about us

where we began

With 10 years of experience in Building Design and drafting behind him Daniel Hillman decided to start Vistalab in 2008 feeling that he would produce a product above and beyond what the majority of other offices where producing and in turn setting a better industry standard. With clear and well-presented drawings that could help both council understand what was proposed for a smoother process and help clients and builders with reducing the need for confusion or conflict from lack of information altogether…………..

why use vistalab

We pride ourselves on our documentation, most of clients come from referrals or being people in the industry. We often receive comments and feedback on our documentation directly form the people quoting and building from the drawings and we always hear appreciation for the level of information that we provide as it makes quoting much more accurate and also makes life a lot easier on site. Engineers also like our designs as we consider the future structure locations of beams during the design process to make the construction cost as efficient as it possible……………..

design principles

A strong focus is given to working with our clients to create a collaborative design, as we recognise that your home is an extension of you, it reflects who you are, each family operates daily life differently, we aim to tailor the design to way you function, we provide input and suggestions to guide you in the appropriate direction with regards to compliance with the ever-evolving Planning Policies, Building Regulations, Australian Standards as well as other site specific requirements that we need to be mindful of for example like flooding or bush fire prone areas, and with these rules in mind mix that all together in a seamless creation to provide a finished home that is a pleasure to live, work, play, and relax in…………

building designer / draftsman / architects whats the difference

Building Designers in Victoria need to be registered as a registered building practitioner with the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), with Professional Indemnity Insurance in place, which needs to be renewed yearly. Drawings are needed to be prepared by a registered building practitioner for Building Permit approvals…………

Daniel was a pleasure to work with. He was recommended to us by a friend and he was able to accomodate our urgent needs. Always available for communication and helped us through a difficult time. He was very easy to work with and never seemed fussed. I would highly recommend Daniel from Vistalab for your next project.

john murone
December 6, 2018

I have worked with Daniel on several building projects, and would highly recommend his professionalism and attention to detail. From concept drawings to building permits, Daniel kept me informed to ensure a hassle free experience from both a builders and a developers point of view. Zahnix Construction

Daniel Simpfendorfer
June 11, 2013

A pleasure to work with. Understands council requirements in relation to any development. Paul Whitington Arboricultural Matters

Paul Whitington
June 11, 2015

Daniel designed us a gorgeous modern home that we now live in and love. He listened to us and paid close attention to our brief, something that two Melbourne based Architects had failed to do before our builder found Daniel.

Chris Magee
June 11, 2013

Daniel has been so helpful and lovely to deal with the whole journey and still now with trying to get our house up off the ground. Could not fault him in anyway. Full of ideas, would definitely recommend him 🙂

danielle wylie
June 11, 2016

I bought a house in Mt Martha which Daniel had designed. A number of years later we had Daniel design a yoga studio and gym for us to mirror and enhance the design of the original house. Daniel did an outstanding job in an intelligent and no fuss way, his documentation was to a very high standard which allowed us to secure a competitive fixed build price and the final product was extremely satisfactory. Highly recommended.

Steve Buxton
February 16, 2020

We hired Daniel to help us with our clinic project, after a friend recommended him. We had never done anything like this before- and Daniel was brilliant at guiding us. He was prompt to respond, thorough, listened to us, he's professional and great at his job. We would not hesitate to use his services again, and we would highly recommend him. Thanks for all your hard work on our project Daniel.

Dr Courtney Lyons
January 15, 2020

As a first time owner builder, Daniel made it sure easy for me to navigate the complex process of town planning and permit process. We had open channel of communication throughout and Daniel was happy to accommodate all changes my pesky family would time of. My builder was surprised to see the level of detail in Daniel's drawings, which made it easy for me to negotiate a good price with the builder. I look forward to building my townhouses, designed by Daniel, and working again with him on future projects. Would recommend Daniel to anyone looking for A+ architect.

Sunil Pamnani
June 11, 2017