What if you could find out your dream home was a million dollars over budget before you spent a cent on design fees? That's exactly the problem Saxon Hall set out to solve.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Saxon Hall from Align Architecture, we dig into the part of the build process where most projects quietly start to fall apart: the gap between what a client thinks their project will cost, and what it actually costs to deliver.

Saxon walks us through his fixed-fee Sketch Design Service, a transparent early-stage process that pairs the architect and builder together from day one, presents two schematic options (one budget-focused, one brief-focused), and ends with a pre-build feasibility document that gives clients real numbers before they're locked into months of design fees.

We also get into the bigger picture: why builders and architects still struggle to trust each other, how the industry's old-school teaching shapes that dynamic, and what genuine early contractor involvement actually looks like on a real project.

Saxon also opens up about how Align is rethinking contract administration, getting creative with materials to fight rising costs, and why he believes more transparency in the early stages is the single biggest fix the industry needs right now.

What You'll Learn

How a fixed-fee sketch design process protects clients from spending tens of thousands before knowing if their project is even viable

Why presenting two designs (budget vs brief) is the fastest way to find out what a client actually values

How a pre-build feasibility document breaks down site costs, construction costs and consultant fees into one clear total project investment

Why early builder involvement saves more than money; it saves buildability headaches on site

A smarter alternative to traditional contract administration that cuts admin hours without losing oversight

Practical examples of using materials creatively to reduce waste and keep budgets in check

Chapters

00:00 - Recap and Welcome Back

00:17 - Managing Design Costs from the First Conversation

01:00 - Inside the Sketch Design Service

02:00 - Two Designs: Needs vs Wants vs Reality

03:22 - The Pre-Build Feasibility Document Explained

05:30 - Why Walking Away Early Is a Win, Not a Loss

06:42 - How Builders Can Plug Into the Process

08:00 - Why Clients Still Get Burned (The $1M Story)

11:21 - Trust, Ego and How Architects Are Taught

12:29 - The Real Value of Builder Input in Design

14:55 - Relationships as the Foundation of Every Project

16:07 - Reinventing Contract Administration

19:11 - Getting Creative with Materials and Budget

22:38 - Mentoring the Next Generation of Architects

24:28 - Rapid Fire

26:30 - Wrap Up and Where to Find Saxon

Hosts: Dean Backman & Luke Callery Guests: Saxon Hall from Align Architecture

📸 Saxon on Instagram: @saxonhallarchitecture 📸 Align Architecture on Instagram: @align.architecture.au

Listen, Watch & Follow

🎧 Listen to the Build Insite Podcast on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.