2. Right House, Wrong Site

We had to make some changes to capture the winter sun.

A lot of clients  get ideas from  display homes or   home design brochures from  some of the larger project builders. Often they are  “sold”  the plan and its advantages (usually price).  But putting house A and Site B doesn’t work unless careful consideration is given to the principles of air movement and passive solar design. We see so many house designs that look sensational in a book but put on a particular site just don’t stack up. 

Recently I was asked to do a renovation” on a clients home who picked a plan out of a book and built the home. But it turned out to be cold, dark and very hot in summer. To renovate and correct the orientation to get light in was going to cost over $150 000……They sold the home!!

Solution:  

Obtaining a site survey is essential BEFORE any design work is commenced. A site inspection may then be required to look at the surrounding environment, and discuss the possibilities. Then write down all the personal requirements of your new home. Each site is as individual as the family who is going to move in. Making a list of  the  constraints that are   likely to affect the design.  There are two types of  constraint. “negotiable” and “non – negotiable”. Non Negotiable are   local,  state and  federal building regulations and covenants. Bon Negotiable Constraints are  positions of  rooms, driveways, size and budgets. The slope can be a negotiable constraint as  changes can be made  to the  site  using   site cut and retaining walls.

Your designer will use his skill and expertise in Architecture and Design to put everything you need and want into the home right from the start. Cutting corners at the design stage in an attempt to save money always ends up costing  more in the long-term.

Every new home is  unique, every  client is  unique, and every design  should be unique.

Call us today for a no obligation, free  assessment of your site. This can be done in person or via  the internet as  most local authorities  today have excellent mappung capabilities and an assessment can be done from the desktop.

According to research by Murdoch University,  AUSTRALIA’S growing army of fly-in,  fly-out workers – which now numbers around 200,000 people in the mining sector – suffer from severe stress on their family relationships, and many believe their companies don’t care about them, new research has found.

Mining is the main employer of fly-in,  fly-out workers in remote locations around the nation, many of whom work up to four weeks away from home, for pay rates usually at least double those in the big cities.

But while the pay is better, there is high turnover – one in three mine workers don’t last a year in the job, a parliamentary inquiry was told last year – and a growing body of evidence on the social impacts.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/flyin-flyout-jobs-strain-families-and-work-loyalty-20130104-2c8wk.html#ixzz2MdTeuo95

The Big Commute

Traditionally  mining accommodation was and still is for that matter has been  quite poor as far as  amenity and comfort goes.  With 12 hour shifts  and  little time for  “relaxing”  the  units or “Dongas” as we have come to know them provide the  basics at best.

With the mining sector continuing to grow and  more accommodation being needed  a higher standard of accommodation is  being  asked for.  With the stress  of  working away from home and  the high staff turnover driving  up production costs companies are now seeing the benefits of  investing in purpose-built  and designed  facilities in an attempt to make life away from home  just that bit more comfortable.

Photo: Jacky Ghossein

A Home away from Home

One of our latest developments is an example of  what can be  done with a bit of planning, some  specialised design and  thought for the  occupants and how  their  working life in remote ares can be enhanced  just a little.

Comfortable and stylish these units can be provided  by the private sector at no cost to the mining companies and  can also be a lucrative and positively geared  investment for the astute  developer.

A comfortable place to unwind.

With  China’s hunger for our commodities  predicted to continue for the next  20 – 25 years and  a fast growing market in India there will be a huge demand on suitable and  more comfortable  accommodations.

For further information on our  design options  for  specifically  designed worker accommodation call our office today on (07) 5478 0222

With the year of the snake

powering on we are also seeing an increased activity around  new projects and those renovations finally seem to be getting started.

Too often we  are asked to  “give a quote” for a  project where the customer really has  put the cart before the horse so to speak.  With the  incredible  amount of  technical detail , and  regulations to be complied with any  new project needs to start at the  beginning and follow a  process.  So what are the most common mistakes  we see ??  This is the first installment to help debunk a few of theose myths and traps for young players. !!

 1.  Starting with the wrong advice.

“The worst advice  one can get is  free advice from someone who really doesn’t know”.

Clients often say to us  ” but I know this bloke who rang the council and they said  that  we didn’t have to do this or that”.  Often the advice given may relate to a totally different situation all together. A lot of time and efforts can be wasted  trying to  justify why something is required just because   “Bob”  reckons he heard this somewhere. We live in a society today that  wants  instant answers and solutions. Your designer has a lot of experience deaaling with many councils, different  covenants and  the  many regulations that are  relevant. 

Too often we go for the quick and cheap fix and  hope that it doesn’t bit them on the bum later………..This is the year of the snake remember and  getting someone to suck the poison out later may prove costly!!

Solution:  

With every new project we do the research first. Investigating all the possible constraints.  easements, slope, stormwater flow,  will the driveway  work, estimate earthworks, prevailing winds, solar orientation, streetscape, covenants…….Then a brief is taken to identify ALL the clients requirements. From there a sketch design is  produced. By hand, by one of our skilled designers.  ..At this stage it’s probably going to need a bit of development but this is the perfect time to  make changes and  discuss the alternatives.

We take out the  guesswork so builders can give accurate quotes to build.

Failing to Plan is  Planning to Fail !!   

What are the problems  or concerns you have with your  upcoming project? For a no obligation assessment  of your project fill in the details below and  we’ll be in contact with you.

 

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