Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Nov 03, 2014 7:00 am I hope to build a modest house of my own design. It would be great if I could save some money and draw the plans (acceptable to Council requirements) myself rather than employ a draftsman. Has anyone here ever done this and was it successful? Thanks. Re: DIY House Plans 2Nov 03, 2014 1:56 pm A few people have done it here but you need to be up to speed with your councils LEP and DCP. Then you have to know what they require - survey, site plan, floorplan, elevations, shadow diagrams, SEE etc and all that entails for each one but that will depend a lot on your particular council. Even a basic CAD program will be able to do all that. Stewie Re: DIY House Plans 3Nov 03, 2014 2:33 pm frednerd I hope to build a modest house of my own design. It would be great if I could save some money and draw the plans (acceptable to Council requirements) myself rather than employ a draftsman. Has anyone here ever done this and was it successful? Thanks. Have you got skills in this area Fred ? Re: DIY House Plans 4Nov 03, 2014 3:35 pm Saint Mike, No, I have no skills in this area, apart from Photoshop and Illustrator. However, I am eager to learn, particularly if someone could point me in the right direction in regard to software (free?). Also, I have at least six months to learn. Thanks for your replies. Re: DIY House Plans 6Nov 03, 2014 3:54 pm I've designed a basic layout myself and then handed it to a drafty to refine it, which worked very well. I think its a mistake to start designing on a computer as you really need to think about how you intend to use the house first. This link shows how I went about it (http://www.anewhouse.com.au/2012/02/sta ... diagram-1/) The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: DIY House Plans 7Nov 03, 2014 4:08 pm Quote: You mention that a few people have done it on this forum; is there any chance you could point me towards their post? Here's one. viewtopic.php?f=38&t=71702&hilit=tondelver I know there are more but I can't remember which ones. Brians ( bashworth ) guide is also a good one and similar to what I ask clients when they give me a call. Usually they have a "must have" list of features they absolutely won't be able to live without in their new house as opposed to a "wants" list of upper end items that they would love but maybe not be able to afford. Most people also have a folder that they have which have cutouts from magazines/photos/brochure etc as well. Most people also have a rough idea of which rooms they want where in the house and within three or four floorplan revisions we usually have the final floorplan to pretty much the final version. Stewie Re: DIY House Plans 8Nov 03, 2014 4:44 pm Bashworth and Stewie, Thank you for your replies. I've already done all the pre-concept thinking (one year's worth) and I've read and viewed everything I can about building for the past year. So, once I put my existing house up for sale in two weeks, I'll be searching for some land and, if successful, build the new house myself (apprehensive but excited about it). I'll read your suggested links tonight. Thanks again! Re: DIY House Plans 9Nov 03, 2014 9:38 pm I have designed and drafted several house plans including my current built. The first set of house plans was for my Mother's fishing shack. This was in about 1970. It was pencil/ink/paper drawings in those days. I was still a student at this time but things were so much easier then.There were no energy efficiency calculations, no percolation calculations, no glazing analysis, no storm water retention calculations, no shading calculations, no BAL assessments etc. On my current build I spent several months just researching the design requirements for residential buildings. I have unlimited access to Australian standards ( without this access I do not believe I could have successfully designed my house). My house plans are more than just a floor plan, typical section, elevations and a site plan. I produced a lot of detailed drawings showing exactly how the house is to be built and to demonstrate compliance with the respective building codes. This included detailed foundations plans, damp proofing, sarking, insulation, flashing details, structural bracing, lintel schedules, glazing analysis, down pipe calculations to name a few. The dimensioning it critical, otherwise you may not get the brick courses (for example) to line up with the lintels) To prepare these detailed drawings I searched through manufactures of building products web sites and studied their installation instructions and then utilised their construction/installation details where they were applicable to my build. (many of these details are downloadable as CAD blocks from the respective manufacturers web sites). This took me a lot of time. I also borrowed all the building books I could find from my local library and read them cover to cover, making notes of interesting bits. If you employ an Architectural design draftsperson, he/she should already have a comprehensive library of building details.This will save you a lot of time as they should be able to take your basic floor plan and turn it into a set of working drawings in a couple of days. Re: DIY House Plans 10Nov 03, 2014 10:00 pm I drew up all the plans for my house. And as Beetaloo did, I got hold of as many books as I could, especially the Australian building standards. I did all the drawings myself however I still had to have a qualified engineer certify my designs before the council would accept them. That was in the late 80s. I am now building a studio and have followed the same path again. I had no problem getting it all approved... first time with no questions asked. I certainly means I have a full understanding of the entire building and I'm easily able to modify the design (to suit materials that become available) during the build if required. Re: DIY House Plans 11Nov 04, 2014 5:55 am Beetalo: Thanks for your "story" -- it certainly has inspired me and I'll follow your path. Rufftuff: your post was the was the confirmation I needed. I'll search the internet this week to look for some free design/construction software. The house I'll build will almost certainly be one-storey, Hardiplank and some stone veneer. It'll be supported by approx. one-metre piers and, ideally,the roof will be composite shingles. I've chosen shingles because they look good and are fairly easy to install (and they seem to be slowly catching on in Australia. Thanks everyone again. Really tight at the top of the stairs- how to get furniture into those rooms? Study books - does anyone really use them these days? Large storage closet would be more functional. 2 6885 Assuming the structure of your cabinetry is good then I would DIY everything as follows: - replace your counter tops entirely, - replace all drawer runners with soft close… 1 4782 |