We design residential buildings for new construction and renovations/additions. Our scope of expertise include granny flats, individual homes up to 3 storeys, multi unit developments as well as small apartments up to 3 storeys. Our clientèle consists of 4 small prestigious builders as well as individuals. We provide a full design service tailored to suit your requirements. We can provide a design only service or we can provide the full design and working drawings package, it is up to you. Design only attracts a 1 off fixed fee and is basically the starting point towards building your home. Full design and working drawings also attracts a one off fixed fee. You still get the design service but includes 2 more stages once design has been finalised. The first stage is preparing the design for a planning application, alson know as DA (Design Approval). Once the design has met all shire requirements and is approved, the second stage is preparing construction drawings ready for a building license. Once you obtain the building license, you are ready to start construction. We do not handle the planning applications or building license submissions. This is due to the fact that the builder of your choice handles this side of business or, if you are an owner builder there are a number of forms that need to be filled out by you. The forms necessary for owner builders can generally only be filled out by the owner. If you are an owner builder using our services, we can help guide you through the process. All drawings are done in CAD and can output a 3D model allowing you to visualize and walk through your home at the early stages of design. No matter how weird and wonderful your design may be, we are always up for the challenge. If you have a design you want to make a reality, we would love to be part of the process. Building a home can be daunting, especially if you are new to it, so we are more than happy to give you as much information along the way. We strive to provide a professional and honest service and are more than happy to answer all questions you have. ATTENTION TO DETAIL We pride ourselves on attention to detail. This comes from a wealth of construction knowledge through interaction with builders and trades. We draw in 3D the way the home is supposed to be built. Experience has taught me that being thorough even at sketch stage provides for a smooth transition up to & during the building stage. For complex jobs like the one above, we literary draw all construction correctly. This job was a second storey addition and the engineers drawings were very complex. If I have to think about how it all fits, chances are builders and their trades do to. For these types of jobs I feel I have to at least know that it works the way it is supposed to structurally, and what trades need to see in order to make it work. Based on this 'wire frame' concept, I can do more than 1 3D image and capture various angles to cover the scope as much as possible. Less room for error leads to a smooth building process. Naturally these images can then be read in conjunction with the Architectural Plans as well as the Engineers Structural Plans. ENERGY EFFICIENCY We often get asked 'Do you design homes that are energy efficient?'. The simple answer to that is yes. All new builds must meet a 6 star energy rating. The formular is simple - - Keep windows on the east and west to a minimum - Have living areas facing north and well shaded - Incorporate small windows on the south to allow sea breezes Anything outside of these basic rules will start to change the properties on how your design performs in summer and winter. Ultimately this starts to reduce the star rating which then forces you to add other measures to combat the drop in stars. For instance if you have ocen views and the side of your house faces west, then the heat load on these windows will significantly reduce the star rating. This leads to upgrading the glass to tinted or even double glazing. This of course starts to add further costs to your home. We work closely with energy asessors and have become familiar with the 'do's and don'ts' of solar design. Ultimately it comes down to the individual if they prefer not to adopt these basic rules, all it means is higher costs in upgrades. A 6 Star Energy Assessment can only be carried out by an accredited assessor and the assessment must be submitted at Building License stage, it is not required at Planning stage. Unfortuntately, the outcome of how your home stacks up and how many stars it receives is not known until the design has been finalised. This service attracts a fee and any changes made to your design after an assessment has been carried out will incur additional charges by the assessor each time the design is changed. It is a legal document and therefore must marry up against the final design. For more information or to see how we can help you out, contact us today!!