Initial Contact

This is usually a phone chat in order to gain and understanding of what you are looking to achieve, your timeframe and your budget. In some cases your preferred Builder will already have contacted us with a brief.

Based on these discussions we will provide a “rough” estimate of what price range our services will likely fall into.

Consultation and Brief

If acceptable, the next step on your journey is a site visit and consultation. We are dedicated to providing you with the best possible service and outcome and value both our time and yours. We provide access to decades of experience and knowledge that will pay for itself many times over during your design and subsequent building journey. Renovating is a substantial and expensive investment. We believe that you should gain the best advice possible and enter into the journey with eyes wide open.

We will access the existing site and structure conditions and constraints and will discuss what will be realistically required to achieve your vision. We are not just Building Designers, but Licensed Builders who have ‘been on the tools’ and understand the finer details of actually carrying out construction of your design.

We will provide you with a deeper understanding of your project and treat this consultation as professional advice and have a genuine desire to help. Following we will provide a written proposal for undertaking the task of putting your vision onto paper in a format that can be submitted for local building approval and subsequent construction.

Preliminaries

For a renovation this usually requires drawing up the existing buildings by measuring it all or using original plans that you may be lucky enough to have. This is a vitally important step for a number of reasons. It provides you, your builder, your contractors, your certifier and your local authorities with a ‘picture’ of what you are doing, before and after. Eyes wide open for all involved is the best path to a successful project.

This may include a requirement for a Site Survey to be completed in order to locate and mark property boundaries and the actual location of your existing buildings along with where your sewer, water and power connection locations are. This is much more desirable than carrying out a construction project only to find out down the track that the boundary wasn’t actually where you thought it was, or your existing floors were built during a time before the latest flood level information was recorded. In addition to this, stormwater paths can be of critical importance, the site survey will detail the falls and slopes of the land.

Quite often when extending your building envelope, a Soil Test and Wind Speed Zone will also be required. This allows the engineer to correctly access what foundations will be required to support the new construction, and what structural bracing and engineering will be required for the building to withstand differing wind/storm events. Occasionally, underground services may need to be located using specialist contractors. These services can include underground electrical cables, water pipes, gas lines, communication cables and sewer pipes. It is better to know at times where these items are located early in the process and prior to designing structures that may be ‘bridging’ underground services.  A times these will require deep piers as part of the foundations, so the building does not ‘crush’ the services.

Design Development

In some cases, depending on the site constraints, we may need to await the survey prior to getting too deep into the design. In others, during the time these tasks are being carried out we will make a start on extracting that idea you have and getting it onto paper. This is known as ‘developing the design’. The design will start take shape, you will have a better understanding of the ‘spaces’, measurements, movement paths, airflows, sun paths, where the local predominate wind, rain and sun come from and how they affect your design. As we design in 3 dimensions, we can place some furniture and fittings into the plan to aid your understanding the scale and how the design will generally look and feel. We will provide both 2D and 3D images and walk you through the initial design thoughts. Only once you are happy with the direction of the design, will we move to the next stage. It is important that the design is meeting your expectations, this is quite often your home, or your workplace. Whilst we provide advice and explanation regarding technicalities and design elements, it is ultimately your desires and visions we are trying to develop, we are the guides on the path to the destination.

Approvals

Once you are happy with the general design the plans now move through a detailing process whereby, they are prepared for submission to your local government authorities for either Development Approval or Building Approval depending on the project and if this is required. We will have received survey files, soil test results, wind speed assessments and basic engineering design. These elements are ‘applied’ to the design and checked for constraints, we need to ensure that the structural components either ‘fit’ within the design we have created, or amend the design to cater for the components. Occasionally, when requiring a Building Approval using a Certifier to lodge plans, they may ask for greater levels of detail and we may need to drift into the next stage a little to provide this. It makes no difference to the overall process; it just sometimes blurs the lines between the stages as listed here.

Working Drawings

Yes, who could have known there was such a long process behind a simple set of plans 😊.

Whilst the plans are with the relevant authorities during the approval period, we are diligently adding even further technical detail to prepare the plans for the construction phase. This involves ensuring the building will meet the necessary building codes and standards and that the engineering is finalised. Electrical and lighting plans are added. Your builder and contractors require these details to complete your project.

It is preferable, in some cases, to obtain the building approvals prior to completing working drawings.  It maybe that we are awaiting confirmation for amendments to setback rules (how far your building must be from a boundary) or other miscellaneous council requirements that may be imposed upon your project. These decisions and or requirements can sometimes force an amendment to the overall design concept in order to gain building approval. We will discuss this with you on a case by case basis.

Specifications

Depending on your design service choices, we can work together to move beyond the standard set of plans and to add detailed specifications to the project. Many building designers leave this process to the builder. It involves selecting and specifying the actual materials, fittings and fixtures you wish to use on the project. For instance, a plan may show ‘weather boards’ on the exterior wall, however there are many different styles, sizes and finishes for ‘weatherboards’, alternatively it may be a ‘brick wall’ or rendered wall, the specification is ‘what’ brick and ‘what’ render finish (fine, medium, rough etc.).

Lights, fans, switches, taps, showers, shower screens, windows, glass, floor coverings, tiles, skirting boards, cornice, architraves, ovens, kitchens (another can of worms), decking boards, air conditioners, insulation, door handles, locks, door stops, towel rails, soap holders, toilet roll holders, laundry tubs, sinks, bench tops, baths etc. all need to be addressed.  Most often a builder will have a ‘standard range’, which suits many people, and they don’t require specifications to be prepared. Others enjoy heading out into the building products world to discover and select what they desire.

There is a cost with preparing specifications, both financially and to a greater extent – your time invested visiting showrooms and looking through media, the benefit is once again – eyes wide open for all involved. It is inherently difficult sometimes to even get a quote from builders and contractors, let alone compare them effectively. Specifications not only remove these unknowns when comparing pricing, but allow builders and contractor to know exactly what it is your wishing for, resulting in a more accurate and comparable quote and less ‘surprises’ for the unwary.

Project Management

As licensed Builders we are also able to carry out Project Management services for your construction if desired. Whilst your builder will generally engage all your contractors directly, it can be of benefit to have a ‘third party’ to oversee the processes and carry out inspections. Sometimes it helpful to those less experienced with building and construction to have a channel for advice and ‘technical translations’ back into English available on call.

Unfortunately there is no easy answer here. Every renovation and subsequent volume of work is different. For some they do not require a Building Approval from council, others may require boundary relaxations, service locations, building approvals and several re-designs as obstacles are encountered. Some wish to have a full specification documents whilst others prefer to make decisions on the fly. A renovation may consist of a bathroom only, a kitchen only, a new bedroom, ensuite and robe, or doubling of the existing houses size. For these reasons it is very difficult to have a set price for service.

A commonly used method for initial fee assessment is the percentage system whereby a judgement is made on how much work will be required in design and documentation by the value of the proposed works. This is the method the majority of Architects use. Others may also make an assessment based on an area rate per meter squared of the existing and proposed building.

At Design Science we prefer to gain a deeper understanding of your project and what you are wishing to achieve prior to formalizing a price. This works for all parties by adhering to Design Sciences concept of “eyes wide open”. A site and design consultation is often the best approach.

For this we charge a flat $280 fee that is refundable should you proceed with our services following a formal fee proposal. For this fee we will visit your site and carry out an assessment of the existing conditions, discuss your proposed visions and provide you with decades of experience and knowledge prior to spending thousands of dollars. We value your time and ours and believe this is the most professional and valuable path.

For those wishing to have a better idea of cost prior to expert consultation, existing house measure and redraws if required are generally between $2k-$4k depending on size, stories and construction. This includes the initial consultation fee. Renovation plans that do not require structural changes or approvals are generally between $1,5oo and $3,000 depending on size and complexity. Renovation plans that involve structural changes and some additions that require building approvals can range from $3k through $8k. For large house renovations and extensions costs can be between $6k and $20k, once again depending on complexity and level of details.

Please be aware, until anybody has seen your project and discussed your visions it is impossible to know what amount of fees will be required.  Unlike purchasing a product, a design service is completely dependent upon factors unique to each and every situation.

At Design Science what we can promise prior to engagement, is professionalism, unmatched experience and competitive genuine prices.