The Home Design Process

You don't need to be building building now, or even a year from now, to chat with me as it's never too early to start the conversation about your new home. If you need advice on selecting the right block of land, or anything else related to building your home, please feel free to get in touch. A number of people say to me "If only I'd contacted you sooner". Please don't be one of these people I'm here to help. 

I design homes for people, for families. Therefore, I need to understand you, your family and how you function as a family. I'll ask about you, your kids, your pets and about your extended family. For example. do we need to consider a granny flat or do you have visitors stay often and so on. The more I know about you, the better your home will respond to your needs now & many years from now.

Once I understand who the home is for & how it needs to respond to your needs, it's time to learn about the home itself. I'll ask about the rooms you need & how you visualise these being laid out. For example, you may want the master bedroom at the rear and so on. We'll discuss your block & its orientation, you likes, dislikes and the home style which appeals to you. In short, I need to build a picture of your home in my head. 

Now I know what you want your home to be, we'll now establish if this is achievable for your budget. In many cases, the allocated funds are insufficient to build the home described. No need to panic, this is quite normal, we all want more than our budget provides. In most cases, the budget is realistic and others are completely unrealistic. Its most important this is established early.

Once I have a sound understanding of the above, you may request a quote for my design services. I call this my design proposal. This will include a covering letter, describing your home in detail, along with the contract documents. The contract outlines the terms & conditions of service, the price of the service and clearly outlines what's included. My written guarantees are also included in the contract docs. 

Should you decide to engage my services, you'll need to return the completed docs to me via email. Once received, I'll issue an invoice for your deposit and, once paid, you design will be scheduled. I'll provide you the estimated time to expect your initial design, which is usually between 4 - 6 weeks depending on my workload at the time. 

If you don't already have one, you'll need to arrange to have a contour survey done. This is basically a plan of your block which includes information relating to site boundaries and the existing levels. The survey will also show any connected services and tell me a little about the neighbouring properties. The survey tells me all I need to know about your block. 

While the Residential Design Codes (R Codes) apply nationally, most Councils have made some variations to these which is often called the Local Development Plan (LDP) or Local Planning Policy (LPP). In addition, certain developments come with a set of Design Guidelines which must be adhered to. In view of these variables, we have a chat with Council prior to commencing your design.

Let the fun begin! Armed with all the information I need, I can now commence designing your home. I'll drink far too much coffee, talk to myself and may do a little hair-pulling throughout this exciting process. Many people ask "Where do you begin your designs?" I always start with the garage because it consumes a good deal of space and usually needs to go in a specific location. I absolutely love everything about this process! 

Once you receive your initial design plans (floor plan/s & elevations), you'll usually crawl over these with a fine-tooth comb. Grab your red pen and go for it! Once done, you'll report back to me with any changes you'd like to make. Be warned, I'll not let you mess it up! By this, I mean I'm not a "Yes Man" and will speak up if I believe your changes will have a negative impact on your enjoyment of the home as well as its resale value. 

The final home design may be achieved after one round of changes or three round of changes, it doesn't matter how many. What does matter is that you absolutely love everything about your home design. Getting here is usually a smooth process, but can also be quite stressful for some of you. The important thing is that's its done and you love it! Now its time to get some building estimates. 

While I do know the cost of building and design accordingly, we still need to be sure your home design is within the budget. Therefore, we'll invite a few Builders to provide a build estimate. I have a few Builders I can suggest and you're welcome to obtain estimates from any Builder you choose. Should the estimates blow the budget, we'll amend the plans accordingly. 

With the building estimates sorted, we can now finalise the pool & landscape design. While the pool & landscape are considered during the house design process, I only complete these when I know we have a final house design you love that's within budget. Your landscape design forms an integral part of the home and will look & feel stunning. 

With a design you love, at the right price, its now time to progress the plans in preparation for building approval. The next step is to arrange regulatory items such as an energy efficiency assessment, BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) and any other item deemed required by your local Council. These items are not included within our scope of works, however, we often assist our clients in obtaining these. 

All proposed building plans are required to have supporting engineering details when applying for a building license. Not included within our scope of works, these details must be performed by a certified, practicing Structural Engineer. This involves structural details such as concrete footings & slab, beams, retaining walls, the swimming pool and any other structural items included in the plans.

The working/detail drawings are the final plans we prepare. These drawings are prepared only when all the above items have been satisfied. These drawings include sections, details, plumbing lay-out, electrical plans, cabinet plans and all the other plans required to price, engineer, approve & build your home. There's been a lot of blood, sweat & maybe even some tears in getting to this point. Time to celebrate! 

With your plans approved by Council, you're now free to build your home. Whether you're using a builder, or owner-building, you'll still be stuck with me for quite some time. I'm available to assist with material selections, interior design ideas and assist with anything else which may arise throughout the entire process of building your new home. Such a fun & rewarding experience!