Architecturally Designed Home - Vic

We have made significant progress since the last post.

Currently we are 1/3 way through our construction drawings and expect them to be completed and building permit issued around 1st week of Feb and commence construction shortly afterwards

As mentioned the overall layout hasn't changed too much:




Kitchen from top and front:



They key materials we are going to be using throughout the house will be:

1. Blackbutt timber veneer for almost all joinery
2. Blackbutt timber floor on the ground floor
3. Light colour gloss concrete floor for the kitchen/dining area
4. Wool carpet for upstairs
5. Marble carrara for the kitchen/pantry/laundry areas

The outdoor deck will have a built in BBQ.

Wardrobe:


We elected to go for a sliding blackbutt timber sliding wardrobe, we tailored each wardrobe to match our needs.

Laundry/Toilet:


The ground floor laundry and toilet will be timber floored. The area above the washing machine is a heated cabinet.

Stair area renders:




We made couple of minor changes to the stairs. Instead of installing handrails and eating up additional space, we opted to create a gap in the mesh screen. Not only saving space but also breaking up a previously completely white screen. We also added carpet drape to soften the stairs.

A number of other features I haven't shared include all of upstairs, bathroom tiles, outdoor bricks lighting schedules. I only wanted to show some key elements of the design.

In terms of kitchen appliances, I have decided to import all of it from UK, the difference in pricing was incredible and worth the effort to coordinate the logistics. I can share the companies I used for this process if people are interested.

Thanks for reading.

as mentioned, these are obviously not construction drawings, but as we're 1/3 way through already and haven't had to make any changes due to structural integrity, i don't foresee this as a problem. especially since the most sensitive areas such as the external and internal curvatures have been assessed by the engineers already.

frankily Thanks for sharing the rendered images but (please don't take this the wrong way) it's been a year (you're1/3rd way thru?) and you still haven't nailed the project data & Costs. IMO the average Battler & Punter is over architectural renderings that lack Engineering/Construction Data and Proofs.
In a nutshell "Grand Designs" has put everyone off Architectural Rendering Services
OT in Case you missed this article “This case serves as a warning to designers that they cannot design in a vacuum,” Quote

frankily, when you architect had put up the renders online, I was blown away. It is an impressive design. Your architect has some pretty amazing projects in the pipeline as well as previously completed projects.

As for the post about Foster Partners & Riva, chalk and cheese !!!!

Do tell what engineering and construction costs, data and proofs does one gather from Artistic/Architectural Renderings/Images.. ? IMO as a design Engineer "Nothing .... a Vacuum"

You can't extrapolate construction costs from a render, that's why you have a quantity surveyor. I never implied one could..

To even compare a 100million dollar project to a 1 million dollar home, two different things. I am not sure as to why do you get so hot under the collar in relation to demanding "engineering and construction costs, data and proofs" on every second post you make.

How many Clients use quantity surveyors on their houses? probably Zero
Why would you when you can extract all the data , quantities & costs from 3D BIM Model
3D Bim was developed for Architects and now it is adopted by most project builders as a sales presentation tool only, but they both stay well away from 3D BIM Engineering and providing data to clients. Instead they still use Provisional Sums which gives builders & Contractors the opportunity to extract costs without being scrutinized..
In a nutshell, I got tired of clients saying they were told to beef up the engineering by architects & builders in order to make extra$ on projects.
In case you have missed some of my posts check your Slab & Footing Costs you will get the gist

You use quantity surveyor on a commercial projects, that was my intention. Now rather than derailing the purpose of this thread, I am not going to get into an argument pertaining to 3D BIM etc. Personally, if I need help extrapolating engineering data or builder's fees on my own home then I know enough people in commercial construction to help me break everything down.

I would highly recommend you not beating your chest on threads such as these just because they haven't reached the stage of cost derivations in a timely manner. Your BIM/Engineering data summons tends to get rather repetitive.

I don't see any commercial projects here?
But I am seeing more marketing renderings without data and people seeking advice
On difficult builds rather than be told the engineering is estimated at 1K and then be charged 5K...spend 1K on finalising the engineering,data & Proofs and try to save $4K
OT Most can't afford to hand over 3% of the contract in order to get the engineering down
Battlers & Punters are on tight budgets where upgrade construction engineering costs pushes them over the edge.

how is this marketing rendering? we've done a QS already and it's $1m as i posted initially

can you stop derailing my thread please?

just because my process is different from yours doesn't mean it's wrong.

thank you.

frankily Take a hint!
Your stair images exclude real Engineering, Construction data and proofs, do yourself a favour and put some up, frankly,
it's a fake rendering..unless you can prove otherwise

Hey
Could you do everyone a favour on this forum and leave. Find somewhere else to share your endless knowledge.
These house projects are personal that people choose to share with like minded individuals.
You are a pest.
If you choose to stay, start your own threads and stop polluting others.

They are personal on his own blog
and open for constructive comment here...get the gist

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Thank you in advance.

like i said before, it's with the structural engineer now, if they said it's fine. i don't need no drawings or validation from you to tell me it's not.

why do i need to prove to you? what's your problem?

frankily is there any chance you can share your design experiences that led to the final design in the renders? what were your initial views/vision and how did your architect work with you to produce the final result?

Also you mentioned about importing kitchen appliances, is the truly cost beneficial? if are you importing a gas stove, how have you gone about Australian compliance?

Hi MisterSlope

The design experience was quite lengthy and comprehensive. Basically at the start the architect came to do a site visit, they then send us a briefing which my wife and I fill out separately, detailing our current situation, future changes, our preferences (bricks, timber) and so on so that the initial designs are fit for purpose.

based on the initial briefing, the architect team then prepares various solutions that meets our criteria and preferences, ranging from the cheapest/smallest change to the most radical and comprehensive. we then go and deliberate which path to proceed.

following that, we then proceeded to a sketch design phase which converts the initial rough drawings into basic sketches which can be submitted for council approval. at this stage we mainly focused on exterior elements as that's what the council cares about the most.

once we obtained council approval, we were then sent another lengthy detailed briefing to fill out, this time it was more about specifics (e.g. air conditioning, security, lights), focusing on the interior functionalities of the house. by the end of this stage we basically have a complete schedule of items covering materials, appliances, plumbings and pretty much everything that goes in. once my wife and I approve of this we then proceeded into developing construction drawings which is where we are up to now.

at all stages we have direct influence over the direction of the design, after all it is our house and we are paying substantial amount for the architect to follow our preferences.

in terms of importing, i bought 12 items in total (8 appliances and 4 sinks/taps), here is the breakdown:

Goods	$ 13,635
GST	$ 1,364
Shipping	$ 1,196
Insurance	$ 42
Custom Broker Fee	$ 1,148
Total	$ 17,385
Australia Price	$ 23,100
Saving	$ 5,716
25%

i was a bit worried about buying too much plumbing due to certification issues, i also did not buy any gas stoves, i bought an induction cooktop to avoid the gas compliance issue.

hope that helps

also, just a general update.

we met with a couple of builders at some of their recently complete projects. we selected one for now and just received an estimate of ~$1m. deciding next steps at the moment

Thanks for the in depth response. I am so enamoured with your design, absolutely beautiful. In the end it is a long process but it is worth it.

I might PM you for the brokerage details for bringing in the kitchen appliances as I might do the same with furniture as well.

p.s don't forget the engineering data :-p

Looks like a Grand Design.

Exciting to see something different.