About Us Jim Moehead – Building Design & Drafting is a design and drafting company whose clients include owners, builders, developers and other consultants.Not only hear on the Sunshine Coast,Maroochydore, Caloundra, Kawana, Nambour and Coolum but throughout Queensland and New South Wales. With a vast knowledge of the building industry and the ability to prepare quality plans, whether they are house plans for extensions and addtions, new residential building designs, industrial and commercial designs or contract drafting for other constultants. We aim to achieve results which gives the client a building design which fits within their ideals and budget. Our design takes into consideration your requirements, the natural qualities of your site and surroundings. Our approach is to work with you to arrive at a floor plan that you are satisfied with prior to commencement of final design drawings. We encourage clients to get involved with their project along the way and ask questions if there are any issues you may not be certain about. The Design Process New Home Building Design - So you have just purchased a vacant block of land, maybe it’s for your first home or the family has grown out of your existing residence and you need something bigger. Firstly decide what you would like under the roof of your new home, how many bedrooms, media room, family room, study, kitchen (of course), bathroom and somewhere to park the car. If you are intending to put in a pool now or later, do you want to be able to look over it from the living areas. Do you entertain, you may need a covered outdoor entertaining area with easy access to your kitchen. Renovating or adding to your home The Renovation or addition - If you have just bought an older home with the idea of renovating or making additions, the best advice I can give you is to live in the house for a while before starting the building design process. Get the feel for the building, which way does the breeze comes from, where does the sun warm the building, if you have views can you enhance rooms to take advantage of these. You might need to apply to the local authority to obtain a relaxation to build closer to a boundary. When you have all your wish list together, then we can get together and go over your ideas, sort out what is achievable then get some sketches under way. A very important part of the building design process is for the client, you, to be involved. Ask questions if you are not sure. It’s better to get things right before the builder turns up and starts demolishing your home. While this is happening it is advisable to get a surveyor to do a “Contour and Detail Survey”. This will locate the exsting building in relation to the propoerty boundaries, show any existing services like council sewer, stormwater drainage lines and give an idication of the slope of the land. If you plan on adding out from your home, a soil test will be required to allow the engineer to design a suitable footing system to support the new construction. Once all the information has been gathered and the plans for your renovation or addition are complete, get some quotes for the construction.If you haven’t blown your budget, then it’s off to the Certifier. The Building Design Process Getting started with your new project is a difficult task. Where to start, what to do then getting someone to do it. Even the smallest of addtitions requires the same processes as if you were going to build a new home. With new clients I always get the same questions… “What do I need to do to get started?” And like any area that you don’t really know much about, there’s a lot of things that you need to consider that most people just wouldn’t think about. And becuase I’ve been around the building industry for around 20 years, I can help walk you through the building design process step by step, so that you don’t have to find things out the hard way. Just to give you a bit of an idea, here are some of the things that you might want to think about for your next residential, commercial or industrial building or renovation project, whether it be on the Sunshine Coast or anywhere else in the world. Site Survey – to determine the location of any existing services and buildings on your site and provide existing ground levels. Soil Testing – this will allow the engineer to determine the footing system best suited for your project. Structural Design & Certification – Most new building works will require an engineer to provide a structural design certificate, stating the buidling has been designed in accordance with the relevant Australian Standards. Building Certifier – once the plans have been completed, a Building Certifier can process your application by checking the plans against the local authority’s planning requirements and the Building code of Australia. So, if you’re just about ready to make a start on your new building design or renovation project, contact us to discuss your requirements and we’ll help you get started.