The  new block of land is perfect…Nice neighbourhood, school and beach not far away and  beautiful breezes.  Now to build your dream home.

So where to start?? Most  consumers at this stage will google a local builder or go to one of the estate display villages to see what they like and what is  showcased.  This is a great idea to get a feel for what you really like.  Many builders have a range of plans that may fit what your imagining but it needs a few changes. So you speak to the new home consultant who arranges for a quote to be prepared. It’s at this point a lot of consumers find they are then  “locked in”.

Copyright laws today protect the owner of the plans / designs from being “shopped around”. It is illegal for a builder to build a home that he does not own copyright to.  And the consumer can also be held  responsible. Some builders  actively persue litigation for breach of copyright.

“But how do we compare prices??”   This is where a professional designer can save you well in excess of his consultation fees and the process is quite simple  as long as a few guidelines are followed. Below is a simple  outline.  Your new home or development  is probably the biggest asset you’ll invest in. Why would you entrust such an important job in the hands of  the cheapest  person you could find.!?

Stage 1    The Design Brief

Compile a list of what YOU LIKE!  everything  you want to achieve in your  home.  don’t worry too much about the colours of  tiles or tap fittings at this stage for now we just need an overall guide to your requirements and how much you want to spend.

While it is great to play around with floor plans and designs we actually “discourage” clients from trying to draw their own plans.  Preconceived ideas can creep in and often a professional designer with many years training and experience can come up with great ideas that would  never be considered.

Stage 2    Sketch  Design

When the dream list has been considered and the site has been carefully assessed a hand drawn sketch is usually prepared. This is  just some ideas and a rough idea of what can be done…. At this stage we say it’s not right or wrong but just a starting point. From there we can develop the  ideas……..

Stage 3 The Preliminary Plans

OK so the concept sketch is  nice and addresses most of the  design brief. But we need to rearrange some rooms and make it a bit bigger……..

During the  preliminary stage we  enlist the help of  trained and qualified draftspeople to start with the computer modelling of the design concept. During this phase the  changes to the concept sketch are taken care of  and a fairly detailed CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) model is produced. This then allows for accuracy to check areas, window and door sizes, building setbacks and  even apply for covenant approval if required.

Stage 4 Working Drawings

The design is now complete apart from a few minor changes. Maybe a bigger window or change the roof line a bit. But generally the design is inalized by now. From here the detailed construction drawings are produced. Often this set of plans can be up to 25 A3 pages or more.

It’s important that there is sufficient detailing so the builder’s estimators have as much information as they can get. Cutting down on unanswered questions allows  apples to be compared with apples thus elimitaing  large variations in quotes and  also the best possible price for construction. 

Getting Quotes

Once your plans are completed you are now able to visit  those builders who you felt comfortable with to get prices for  building your dream home. The more information on the plans the more accurate the quotes will be.

Specifications

Earlier I mentioned tiles and taps.  In today’s market there are  a myriad of products out there. And most  builders have  arrangements with suppliers that can ultimately save the consumer both time and money by specifying  fixtures and fitting from their range. Your building plans should be suitable for Building Approval but will be read in conjunction with the  builders specification.

Conclusion:

Many  companies offer a  “free” design service or will “save” you money with a cheap design service.  They may even ask you to draw up what you want to save even more money!!

Every successful project starts with great planning and an investment  in the design and documentation will ultimately save  thousands in the long run.

Last week I was fortunate to travel back to one of my favourite destinations. The Central Otago Region of New Zealand…….Right down the bottom of the South Island.

Yes it was rather “refreshing” to say the least with flurries of snow commonplace as we walked and drove around..

On one of our tourist drives we headed down to a small town called Glenorchy located at the bottom of Lake Wakatipu. Not a great deal there except mountains but I came across a building site that caught my eye.

An innovative young builder by the name of Mat Rusher of Aspiring Log homes was building a nw home in the shadow of the Majestic Mount Aspiring.

I was instantly impressed with the sheer bulk of the building materials being approx 450mm diameter logs of the introduced Douglas Fir.

These were all hand sawn and cut to fit with a bead of insulating foam providing a complete seal between the logs. The insulation capacity of this material must be truly incredible.

Window openings were cut using a chainsaw and the major structural elements were “joined” together without screws, bolts, or metal plates.

I was impressed with the  skill and  craftmanship of this guy and his ability to  get away from the  “block mentality”.  When I asked him about the cost of construction he said  that it was  a labour intensive way of building and mot the cheapest………That just means you don’t get a house as big……………”Size isn’t everything”.. apparently

When dealing with an alternative material good, efficient design is critical.  Wasted space in the form of long corridors or huge bedrooms just push the  price up.  How many of us grew up is a  100 sq/m home with 4 kids 2 dogs and a budgie??

If you want to know more about this interesting  building material have a look at Mat’s website http://www.aspiringloghomes.co.nz/

Should you require any further information reagarding alternative building materials such as  mud bricks, rammed earth, post and beam, or straw bale construction feel free to contact us for an obligation free design consultation.