Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 23, 2021 9:13 pm Hi all, wondering if anyone used architectural consultant? We are building with smaller project/custom builder (Hall and Hart). We picked the house and floorplan we like and made custom changes to suit, some of which are major. But before we move on it, we were hoping to engage someone to get advice on the design with regards to our block, aspect etc (e.g. are the living areas in the best possible spot, do we have enough windows and in correct places, should be doing anything differently to maximise sun/natural light?) There are so many architects out there who want to hear what you want and start drawing their plans from scratch. What we are looking for is simply a review of our existing plans and getting independent advice on whether we are doing the right thing with this particular design or whether from architectural perspective we should be doing something completely different. If anyone engaged a consultant like this, who you used and what your experience was with the process? Thanks everyone for your valuable comments Re: Engaging architectural consultant to review plans 2May 24, 2021 8:32 am Do you really need an architect to tell you that kind of info? Find a display house with similar layout/position and see if you'd be comfortable there. There isn't really a 'correct' way for placing windows, just implications in terms of heat transfer and convenience. You could also post plans here for people to give feedback on. Re: Engaging architectural consultant to review plans 3Mar 11, 2022 3:34 am Hey LucB, Did you manage to find a consulting architect? This is exactly what we are wanting for some reassurance that our plans will work and identify any problems we may have missed. Would love to hear if you found someone to assist. Amy LucB Hi all, wondering if anyone used architectural consultant? We are building with smaller project/custom builder (Hall and Hart). We picked the house and floorplan we like and made custom changes to suit, some of which are major. But before we move on it, we were hoping to engage someone to get advice on the design with regards to our block, aspect etc (e.g. are the living areas in the best possible spot, do we have enough windows and in correct places, should be doing anything differently to maximise sun/natural light?) There are so many architects out there who want to hear what you want and start drawing their plans from scratch. What we are looking for is simply a review of our existing plans and getting independent advice on whether we are doing the right thing with this particular design or whether from architectural perspective we should be doing something completely different. If anyone engaged a consultant like this, who you used and what your experience was with the process? Thanks everyone for your valuable comments Re: Engaging architectural consultant to review plans 4Mar 11, 2022 4:29 am Damy Hey LucB, Did you manage to find a consulting architect? This is exactly what we are wanting for some reassurance that our plans will work and identify any problems we may have missed. Would love to hear if you found someone to assist. Amy LucB Hi all, wondering if anyone used architectural consultant? We are building with smaller project/custom builder (Hall and Hart). We picked the house and floorplan we like and made custom changes to suit, some of which are major. But before we move on it, we were hoping to engage someone to get advice on the design with regards to our block, aspect etc (e.g. are the living areas in the best possible spot, do we have enough windows and in correct places, should be doing anything differently to maximise sun/natural light?) There are so many architects out there who want to hear what you want and start drawing their plans from scratch. What we are looking for is simply a review of our existing plans and getting independent advice on whether we are doing the right thing with this particular design or whether from architectural perspective we should be doing something completely different. If anyone engaged a consultant like this, who you used and what your experience was with the process? Thanks everyone for your valuable comments Hi Damy Congrats on starting your journey. There is a lady on this forum who does exactly that. She hangs out mainly in the renovation and home improvement section and gives really good advice to people. Her user name is Oklouise. I would start there. Cheers Simeon Architectural Homes & Duplexes - specialising in custom designing homes to your budget Get a Free Onsite Consultation Today or send a PM for information, questions or advice. Re: Engaging architectural consultant to review plans 5Mar 11, 2022 5:21 pm First up I can't point you in the direction of a designer. You are absolutely on the right track to consider these elements. Orientation is the first critical consideration - get this wrong and you'll be living in a thermal nightmare - to hot in summer and freezing in winter. Window size is critical to a thermally efficient home. Not only will this provide passive solar heating in winter but also cooling in summer by achieving crossflow ventilation. Glazing is the weakest link in your thermal envelope and too much glass will result in summer sweatbox. Not all designers and architects are across passive solar principles so I would be careful during the selection process and find out what track record they have and speak to some of their clients. Finally, you can get some good, basic information here: | YourHome Good luck with your journey - getting it right is hugely rewarding and getting it wrong will see many years of discomfort and high energy costs. You sound like you're on the right track judging by your post. Cheers, DM Re: Engaging architectural consultant to review plans 6Mar 12, 2022 3:39 pm Damy Hey LucB, Did you manage to find a consulting architect? This is exactly what we are wanting for some reassurance that our plans will work and identify any problems we may have missed. Would love to hear if you found someone to assist. Amy LucB Hi all, wondering if anyone used architectural consultant? We are building with smaller project/custom builder (Hall and Hart). We picked the house and floorplan we like and made custom changes to suit, some of which are major. But before we move on it, we were hoping to engage someone to get advice on the design with regards to our block, aspect etc (e.g. are the living areas in the best possible spot, do we have enough windows and in correct places, should be doing anything differently to maximise sun/natural light?) There are so many architects out there who want to hear what you want and start drawing their plans from scratch. What we are looking for is simply a review of our existing plans and getting independent advice on whether we are doing the right thing with this particular design or whether from architectural perspective we should be doing something completely different. If anyone engaged a consultant like this, who you used and what your experience was with the process? Thanks everyone for your valuable comments We engaged an independent BASIX and NatHERS assessor to provide feedback on our designs and help us tweak it to meet 6 stars requirements. Unfortunately we didn't have the budget to aim for 7 stars. Happy to recommend them to you. The director is an architect himself and so was able to also provide advice on orientation, design and layout whilst taking thermal performance into consideration. Re: Engaging architectural consultant to review plans 7Mar 13, 2022 1:53 am Damy Hey LucB, Did you manage to find a consulting architect? This is exactly what we are wanting for some reassurance that our plans will work and identify any problems we may have missed. Would love to hear if you found someone to assist. Amy We engaged Jennifer Crawford from https://www.ournewhomecoach.com.au/ and the service and advice was outstanding. Refer this previous post for more details... viewtopic.php?p=1888275#p1888275 2 12199 Exactly. In much the same way no one twigged when they looked at the plans during design. 2 3402 it's difficult to make suggestions without accurate information as there are some inconsistencies in the dimensions as the length of the bedrooms is not equal to the… 3 11528 |