Just Breathe.

The best first step is Map iT — our site due-diligence and feasibility service. We test your site, create your Shack Map and give you a realistic budget range before you commit to a full design. It’s the smartest way to start, whether you already own the land or are still deciding whether to buy it.

Start with a Map iT →

First you sign up with mi shack® to design your home and prepare the documentation for a planning approval submission. Once approved, we prepare the documentation for a building permit so a builder can price it. You then sign up with the builder to construct your shack. mi shack® stays involved from concept to completion, keeping an eye on things the whole way.

Allow roughly 6 to 15 months for construction, depending on the size of your shack and the specifics of your site. Design is where mi shack® can save significant time compared with a typically long, drawn-out custom architectural process — because so much of the thinking is built into the system from the start.

We’ve got you sorted. We create a damn good design, coordinate the builder and sub-consultants, act as the calm voice of reason with council and neighbours, keep the budget on track, and pre-select your kitchen tap (and everything else). The aim is simple: you get the benefits of an architect-designed home without the usual hassle, cost blow-outs and unknowns.

No — we’re the designers and visionaries. We stick to what we know best: turning your ideas into a buildable, well-resolved design. We then collaborate with quality local builders who handle construction. Think of us as the team that gets the design right so the build runs smoothly.

It can be. Set up a brief and budget and we can coordinate landscaping, decking and hardscaping as part of your project.

Yes — interior design is already coordinated within our system. If you’d like the touch of a dedicated external consultant for a fully custom scheme, we can arrange that, or you’re welcome to bring your own.

There are two costs worth understanding.

Map iT — your feasibility and due-diligence first step — starts from $3,600 + GST. Complex sites (bushfire, slope, wastewater, significant planning or consultant coordination) are quoted after an initial review.

The build itself varies with every site and brief, so we give you a realistic per-square-metre range based on the reference costs of recently built and priced mi shack® projects — current market figures, not guesses. For a quality architect-designed home with medium-to-high selections, it’s significantly more cost-effective than a comparable bespoke build.

Around 70–80% of architect-designed homes never get built — usually because cost and feasibility surface too late. mi shack® flips that order. Through Map iT we test your site, budget, planning pathway and construction logic first, so you start with a realistic framework instead of a beautiful design you can’t afford to build. You still get a unique, architect-designed home — just with far fewer unknowns and far more surety of outcome from day one.

mi shack® is first and foremost a modular design system — not a prefab kit home. Every mi shack® can be built on site by a quality local builder, so it’s hand-assembled much like a custom build. Where the site, budget and delivery method suit, the design can also be adapted for prefabricated construction — but that’s an option, not the default.

No — every mi shack® is unique. That’s the point of the system. There’s a recognisable design DNA — you’ll know a mi shack® when you see one — but each home is shaped around its own site, brief, budget and construction pathway. Same family, one of a kind.

Of course. Most clients personalise to varying degrees, and it’s completely normal to want your own touches. The system gives you a solid, well-resolved starting point — you build your own vibe from there.

Often, yes. Whether it’s slope, coastal exposure, bushfire or access, every site is different and we adapt the design to suit — provided there’s a realistic budget to match the conditions. Challenging sites are some of our most rewarding projects. This is exactly what Map iT is designed to test early.

Test your site with a Map iT →

mi shack® is based in the Margaret River Region and works across Western Australia. For projects outside WA, get in touch and we can discuss what’s feasible, including sourcing and coordinating a suitable local builder in your area.

Yes. The zones can stack, so a two-storey (or split-level) solution is well within the system — useful for tight sites, slopes or capturing views.

Absolutely — future-planning is built into the system. Because the design works in zones, the layout can be planned so you stage-build or add on later as funds allow or your needs change.

We know how much it helps to actually feel a space. Graciously, some of our owners allow us to show people through their built shacks. Get in touch and we’ll arrange a date and a tour where one’s available.

mi shack® always considers and encourages good solar-passive orientation and cross-ventilation when arranging the zones. Not every client takes the advice, but those who do consistently report how well their shack works — comfortable through winter with minimal need for artificial heating. Get the site selection and orientation right early and you save significantly, up front and ongoing.

A standard mi shack® is designed to meet the energy-efficiency requirements of the National Construction Code. If you want to go higher, we’re happy to upscale. The biggest lever is good site selection and orientation — get that right first and you save on both up-front and running costs. Map iT before you Buy iT.

Yes. mi shack® always accounts for any special regulations, site requirements and building and development guidelines — including bushfire (BAL) requirements — when creating your design. On bushfire-prone sites, an initial BAL assessment is one of the early add-ons available through Map iT.

Get the big thinking clear early. The best first step is a Map iT.

Book a Map iT →