Brutal Art Design + Build » Architecture + Design

Do you have plans for 2012? Part 2 – The process

Brutal Art Design + Build — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:53:53 +0000

In part one of Do you have plans for 2012? Part 1 – Your homework, we talked about looking for a suitable property to purchase, for development and sub-division. Perhaps you don’t have to look any further than a property you already own.

There are many people who already own a property that is suitable for development.

So how do you know if you can develop?

You can hit the ground running in 2012 if you already own a property, by engaging Brutal Art Design + Build to provide you with a Property Development Assessment to ensure you can legally develop you site. 72 hours later, you will know whether or not you can sub-divide your site, what planning and zoning controls effect your site and their impact, along with a summary of development options – how many dwellings and what type you can fit on your site, taking into consideration the sites attributes. You will also be provided with a high level feasibility which will be of use when talking to a financier.

Now that you know it is possible to develop your site (you will have completed Step 1: Assessment), we have a structured process to take you from town planning, through to signing up a builder to build your project.

Step 2: Strategy will provide you with council feedback on your proposed development, and a direction for your project.

Step 3: Concept will give you the understanding of what your dwelling/s will look like, ie where are the bedrooms, kitchen, living area, etc. You and council will also have the opportunity to provide feedback, for refining the plans.

Step 4: Application is the preparation of a town planning application, advertising and notice of decision – a town planning permit.

Step 5: Detail is where the working drawings are produced, the specification prepared and the engineering done ready to engage a builder.

Step 6: Build will leave you with your dwellings/s built, ready to sell, rent out or occupy.

Step 7: Realise that your project is complete

This is a basic summary of a process that can take between 12 and 24 months to complete, without complications. There are many layers to property development, so it is important to engage a professional who understands the process.

PLANS FOR 2012?
Thinking of developing? Engage us for a Property Development Assessment today!

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No clowning around – plasterers wear stilts

Brutal Art Design + Build — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:51:40 +0000

Did you know that plasterers often wear stilts when plastering ceilings and installing cornices? Whilst it is unlikely to be the latest fashion trend, it is an important part of their toolbox.

Why do they wear stilts?

A plasterer has special stilts that are designed for plastering ceilings with heights between 2.4 and 2.7 metres. This is an efficient and effective way of plastering. They don’t need to set up and move around trestles to work from. They can set up their bench with their materials and they are ready to work.

Why don’t they have stilts for work above 2.7 metres?

Plaster sheets come in standard sizes with widths of 1.2m or 1.35m. So two sheets of either will give you a standard room height of 2.4m or 2.7m, or one of each will give a ceiling height of 2.55m. If you have walls and ceilings that are above 2.7 metres, plasterers will then be required to work from trestles, as it becomes impractical to be working at greater heights without protection.

What effect will a ceiling height above 2.7 metres have on my job?

Ceiling heights above 2.7 metres will add time and money to construction. Your plasterer will need to use trestles to work from rather than their stilts. This means that they will need to get up and down and constantly move their trestles or scaffolds, rather than walk around the room/house. Therefore, it will take longer, which means you pay more for the cost of labour. Walls of a height greater than 2.7m also require different and more expensive framing.

Keeping build costs down

We have written articles in the past that talk about how to keep the costs down when it comes to building. Make sure you speak with your building designer early in your project about keeping standard sizes. If you can keep your room heights to 2.4m, 2.55m or 2.7m, you will ensure that the plastering component remains cost effective in time and money.

Conclusion

Plasterers wear stilts to make their job quicker and easier, in turn saving you money in labour and materials.

Make sure your building designer keeps to standard sizes to ensure your building costs don’t blow out.

Remember that this is just one small example of how costs can increase if using non standard sizes.

SUBDIVIDING LAND IN VICTORIA?
Keep sizing standard. Engage our Design AND Build services today!

Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Design issues that affect costs – Part 2

The Four C’s

Brutal Art Design + Build — Fri, 20 May 2011 06:08:59 +0000

There is a lot that goes into a successful property development. Four ingredients seem to be common to a successful outcome: Commitment, Creativity, Continuity and Capital. Think of it like you are baking a cake, you leave out one ingredient and the outcome may not meet your expectations!

Commitment

Firstly, as much as being committed to the project, you need to be committed to the process. It is a complex and time consuming job, and both the risks and rewards are considerable. Although you will be using the best professionals you can find, you are still the developer and the buck stops with you. In order to achieve a successful development, you will need to be committed to both the project and process.

Creativity

Getting the most out of your project relies on considering the options and putting together a concept that is creative and makes best use of the land to be developed. The yield (number of dwellings) is important, so too is the construction method and the size of the dwellings. The density mix – this will affect car parking particularly – must also be considered. Getting the right number of dwellings, each of the right size and designed for ease of construction is a tricky balance, which requires some creative thinking from your designer. And this balance must be achieved within Rescode’s legal requirements.

Continuity

The project must flow logically from concept to completion, and each of the many consultants that are part of the process must each do their part at the right time. There is a process that needs to be followed, and whilst this process is not particularly difficult, it is complex. Understanding the project time-line from the outset will help to keep the project on track. Think of this as a business plan for your project. Beware of seeking too many opinions on your project and try to maintain a single point of contact – either you or your advocate – otherwise this will break your continuity, cause delays and often increase your costs.

Capital

Assuming your proposal is sound, and the numbers stack up, there is still a need to get the right sort of funding in place. Typically, funding is different for 2 lot projects than for projects of 3 lots or more. Having adequate capital in place as early as possible will enable you, as the developer, to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

Conclusion

As the developer, you need to be committed to the project and the process.

Be creative to get the best outcome for your land.

Create a business plan for your project so you can measure progress.

Have your capital in place as early as possible.

SUBDIVIDING LAND IN VICTORIA?
Make sure you have all the ingredients for a successful project. Engage our Design AND Build services today!

Rating: 7.0/10 (1 vote cast)

6 star energy rating – What does this mean for my project?

Brutal Art Design + Build — Fri, 06 May 2011 04:44:55 +0000

6 star energy rating – what does this mean for my project?

From 1 May 2011, all new homes, renovations and additions in Victoria will be required to meet a minimum 6 star energy rating, with inclusion of either a solar hot water system or a rainwater tank.

What is an energy rating?

An energy rating for your home is a calculation of the thermal performance of the dwelling, or simply put, the heating and cooling requirements to maintain a comfortable temperature. The lower the rating, the more reliant on mechanical heating and cooling devices the dwelling’s occupants will be to establish and maintain a comfortable temperature. A lower rating will also mean higher energy bills.

How is it calculated?

An energy rating can only be established by an accredited energy rater. To perform their assessment they will require the site plans, floor plans, elevations, window schedule and the construction materials for the dwelling (eg the type of cladding, what rating of insulation, roof material to be used, etc).

The energy rater will feed this information into the energy rating program to calculate the star performance of the dwelling.

If the dwelling achieves less than 6 stars, the energy rater will suggest changes to ensure a 6 star rating is achieved. This could be double glazed windows or insulation of a higher rating.

What does this mean for my project?

As of 1 May, a building surveyor will need to ensure that a dwelling (or in certain circumstances the addition only) achieves a minimum 6 star energy rating to grant a building permit.

It is important that your designer is thinking of the energy rating at the beginning of the design – orientation, size and placement of windows and shading are just a few of the elements that need to be considered.

What if my dwelling doesn’t reach 6 stars?

If the energy rating comes back short of 6 stars, changes will be required. This has the potential to increase the cost to build, especially if the energy rating hasn’t been considered at the beginning of the design. Correct orientation and building materials could mean the insulation required for the home isn’t as highly rated as it may be required if the building achieves a lower energy rating.

I’m not building a new home, so what does this mean for my renovation or extension?

If you are making alterations to 50% or more of the volume of the existing dwelling, then the whole dwelling will need to achieve a 6 star energy rating. If the altered area is less than 50% of the volume of the existing dwelling, then only that part of the dwelling is required to achieve a 6 star energy rating. The building surveyor has some discretion in certain circumstances. For further information, contact the Building Commission.

Conclusion

Speak with your building designer to ensure that they are thinking a minimum of 6 star energy rating early in the design process. In the end, this will save you money.

SUBDIVIDING LAND IN VICTORIA?
Ensure a 6 star energy rating is considered early in your project. Engage our Design AND Build services today!

Rating: 5.9/10 (10 votes cast)

Building Permit vs Planning Permit: What’s the difference?

Adam — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:22:26 +0000

Many first timers are surprised to learn that even though they have a Planning Permit, they still cannot build.

They are then told that their next step is to spend more time and money to obtain a Building Permit.

What’s the difference between the Building Permit and the Planning Permit?

Building Permit vs Planning Permit: What’s the difference?

The difference between the two permits is that:

The Planning Permit focuses on ‘What‘ you intend to build.
The Building Permit focuses on ‘How‘ you intend to build it.

It is entirely possible to succeed in obtaining a Planning Permit and fail to obtain a Building Permit.

Lets explore these two permits in more detail.

1) The Planning Permit focuses ‘What’ you intend to build.

Your Planning Permit is granted at the end of a successful Town Planning Permit (TPP) application.

Your TPP application is a description to Council of what you intend to build.

As such, the documentation only needs to be completed to a level of detail so that Council sufficiently understands what you are trying to do – from a planning perspective.

2) The Building Permit focuses ‘How’ you intend to build it.

Once you have obtained your Planning Permit, you have permission from Council to build ‘what’ you want.

Now you need to describe ‘how’ you are going to build it.

This is the process of obtaining a Building Permit – granted at the end of a successful Building Permit (BP) application.

Your BP application consists of several documents that together perform two functions:

Serves as the documents that will need to comply with the Building Code of Australia, and
Serves as instructions to inform your Builder how to build what you intend.

As such, the documentation needs to be completed to a level of detail so that your Builder understands how you expect him to build what you want – from a building perspective.

Building Permit Drawing vs Planning Permit Drawing: Case Study

As an example, lets compare the same detail at both a Planning Permit and Building Permit level of documentation:

Planning Permit Level

Garage Detail: Planning Permit level

In the Planning Permit drawing above, we have zoomed in on the area focusing on the garage and surroundings.

As can be seen, there is minimal detail regarding the garage itself – just basic dimensions and a note regarding the door.

At the planning stage, Council’s concern is “Will this garage (the ‘what’) fit in the context of the local neighbourhood?”

This is the reason for the neighbourhood context inclusions – eg. the adjacent neighbour’s Existing Carport and dwelling, Council’s nature strip assets and various neighbouring setbacks.

Building Permit Level (ie. Working Drawing)

Garage Detail: Building Permit (Working) Drawing

In the Building Permit drawing (otherwise known as a Working Drawing) above, we have zoomed in on the same area.

As can be seen, all detail regarding neighbourhood context is stripped – the Builder is only concerned with “How do I build this garage?”

In the above example, we can see some of the extra detail required to help instruct the builder:

Millimeter accurate dimensions
Steel Lintel detail
Steel Beam locations
Reference to further Section documents (the ‘A/4 Circle and arrow)
Reference to Engineering documentation
Stair Specifications
Window and Door specifications and dimensions

Because of the extraneous level of detail required, there can be anywhere upwards from twice the number of plans/documents necessary for the Building Permit as compared to the Planning Permit.

To sum it up in one word, the process of obtaining a Building Permit is all about adding Detail.

Building Permit or Planning Permit: Conclusion

The difference between the two permits is that:

The Planning Permit focuses on ‘What‘ you propose to build.
The Building Permit focuses on ‘How‘ you propose to build it.

To sum it up in one word, the process of obtaining a Building Permit is all about adding Detail!

AFTER A BUILDING PERMIT?
Ensure your builder gets the Details he needs!
Engage our Design + Build services today.

Rating: 8.7/10 (15 votes cast)