.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
Verification of compliance with all relevant building regulations, NHBRC requirements, and homeowners association guidelines where applicable.
Phase 05
PRESENT ON SITE
CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Present on site, every step of the build.
One of the most common failures in residential architecture is the absence of the architect during construction. The drawings are produced, the contract is signed, and the practice retreats — leaving the client to manage the gap between what was designed and what is being built.
At CF Architects, construction is not the end of our involvement. It is the phase where the quality of everything that preceded it either holds or falls short — and we remain actively present to ensure it holds. Regular site visits, clear and timely responses to contractor queries, and careful review of materials and workmanship on site ensure that our design intent is faithfully executed throughout the build.
When something unexpected arises — and on every build, something always does — you have an experienced architect in your corner, making considered decisions rather than reactive ones. The difference this makes to the quality of the finished home is significant.
A great contractor builds even better when they have a present, responsive, and decisive architect on the project. Our site involvement is a direct contribution to the quality of what gets built.
TENDER & CONTRACTOR SELECTION
Preparation of tender documentation and management of the contractor selection process — so you appoint the right builder with confidence.
REGULAR SITE VISITS
Scheduled site visits by Curtis to inspect progress, review workmanship, and ensure the build is proceeding in accordance with the design intent.
CONTRACTOR SUPPORT
Prompt, clear responses to contractor queries and requests for information — keeping the build moving and decisions well-considered rather than rushed.
QUALITY REVIEW
On-site review of materials, finishes, and workmanship against the specifications — with the authority and knowledge to require rectification where required.
Phase 06
THE MOMENT IT BECOMES YOURS
HANDOVER
The final inspection, the last detail — and then the door opens for the first time.
Handover is the culmination of everything that has come before — a thorough, careful, considered close-out of a project that has occupied months or years of shared work.
We conduct a comprehensive final inspection before you take occupation, producing a detailed snag list and following each item through to resolution. Handover is not complete until every item is resolved.
You receive the complete record of your home - Not as a bureaucratic archive, but as a complete history of the home for the day when maintenance is required, changes are considered, or the home is one day passed on.
The moment you step into your completed home is one we take seriously. It is what the entire process has been building toward — and it should feel like exactly that.
FINAL INSPECTION
A thorough walkthrough of the completed home — every room, every detail — producing a comprehensive snag list and overseeing its full resolution.
OCCUPATION CERTIFICATE
Management of the occupation certificate process — ensuring all regulatory sign-offs are in place before you take occupation of your home.
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
A complete set of supplier guarantees, and project records — your home's complete technical history.
PROJECT CLOSEOUT
A formal project closeout meeting — reflecting on the journey, confirming everything has been resolved, and marking the completion of our shared work.
A conversation about the home you are looking forward to.
Unhurried, generous, and free of obligation. We listen, we ask, and together we begin to imagine what your home could become — with the principal architect who will design it.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to design and build a home with CF Architects?
A typical new-build residential commission moves through six considered phases over 18 to 24 months — three to four months in discovery and concept, three to four months in design development, three to six months in documentation and council approvals, and ten to twelve months in construction. A major renovation typically takes 12 to 18 months in total. Both timelines vary with scope, site, and complexity.
What are the six phases of CF Architects’ design process?
The six phases are: Discovery (understanding how you live and reading the site), Concept (translating brief into spatial possibilities), Refinement (testing every dimension against daily life), Documentation (drawings, plans, council approval), Construction (the build itself, contracted under JBCC), and Handover (the moment the home becomes yours). Curtis Fleur leads each phase personally.
What happens in the Discovery phase?
Discovery is the unhurried opening of the commission — a careful conversation about how you live, what you value, and what this home needs to do. It is paired with a thorough reading of the site: light, slope, landscape, views, prevailing wind, existing trees. Discovery typically takes four to six weeks and ends with a written brief that anchors every phase that follows.
How long does plan approval take in Gauteng?
Plan approval timelines in the City of Johannesburg typically run from 6 to 10 weeks from submission, depending on the project’s scope, the completeness of the documentation, and current departmental load. Sandton and Bryanston sit within the City of Johannesburg metropolitan area. CF Architects manages the submission, addresses comments, and follows the application through to approval on your behalf.
Is Curtis Fleur on site during construction?
Yes. Curtis is on site regularly throughout the construction phase — on a cadence agreed with the appointed contractor and adjusted to the demands of each stage of the build. Site visits protect the design intent, resolve detail questions in person, and maintain quality against the specification. This is part of what “principal-led” means at CF Architects.
What is a JBCC Principal Building Agreement?
The JBCC — Joint Building Contracts Committee — Principal Building Agreement is the standard South African contract for residential construction. It defines the legal relationship between the client, the contractor, and the appointed principal agent (usually the architect). CF Architects contracts every construction phase under the JBCC PBA, the recognised industry standard for residential building in South Africa.
Can the design phase begin before a site is selected?
In principle, yes — but it is not advisable. The site shapes everything: orientation, footprint, materiality, even how rooms relate to each other. CF Architects offers a dedicated Site and Property Guidance service specifically to support clients who are evaluating land before they appoint an architect to design on it.
IMAGINE THIS
Coming home — and it feeling exactly right.
Not right in the way a well-appointed hotel is right — composed and impressive and faintly impersonal. Right in the way that only a space designed around your actual life can feel.
Where the light at seven in the morning is exactly what you imagined. Where the living room draws people together without effort. Where the garden feels like an extension of the house rather than an afterthought.
Imagine five years from now — still loving where you live. Understanding exactly what you invested in. That is what CF Architects builds toward, with every project, for every client who trusts them with the most personal commission of their life.