A design at the core is creativity manifested in a written and visual document that provides everyone clarity, excitement and expectations of outcome. It can be a form of insurance as well, showing measurements, levels, and product/material choices. It also involves careful planning which helps to understand potential risks, hazards, and variations before they occur.
We shut the office and drive to your site, We provide you with expert design solutions for around 1-1.5hrs, we then will email a list of written recommendations and thoughts to consider
Consultation alone is $400+gst this is good for testing the waters before committing further
The scoping session allows us to thoroughly examine all relevant data, your preferences, and budgeting capabilities. This in-depth analysis enables us to create a detailed design brief, ensuring we are all aligned during the design process. It will give you confidence on the look and cost of what we are planning to design.
A design at the core is creativity manifested in a written and visual document that provides everyone clarity, excitement and expectations of outcome. It can be a form of insurance as well, showing measurements, levels, and product/material choices. It also involves careful planning which helps to understand potential risks, hazards, and variations before they occur.
A designs core purpose is not to save money, however, having things well-planned and documented saves in the long run. We have found $25k saving solutions through a few creative suggestions. Just moving some retaining walls around, A design can also save you a lot of money from studying the sun and planning where to place plants correctly so you don’t need to replace them in future. Going with a design is really future-proofing your investment.
We understand not every project needs building approval, in this case, we will assess what detail is left to finish the design, it may be just a case of adding a few measurements and a material selection in which it might only be a small fee to finish this detail off. In some cases we have included this at no extra cost but each project is case by case
Design fee’s are based upon numerous factors, time, scope, site conditions, etc.
What makes a design fee increase are,
not having any measures or existing documentation means we need to obtain. This can set you back $2-3k for a survey + A site visit to take pics etc
Steep sites with lots of levels to consider
lots or structures that require detailing
as an example, it all equates to time, however, the end result is always worth the effort to plan it right and then execute because construction variations can get expensive and most of the time are avoidable through planning correctly.
We are licensed builders however we offer a few options, you can
DIY and/or Manage your own trades
We can help assemble a team from our network of great builders, landscapers, pool guys you can engage them directly.
We can partially project manage and assist similar to how an architect works, keeps an eye on quality and the design and is around for any questions.
We can fully manage the whole process, you just deal with me and I sort all the trades out.
Note: On some project, we do build in-house some elements such as gardens, plants, irrigation, lighting etc We just don’t handle the larger scope in house anymore.
Consultations typically occur within 1 week.
The scope session usually follows in the next week.
Pre-design varies based on when we have all the necessary information.
Concept development takes 2-5 weeks, including revisions.
Working drawings typically take around 2 weeks.
Approvals vary, generally taking 3-6 weeks.
Construction starts 1-3 weeks after approvals are granted.
Construction length varies, small project 2-3 weeks, large 8-15 weeks (if it has a pool)
It varies but as a rough price guide we have seen
A structure like a Pool can cost around
Soil test: $500-700
Engineering $800-1500 per structure
Certification $1200-$2000,
Siting / Relaxation (building close to the boundary) around $1000 per boundary
Don’t forget there are some site visits to consider such as engineer for footings, certifier for certain stages ranging around $250-350 per visit
If you are building a pool you will also need a pool fence approved and CPR safety sign before you can finish the pool and fill it with water.
If you are within 1000mm of the water you will need to earth any metal surface with a licensed electrician
If you have a service like a sewer line or similar assets within the build zone there are restrictions around this.
There are restrictions on the amount of covered area you can create within different allotments
there are boundary setbacks to be aware of
There are materials requirements and restrictions in some cases
Lots and lots,
This is why it is good to engage a designer to walk you through this process.
It might seem overwhelming, but handling fine details is part of my daily routine. I am meticulous, which might make the process appear complex but rest assured, this skill is crucial when creating your masterpiece.
To give you an idea, some clients spend:
- 1 hour on consultation
- 1.5 hours on the scope session and then they leave the rest to me
During our first meeting, which usually lasts around 1.5 hours, clients typically express their feedback. They might love some parts, request changes to others, or express uncertainty about certain aspects.
I then make revisions based on their feedback, and usually hit the mark.
So, from your perspective, I don't require a lot of your time.
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