Like the Griswold's, does your extended family spend Christmas Day at the same home every year? Is your New Year's resolution for next year to finally do something about the dark and musty smelling living area?If you are considering embarking on a home building project in 2021, whether it’s a renovation or brand-new home build you probably want to know:Will I be able to build what I want?What will it cost?How long will the process from design stage to building take?And what's your next step once the decision to build or renovate has been made?You’re not alone in asking these questions; these are the most frequent questions asked by those who embark on a home building project.To help answer these so you can start your home building project with confidence, we have outlined a brief rundown of the design, compliance and builder tendering processes and an estimate of timings for each stage.Question One: Will I be able to build what I want?Gaining your local Council’s approval is an important step in the building process. It can lead to frustrations and delays. If you are building in NSW, unless you are experienced with your local Council's Local Environmental Plan (LEP), Development Control Plan (DCP) and the NSW Governments "Exempt and Comply Development Code" you will need the help of a suitable professional. They can explain the "rules" for what you can and can't do to your property. At Willoughby Architects we offer a fixed price "Needs and Options Review", our review helps you to understand these areas and assists you in putting together a realistic design brief that all also ticks the boxes regarding your needs and wants.Once you have a good idea of what you will be able to build within your local council area, what's next?Question Two: Determining what it will costArchitects aren't the best professionals to give you an accurate price, in fact, we aren't allowed to provide them, that's for a Builder or a Quantity Survey. However, neither the builder nor the quantity surveyor can provide you with that figure without some sort a scaled sketch. Typically consisting of a Plan, Sections and Elevations and your architect is the best professional to provide this (By using the knowledge gained in Question 1).Question Three: How long will it take from design to build?A large range of factors will impact the design, approval and building time, including council and local government permits, inclement weather conditions, land slope factors, easements and sometimes delays are caused due to financial institutions. At every stage your architect will need to consult and obtain approval from you to move to the next stage.These stages are:Schematic DesignDesign DevelopmentDocumentationTenderingConstructionSchematic design (6-8 weeks)A feature survey is typically required for any project that involves any external changes. You should allow 2 -3 weeks to have this … [Read more...] about What’s the timeline from designing to building a new home?
What’s the difference between an architect and a draftsperson?
We’re always receiving emails and telephone calls from potential clients asking for advice, so I thought I’d start answering these in a series of blogs. Hope you find my answers and insights useful when designing and building your new build home or home renovation.This is a typical email we receive.The following was from Steve in Croydon in April.Dear WayneI’m looking to put a second storey on my duplex (semi-detached home). Friends suggested we use “c…..d”, so we got them to do a proposal. In their submission, they have an allowance for the design, drafting and gaining the planning approvals of $15638.00. The thing is….we don’t like what they have designed “it’s pretty generic”. Is this sort of project too small for an Architect, and what would you charge? How’s an architect different to a draftsperson anyway?SteveSteve has touched on a couple of items here:How small is too small for an Architect to become involved in? What do architects cost? and What is the difference between an Architect and a Draftsperson?Items 1 and 2 are related, and I will cover these in my next blog post.Firstly, I’d like to clear up the third item, as it sets the scene for the other questions. “How is an Architect different from a Draftsperson?”Well, to the uninitiated, its true the result produced by both is similar…you will receive drawings, plans, elevations and sections for your project.In fact you will find many architects drafting in architectural companies.If I search my memory banks, I recall the first 3 or 4 years of my working career was drafting under the control and guidance of a project architect Drafting is PART of the process, and it is an important part of how information is communicated, BUT it is not the whole process.To give you an idea of where the drafting fits in this overall scheme of things, here’s a breakdown of the stages of the architect’s service, with the standard percentage of the total architectural fee charged at each of these stages.Design Brief & Measured Drawings 2.5%Concept Design 15%Design Development 12.5%Development Application/Planning Permit 5%Construction Documentation 35%Contractor Selection 2.5%Contract Administration 25%As-Built Documentation 2.5%As you can see, the drafting component (typically the Construction documentation) makes up about thirty five to forty percent of the architectural service, so if you do engage a draftsperson to draw up some plans, the cost should be significantly lower than hiring an architect.So what does this mean for your project?Now, you’re probably thinking, who’s going to do the other sixty to sixty five percent of the architectural work on my project? And, this is a good question…..you may be able to get your … [Read more...] about What’s the difference between an architect and a draftsperson?