SELECTING YOUR DESIGNER:
Building any home starts with the design. When you use a project home you have the comfort of being able to see an example of the home you select as a finished product. So there can be little doubt as to what it will look like when your home is finished. With an individual design of course you don’t have that luxury. But you get a home that should suit you, your lifestyle and the block much better because it is designed specifically to meet all those needs.
In general therefore the decision to go with an individual design is the preferred one for most people. So selecting who will design the home is of paramount importance. Many organisations and individuals offer this service. You are able to use architects, architectural designers, and full service builders like RiverStone.
Architects and Designers offer some advantages in that they often are able to offer innovative and striking designs. You usually own the design once completed and are therefore able to select a suitable builder by way of negotiation or tender. The downside is that these designs sometimes don’t reflect sensible construction techniques and end up being expensive when compared with a design by a builder.
Full service builders employ architects and designer within their organisation and are therefore often able to offer high quality designs that also employ sensible construction details allowing them to meet the client’s budget as well as giving an exciting design. Cost discipline is a part of a Builder’s DNA. The downside for this approach is that if in the end you decide not to proceed with the builder who has done the design, you do not own the design and must start again with another builder or Designer.
DESIGN BRIEF:
Once you have selected the right designer you need to ensure you have an agreed cost for completing the work and that you have this agreement in writing. Terms of payment should be expressly discussed and the scope of work should be clear so that costs are fixed unless you specifically authorise additional work to be done at additional costs.
Now you will be ready to complete your design brief with the Designer you have selected. Each organisation will usually have a format they follow for developing the design brief and they will guide you through the process, but you also need to have done your homework. It will be very hard for the designer to develop a suitable design if you are not clear as to what you want. We generally find clients have a file of cuttings or photos of existing houses they have seen that reflect the style they want. These documents are very valuable to the designer. But you need to go through everything you have in that file and remove those not directly relevant to the design. Sometimes clients end up showing the designer images of vastly different design styles. You need to have decided the style you want before the brief meeting takes place.
You certainly do not need to worry at this stage about individual selections like cabinets and plumbing fixtures. This information will not be needed till later.
The other vital element is that you have a clear understanding of what your budget is for the home. (We will discuss budget creation in the next section of this guide.) Everyone wants the most house they can get for the least possible money. Except everyone always has a gap between desire and reality in terms of what they can get for the money available. So you need to be realistic about that budget and tell your designer exactly what it is. Many people tell the designer a lower figure in the expectation of the cost going over. But although this does sometimes happen, it is a waste of everyone time.
