In order for our team to create a design brief we need a few questions answered to get the ball rolling. We can run through these questions in our office with our chief building designer or provide a form for you to email back to us.
Please add as much extra information as possible, the more we know about your site and what you are looking for in your home the better!
- Are you looking to build a new home, renovate the existing one or add an extra level or rooms (how many?) to the back of your home?
- What is your budget for construction not including the cost of land? We suggest that you allow an extra 20% for unexpected costs, just in case!
- How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you have now? And how many would you like to add?
- Do you require more living spaces? Living or dining rooms? TV room or kids rumpus area? Please give us an idea of what you would like?
- Does your block have views that you want to capture in the design? If so which direction?
- Is an energy efficient design important? Do you want to aim for higher than the minimum allowed? Would you like solar, thermal glass, insulated walls etc?
- How many parking spaces do you need and do you want these in a driveway, garage or carport? Do you need any man space in the garage for tools, a workbench etc? Do you require storage in the garage?
- What type of materials would you like to use for your floors? (timber, polished concrete, tiles, false flooring, or another type) Please make a list of the flooring that you would like in each room to be built or renovated.
- What type of construction would you like used for your walls?
- Is substantial retaining or earthworks required require for your project? If you are adding an extra level you with need a structural engineering to ensure the existing house can carry to extra load. Would you like us to recommend one?
- What ceiling heights do you want? (minimum 2.4m). Would you like build a feature roof or ceiling to create a design feature in your living room or other area? This is important when building up our architectural plans, elevations and sections.
- Do you have a particular style in mind? (modern, traditional or something more specific). Would you like the extra level or addition to match your existing house or create a new look for the entire home?
Once we have your design brief our building designers and draftsman will start a basic design based on the information you have provided. This will be done using Visio or SketchUp to ensure we are moving in the right direction before starting your fully dimensioned architectural drawings in AutoCAD or Revit. We will email our draft design for you to ponder and make any changes, and we’ll run through them with a second meeting in our Sydney office.
Some of the design principals our designers will take into consideration are energy efficiency, construction costs, layout, functionality, appearance & aesthetics.
From there we’ll discuss any improvements or additional design features that we recommend or that you would like!!
From there our building designers will provide the following drafting services;
- Site plan
- Floor plans
- Elevations
- Sectional views
- 3D views (new house designs only)