Builders can build your home on just about any surface but first find an architect to design right for the site.
Builders can build your home on just about any surface but first find an architect to design right for the site.
Designing and building your own home is a dream for many Kiwis. Registered architect Lisa Day, director of Donnell & Day Architecture, says it's a major project that many people may experience only once in a lifetime. Finding a site is the first step.
"It is a tricky process. A lot of the sites in urban areas can be hard to come by or are difficult sites," Day says.
Difficult sites often have service pipes crossing through them or are on a steep slope. Day says that it can be costly to develop on these pieces of land.
"A higher portion of your budget than you're allowing for will end up going into the ground."
Day recommends looking into a site in detail from the property file before purchase, checking services routes through it and geotechnical requirements. Even though builders can erect homes on just about any surface, good topography can save on cost. Developers often snatch up these flat sites because they are so much easier to build on, making it difficult for individual homebuyers to find one. Sloped sites can be built upon successfully if the design is right.
Builders can build your home on just about any surface but first find an architect to design right for the site.
"If the site is not perfect, which often sites aren't, there are ways and techniques to design a house in a less ideal scenario."
With regard to sunlight, Day says that a home can be a passive house and not require additional heating if it is properly designed and insulated. The key is to design a home so the sunlight heats up a thermal mass in winter. That mass can then radiate heat throughout the day to heat the rest of the home.
Day does not use a checklist for her clients to brief her. But she says the Homestar Ratings Guide is a good template for people to use to get the conversation going. An architect needs to be willing to get to know you a little bit and listen to what you want. They need to understand where you're coming from. You'll need to feel comfortable speaking to them.
"I think it's just communication. It's the bottom line with any relationship," Day says.
Some clients will want to write everything down themselves. For those who prefer simply to discuss the plans, Day will write up a brief to confirm their discussions. She says once you get to know a family you can get a pretty good feel for what they want. An architect will start to pick up on how you live and how you want to live.
"Some things aren't verbal. There is an intuitive aspect as well of knowing what will suit that particular family. Each family that you meet is just so different."
As the family grows through various stages of life, their home needs will change. It is possible to future proof a home somewhat. Trusses can be put up in the attic without fully fitting out that space. Later on it could be turned into an office or a bedroom. People can also situate a house on a property such that it would allow an add-on or a sleepout to be built later on.
"It's good to have that big picture in mind right at the beginning so that we can plan accordingly. There are different lifestyle things that you can just see coming on."
If a home owner plans to stay in their home for as long as they can then certain considerations need to be made. Mobility issues should be taken into account with wider doorways and hallways. The floorplan should show were the furniture is going to be so you can visualise the manoeuvring spaces. The building materials used in the home will also determine how much maintenance is needed as the house ages.
Day says one of the most important things you can do when building a new home is to find a good designer or architect who will listen to you and come up with a solid preliminary design. Once you have been through that process, you need to put that preliminary design to a quantity surveyor. Quantity surveyors assist in checking the cost of the early designs. A quantity surveyor will calculate the difference between your budget and the actual cost based on current market rates. They will take the site parameters and scheme design with the outline specification to quantify how much it will cost.
It's best to lay everything out up front so that in the end all you have to do is enjoy your wonderful new home.
"There is a beauty and there is something that you sense when you walk into a house that has been designed to fit the family, to fit the site and to respond to the environment that adds a richer experience to a property."
David Maida is a freelance writer at DavidMaida.com
