ADVERTISING FEATURE
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So you've decided to build a new home? This may be one of the biggest financial commitments you make in your life so it's important to get it right.
Ensure you get the home that suits your family, lifestyle and budget:
1.Research
Think about how you live. Do you need a lot of living spaces? What style do you want to implement in your house?
Make a list of the non-negotiable things you need.
What's your budget? Familiarise yourself with a spreadsheet and start inputting costs.
2. Choose a designer
Choosing a designer is an important part of the building process. You need to be able to communicate with them effectively so your vision is realised.
Take the time to check their portfolio and if possible visit some of the houses they have worked on to ensure you are comfortable with their aesthetic and philosophies.
3. Site analysis
Visit the site with your designer and do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).
Talk to your designer about site orientation, energy options, how you will use the block and the flow from inside to out as well as what impacts aspects such as sloping site will have on your design.
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4. Brief development, fee proposal and design contract
If you are happy with the proposal given to you by your designer, you can proceed to signing contracts.
Beyond providing an opinion of probable costs, designers generally don't accept responsibility for the final cost of your project due to the enormous range of variables beyond their control.
5. Design development
After coming up with a few concepts, you should be able to work with your designer to develop a design for your new home. This preliminary design will include room arrangements, window opening sizes and orientation, indication of indoor-outdoor flow, furniture layouts and preliminary choice of construction systems.
6. Final design
This stage is often where budgeting flaws appear. Decisions will need to be made about what is important so you can adjust your costs accordingly. Sometimes you are able to break your build down into stages. Features you don't need can be built or added on later.
7. Council approval
Straightforward designs on sites that are not subject to stringent planning controls are commonly submitted to council for simultaneous planning and construction approval.
One set of plans can address both planning and construction detailing.
For more complex designs that challenge the standard approval process, separate submissions can be advantageous.