But what does this actually mean? Is it a conventional house with a few solar panels on the roof and some insulation in the walls? These measures can help but they are generally afterthoughts or add ons to pass your BASIX certificate. What can we do to make a real difference to the impact our homes have on the environment and at the same time create a comfortable, efficient to run family home?

1. Build more modest homes of higher quality

The average Australian home is the biggest in the world and increased in size by 40.3% from 1984-5 to 2002-3 (Source ABS Data Building Activity Survey). The next biggest is the USA at around 200 m2.  If you want to build an true Eco house then you should consider reducing the overall size of the home. This will allow you to devote more of your budget to a higher quality construction and finish.

A smaller home will be easier to clean and cheaper to run over its lifetime resulting in further savings.

2. Building Orientation and Design

Every block of land is different and each of our designs will develop a unique response to the individual site and client requirements. When building an environmentally friendly house the building orientation and design is very important as this will determine the heat gain and loss of your glass and the cost of heating and cooling your new home.

3. Double Glazing

In my opinion it is only a matter of time before double glazing becomes the minimum requirement for all new home builds. Single glazed aluminium windows have a very poor thermal performance ( high U values ) and are typically installed without adequate sealing around the window to prevent air flow and heat loss. A good quality double glazed window or door will save you money on your heating and cooling bill with the added benefit of great sound insulation.

4. Building Insulation

Typically our clients are aware of the benefits of good insulation. A well insulated building will mean you don’t need to turn on the heating or A/C as often and it will be easier to maintain a comfortable temperature all year round.

The BASIX certificate controls the minimum insulation requirements but it is well worth the small additional cost to install the highest possible insulation to floors,walls, ceilings and roofs.

R3 polyester insulation is a good starting point for brick veneer and framed construction. Double brick and concrete construction still requires additional insulation as these materials have good thermal mass properties but are poor insulators.

Double brick walls without additional insulation have a low R value of 0.74, brick veneer is R 0.48 (source BCA Volume 1 Section J) both wall systems should have extra insulation to boost their thermal performance.

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It is important to capture everything and anything relating to your project. Some ideals might seem completely unrealistic, however you never want to question ‘why didn’t we explore that option’ at
the end of a project. All possible requirements should be thrown into the melting pot along with your architect’s design creativity, local planning controls and your budget.

Ultimately the design brief is a tool to capture all your needs. It allows you the flexibility to explore all creative options, and a means to provide you with a unique lifestyle. These are your requirements and should never be about the architect’s ego. We are here to work in with your ideas, guide you through potential spaces and open up your imagination to a different way of living and interacting with your home environment. As your architects we also enjoy being pushed and challenged while we develop your unique design so what might seem an unusual request could be the trigger for a truly great new home for your family.

A clients design brief should evolve with the project. Ideals, perceptions and goals all change as a project travels its course. The design brief is a document you can continuously refer back to, and one that provides a base for all development. The design brief is a very important document, so please take your time putting it together and in considering what is important to you as a family and how you would like to live.

Grandeur By Design has an experienced team of architects that are happy to assist you with composing your design brief. Contact Us today to book in a consultation.

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There is no right or wrong answer as each path has certain benefits and restrictions.

Ultimately both paths of approvals are governed by a set of design constraints that control the size, shape and design of the new home.

Complying Development combines the functions of both a development consent and a construction certificate into the one approval. The driving factors with this path of approval is time efficiency and the flexibility in making changes during the design and construction stages. To gain approval for construction in a couple weeks after submitting the required documents to the Private Certifier is a real plus. It negates the possibility of losing a preferred contractor to another job due to time delays.

Seeking a DA approval with council and then obtaining a Construction Certificate can be a drawn out process which can take 4+ months. In some cases this can ultimately effect the profitability of a project.

Another major positive with Complying Development is the flexibility to make design changes to a project during the design and construction phase. Normally this would require a further submission to council in the form of a Section 96 (modification to a development consent), which can lead to weeks of delays. With Complying Development as long as the design change is within the limits of the Complying Development controls, then that possibility becomes a reality in a short time frame.

A possible downside to the Complying Development certificate can be the rigid approvals process. Essentially it is a case of ticking the boxes and if you comply with the design controls then you achieve an approval. Unlike the DA process where there is scope to argue the impact of a design control and objective, Complying Development requires you to meet the objectives completely. If you wish to push the boundaries of these objectives, then you are unable to seek approval under the Complying Development code. For this reason seeking DA approval with council can be a better option if you ned to push a particular design outcome that meets the planning objective but not necessarily the numerical control.

Both building approvals processes offer different pros and cons to a project. The above is only a small insight into the topic of building approvals, however provides some important factors when making your decision.

Are you planning to build and want to know more? Contact us today and we can help!

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Some potential advantages of building a new custom home include:

One on one personalised service from our in house architects, builder and project consultant. We only take on a limited number of new homes each year so each and every job is very important to us. We like to get to know our clients and build a strong relationship that will last beyond the construction of their new home.

Design flexibility. While we do have a range of pre-designed luxury homes the bulk of our work is custom designed architecture. We start from first principles on all our jobs: site orientation, planning controls, unique design brief. We don’t merely try to make our existing design “fit” on your block. We want to get the absolute maximum out of your unique piece of real estate. A project home’s standard design often won’t reflect what’s best for your building lot – very basic things such as orientation (making sure sunlight gets to the right places – can make an amazing difference to living environment), slope and existing trees are also often overlooked

Site Management during construction. Our site supervisors will point out alternatives during construction regarding the design, prior to reaching that stage, therefore possibly making the change at no or minimum costs.

Some disadvantages to consider when building a custom design new home:

No custom home builder can compete on price with project home builders. Project builders will always have a much larger market share. A well worn analogy is that Toyota is the most popular car and they are a very good choice when you consider price, quality lead time but they are just not a Mercedes Benz. Custom Homes will cost more than a project home, however, it is unique product tailored to the specific needs of an individual client.

Custom designs are by their nature prototype designs. They do take longer to build and usually involve more of a handcraft attitude than project builds. When a project builder takes on a job they will be building exactly the same house from the slab up to the last job they built down the road. With a custom build everything is bespoke and different to the last house we built.

If you want to know more about how Grandeur By Design’s Home Builder’s can help you build your dream home, contact us today for a consultation.

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Believe it or not, all people involved want it to run as smoothly as possible with minimal surprises like extra costs or changes to the contract design. These changes or additions are called “variations” which in some cases have been known to cause real heartache.

So, what is the best possible way to limit variations? The simple answer is planning and preparation.

Some variations are impossible to foresee in advance e.g. hitting rock during excavation, sewer encasement. However, they can be kept to a minimum through a number of ways. At Grandeur By Design, we advise our clients to limit variations, PLAN and PREPARE before you begin construction.

PLANNING PHASE

Prior to signing your building contract it is very important to ensure all documentation and drawings are detailed so that both parties know what is included and expected. This will help to give you an accurate price and timeframe for construction.

The two key factors are;

1. A detailed scope of works is essential, outlining all finishes both internally and externally, ranging from the brick selection, balustrades, bench top etc.

2. Selecting all prime cost items (PC’s), ranging from kitchen appliances, vanities, tap wear etc.

PREPARATION

Once you have your selections this gives everyone involved the tools to allow and prepare. Many of what may seem simple choices may actually require alternative considerations prior to construction.

All these decisions may be overwhelming; however, in the long run it will actually save time, unnecessary pressures and most importantly heartache during construction.

We have prepared a checklist which you can use as a guide to help you plan and prepare for your luxury home build.

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