Brutal Art Design + Build » Building

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.

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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.

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Rating: 5.9/10 (10 votes cast)

Design issues that affect costs – Part 2

Brutal Art Design + Build — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:10:15 +0000

Last week we wrote about some design considerations to factor in early in your project.

This week, we continue on with the design issues that affect costs and how these early decisions influence and impact the building costs.

Design and its impact on material costs

Bricks are heavy. And the higher a brick wall is, the more expensive it becomes. This is because of the cost of scaffolding and getting the bricks and materials up to the working height. Upper level brickwork, if the building is anything other than a double height rectangle, also generally requires significant structural steel to carry the brickwork.

Proximity of services. It’s a small issue, but ensuring the services are close to the source (like the kitchen and bathroom being close to the hot water service) diminishes the amount of materials required.

Consider the “ready dimensions” of the materials you will be using. This eliminates much waste, and encourages economy. For example timber comes in 300mm increments; most board products are 1200mm wide and 2400mm long – this is the old 8’ x 4’. A good example of the way this might affect a design is wall heights. Plasterboard is available in sheet widths of 1200mm and 1350mm, so when nominating wall heights, the designer should keep this in mind.
2 x 1200 sheets =                      2400 ceiling (8’)
2 x 1350 sheets =                      2700 ceiling (9’)
3 x 1200 sheets =                      3600 ceiling (12’)
1 x 1200 + 1 x 1350 =              2650 ceiling (8 ½ ‘)

In designing a room, dimensions of 2400 x 3600 x 2700 will be a lot cheaper than an almost identical room of 2450 x 3500 x 2800.

Specifications. This can turn a $200,000 structure into a $600,000 project. Everything that can be specified in the building will affect the cost of the building. A $250 toilet or a $1,500 toilet? A $15,000 kitchen or a $95,000 kitchen. Understand your expectations and how they affect the project budget. Specify early, so as not to rush decisions.

We have discussed just a few design factors that can influence the cost of building your dwelling.

It is important to communicate your budget to your designer at the beginning of the process so they can design within your constraints.

Conclusion

The decisions that are made in the early stages of your project can have a direct impact on the building cost – positive and negative.

It is important that your designer takes these and many more factors into consideration when they are designing your dwelling. Be sure to communicate your budget to your designer early in the process.

DESIGN ISSUES THAT AFFECT COSTS – PART 2?
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Rating: 8.4/10 (5 votes cast)

Design issues that affect costs – Part 1

Brutal Art Design + Build — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:41:00 +0000

One of the first questions new clients ask is “how much is this going to cost to build?”

In the initial conversation that is very difficult to answer, as there is no design.

Early in the process we use industry standards as a guild to building costs, but ultimately, your design will influence the cost of build.

How do you design to save on building costs?

When designing a building, or informing or considering that design, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

Budget – you need to have a budget and design to it. Let the budget inform the design, not the design informing the budget. The more intricate the design, the larger the building, special features and expensive fittings and fixtures, the higher the building cost.
Lines on paper are cheaper than walls on site. Understand the decisions that have been made in creating the plans. If your concept design is not what you are after, it is important to make changes now, rather than during the working drawing or building steps, as your change is likely to require further documentation.
Every decision has a cost associated. The earlier this decision is made, the less it will cost. It is important to understand that projects are never completed without alterations to the starting documentation. More changes mean more expenses, especially as the project progresses.
Get ahead of the project. The earlier significant trades and suppliers are consulted, the better. These trades and suppliers can provide vital early feedback, particularly if you are after a unique or detailed feature. It hurts to hear the words “if only you’d called me when you were designing this thing”.
Design for climate. Take measures to site the building properly and orient the windows and shade elements. This controls the cost of the balancing measures that otherwise need to be taken; like air-conditioning, double glazing, heating and insulation.
Design for timber. Not because timber is better than steel, but because if minor changes mean no structural steel is required, there is one less supplier and one less trade to worry about. There will always be carpenters involved in the building. There are span tables available from manufacturers and within the Residential Timber Framing Code to help with this. This can also be an instruction for the project engineer. In many cases, engineered timber can be used in place of steel if your engineer knows this.

Conclusion

It is important to set your budget and design to it – even if it means letting go of some of your wants to retain your needs.

Making design decisions earlier in the process, will mean fewer changes to your project.

Talk to your designer early in the process and don’t progress your project until you are satisfied with the plans.

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Rating: 8.8/10 (4 votes cast)

House Build Cost Savings: Design for Roofline

Adam — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:50:30 +0000

Congratulations – you’ve decided to build your dream home!

You review your architect’s concept floorplan, “House A” (above), and really like it, but decide it would be even better if you moved a wall or two to make it look like “House B“.

Since they both have the same floor area, there won’t be any difference in building costs, right?

House Build Cost Saving: Design for Roofline

Moving walls on a floorplan is as simple as changing lines on paper.

Unfortunately, paper is 2 dimensional – your new home isn’t!

Changing Walls = Changing Rooflines

And rooflines are one area that can contribute significantly to home building costs.

The diagram below shows the roofline consequences of the floorplan change from “House A” to “House B”:

Compared to House A, House B’s roof will add hundreds, possibly thousands, in extra home building costs in the form of:

An extra roof hip
An extra roof valley
Extra roof trusses and members
Added complexity with tiles and guttering
Additional labour and time on site

Keep in mind, this is an oversimplified example – real life examples are usually far more complex (what does your current roofline look like?)

House Build Cost Savings: Conclusion

Moving one wall on a floorplan can unknowingly add hundreds, possibly thousands of extra dollars in additional roofwork.

And walls are only one aspect of an entire house.

When seeking a residential architecture/design firm, be sure to look for a firm who understands the design AND building consequences of their design decisions made.

Otherwise you may find it is the builder informing you of the ramifications of your design decisions – months later when it comes time to hand them their very handsome paycheck.

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Rating: 8.1/10 (10 votes cast)