Meet the Professional Architect Behind We Do House Plans.

I'm Donette Werkman, a Professional Architect in Pretoria and founder of We Do House Plans , and I suppose it's time I introduced myself properly.

Business blogs often spend their time talking about the business. The projects. The milestones. The services. But the truth about most small businesses is that they're really about one or two ordinary people trying to build something extraordinary.

We're the people who answered a why with a how. The ones who see solutions where others see problems. The ones who wake up every morning convinced that there has to be a better way to do something.

But we're also exactly like everyone else.

We have families. We worry about what to cook for dinner. We rush between meetings and school runs. We celebrate birthdays, stress over deadlines, love our dogs, water our gardens, pay our mortgages, and occasionally have anxieties about our anxieties.

I'm no different.

The Story Behind this Pretoria Architect.

Yes, I'm a Professional Architect in Pretoria. I absolutely love good design, clever planning, and the satisfaction of solving a problem that once felt impossible. But I'm also a wife, a mom to two remarkable daughters, an enthusiastic gardener, a hopeless dog lover, someone who enjoys supporting local clothing brands, and someone who still believes that the places we live shape the lives we live.

Being an Architect is About People First

Architecture has never just been about buildings for me.

It's about people.

Every set of plans represents someone's story. A young couple buying their first home. A family needing more space. Parents building a forever home. Someone finally formalising the plans they've been putting off for years. Behind every drawing is a dream, a challenge, a budget, and often a little bit of uncertainty.

That is why We Do House Plans exists.

Not simply to draw plans, but to help people navigate what can often feel like an overwhelming process. To explain. To guide. To solve problems. And hopefully to make the journey just a little less intimidating.

This blog will be much the same.

Of course, I'll share architecture, design ideas, practical advice, and everything we've learnt over the years. But I'll also share my thoughts on travel, buildings that inspire me, lessons from projects, moments that make me stop and think, and perhaps a few stories from everyday life.

Because architecture doesn't happen in isolation.

It happens where life happens.

So welcome. I'm glad you're here.

I hope these stories help you get to know this Pretoria based architect behind We Do House Plans, because every drawing starts long before the first line is put on paper.