Generally when planning a house you’re faced with a number of conflicting forces which are, what you desire or want, what you actually need, what you can afford, what can be done or is allowed, and of course with a new family home you also have the opinions and needs of your partner and even the children. Seldom do these align perfectly, so most houses end up compromising on some of these items. For example, your family may be expecting another child and need to add another bedroom. At the same time you might want another bathroom, to renovate the kitchen and build another garage. However, you may only have sufficient money to build the extra bathroom and bedroom, but, possibly you won’t have sufficient space on the property for the additions. Somewhere there’ll need to be compromise.

Unfortunately, sometimes this compromise can lead to a bad house, where the compromise results in one force dominating the others – for instance, affordability drowns out everything else, so you end with a house that’s of poor quality and doesn’t satisfy any of your other needs or desires.

Of course, there are usually other factors that come into play which also affect the final outcome. If the property is an investment property, to be sold or rented, then it’s important to consider what buyers and renters want as well as the available existing stock. If you’re planning to execute most of the construction work yourself then the amount of time you have available should influence the size and complexity of the project. The available materials, access routes to the property, as well as the site topography and existing vegetation will all influence decisions. In this chapter and the following chapters we’ll look at many of the considerations that can impact the final result of your new house.

It’s important to take a pragmatic approach to planning projects. Projects that are poorly considered and ill-conceived can be expensive disappointments. It often leads to a house that you no longer want to live in and can’t find a buyer for. In fact some poorly managed projects that are started with great excitement can have far wider repercussions, even resulting in bankruptcy and family break-ups.

What you think you want in the beginning should never be cast in stone. There may be reasons why the original envisaged project isn’t feasible, or not the best solution. By necessity projects should adapt and evolve as more information is considered. Indeed, it may even be wise to cancel the project should it become too expensive, or difficult. Even if you’ve spent money already, never be scared to cancel a project, or to move it elsewhere, when it becomes apparent that it’s not right. It’s far better to lose a small amount of money than end with a house that you’re not happy with, or one that’s going to cause you financial stress. Certainly, if you do all the preparatory homework and investigations as suggested in this book you will, if necessary, end the project before you’ve incurred too many costs.

But changes made to the project by you, your designers or contractor, could indeed result in a project that’s better, cheaper to construct, less expensive to maintain, or one which has more amenities for minor additional costs which are still within budget.
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Although our first thoughts and project concept shouldn’t be cast in stone, and it may be necessary to deviate from these in the course of the project execution, it’s important to always refer back to those first concepts and ideas. Regrettably, as projects evolve, in the excitement of new ideas, it’s easy to forget what you wanted and needed in the first place, then you end with a house which doesn’t actually satisfy what you were originally after. So, as changes occur to the project, always understand why those changes happened. Did the changes improve the project, were they ‘nice to haves’, maybe spur of the moment whimsies, or were they unavoidable? If the changes are unavoidable and they result in a project that isn’t suitable for your needs, then you may have to make the hard decision to cancel the project, or develop alternative strategies and solutions. 

​For more valuable tips and advice read: Build and Renovate Your Home With Your Eyes Wide Open.

​​​For more valuable tips and advice read: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' and 'Volume 2 Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home'

​This is an extract from: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 2' by Paul Netscher. Available in paper or eBook from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU and all online bookstores. To read more

​© 2018 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

We usually require some expert help to design our new house or large renovation. Architects can fulfil many functions, but importantly they can interpret your requirements and vision into construction plans and drawings. These plans and drawings are usually a requirement for construction permits. The drawings indicate how the house should be constructed.



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What you should consider when choosing a designer

You should consider the following when selecting a designer:

• Does the work that they’ve done in the past look similar to the design you have in mind? Some architects are very good at cutting edge designs but may be less familiar or willing to consider more traditional houses. Some designers are good at incorporating green principles.
• Talk to the designer. Do you think you can work with them?
• Confirm that they’re familiar with the local rules and planning requirements.
• Ask for references, then ask their references the following:
  • Was the designer willing to listen to them and incorporate their ideas?
  • Did the design meet or exceed their expectations?
  • Did the designer come up with innovative and new ideas?
  • Did the designer push certain products or building methods? Why was that?
  • Did the final price differ substantially from the original price? If it did why?
  • How willing was the designer to make changes to their design?
  • Did the contractor find mistakes on the construction drawings?
  • What other services did the designer provide?
• Check if the designer has professional indemnity insurance. 
• Ask the designer what technology they’ll use to produce their design. Will there be a 3D model? Will you be able to view the house in Virtual Reality? These products help you understand what the finished house will look like.
• Decide what services you want the designer to undertake, such as checking quality during construction, or even acting as the project manager.
• Check that the designer is willing to visit the site before starting design work.
• Ask how long it will take to complete the design.
• Check if the designer will obtain all permits and approvals from the authorities.
• Obtain a price from the designer. Check:
  • Does the price include for a full set of construction drawings, including all details? How many copies of drawings will you get. You probably want at least three sets, possibly more if you’re intending to get a number of contractors to price the project.
  • Does the price include for all design work, including architectural, structural, electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning? If not will they coordinate all the designers’ work to ensure there aren’t clashes and that the designs accommodate the requirements of all the designers?
  • How many sketch plans and changes are included while you develop the final design?
  • Will they be available to answer questions from the contractor at no extra cost?
  • Will they help with the selection of the final finishes, including providing samples and advice on colour choices?
  • Will they carry out inspections during construction to check quality?
• Ensure that the designer is appointed using a contract that clearly sets-out the services they’ll supply, the price for these services and a schedule of extra charges.

Conclusion
It's important to select a designer that's right for you, one that you can work with, one that understands what you are looking for, someone that understands the local codes and conditions, and one that won't break your budget. Importantly you need to understand what you are paying for - you don't want to pay additional and unexpected costs which you haven't allowed for. You don't want unpleasant extra costs for items you thought were included.

Not every designer will be able to interpret the home of your dreams. Selecting the wrong designer could be expensive and result in your home not meeting your expectations.

​​For more valuable tips and advice read: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' and 'Volume 2 Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home'

​This is an extract from: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 2' by Paul Netscher. Available in paper or eBook from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU and all online bookstores. To read more
​© 2018 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

In the previous article Steps to constructing your new house - Part 1 I discussed some of the steps required when constructing a new house. This article continues from that article.

More steps to constructing your new house

• Ensure all your finances are in place, including approval of loans.
• Arrange for water and power connections for the construction work.
• Appoint the contractor.
• Check all insurances are in place.
• Receive the surety or bond from the contractor.
• Notify the neighbours of when construction will be starting and how it will impact them.
• Ensure you have everything in place ready for the contractor.
• Have a kick-off meeting with the contractor’s team.
• Issue them with the latest copies of the construction drawings.
• Monitor the work. This includes:
  • Checking progress.
  • Ensuring all tests and inspections are completed.
  • Ensuring the site is kept clean and tidy and work complies with safety regulations.
  • Ensuring the work complies with the drawings.
  • Checking the quality of work.
• Continually review and update the budget ensuring that all variations and costs are captured.
• Before the project is completed make a check list of all the outstanding items and things to do before you can move in.
• When the contractor is complete, carry out an inspection and prepare a snag or punch item list of all defects which must be fixed.
• Arrange and complete all connections of the utilities.
• Arrange insurance for the completed house.
• Check that all security installations are operating.
• When the contractor has fixed the snag list items reinspect the work, checking that the items have been rectified and that no damages have occurred in the rectification process.
• Get all warranties and operating manuals from the contractor.
• Check that the contractor has completed all work and cleaned the site.
• Settle the final account with the contractor.
• Arrange for all work in your scope to be completed, such as, fitting curtains, installing television cables, completing data and telephone connections.
• Get the occupation permit.
• Inform the bank of the final costs.
• Return the builder’s surety to the contractor.
• Return any equipment you hired.
• Store ‘attic stock’ (spare stock) where it’s safe and can be found if required.
• Pay all the outstanding accounts and fees.
• Get deposits back that were paid to the authorities.
• File all project paperwork in a safe place where it can be readily found.
• Arrange for your furniture to be moved into your new home.
• Explain to the rest of the family how everything operates in the house.
• Finally at last – it’s time to sit back on your patio and enjoy the fruits of your hard work.
• At the end of the defects liability period inspect the house for additional defects. List these and get the contractor to attend to them.
• When the defects are completed reinspect the work and sign them off.
• Carry out regular maintenance as required.

Conclusion
In future articles I will discuss many of these steps in detail. Good planning and diligently following all the steps will ensure a successful project. For more information purchase my book: Build and Renovate Your Home With Your Eyes Wide Open. It provides invaluable advice which will save you money, help you avoid common mistakes and ensure your project is a success.

​​For more valuable tips and advice read: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' and'Volume 2 Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home'

​This is an extract from: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 1' by Paul Netscher. Available in paper or eBook from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU and all online bookstores. To read more


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​© 2018 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.