Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Jun 22, 2022 9:29 pm Hi Guys I wanted to enquire about designing my own extension for a house. It would be 3 rooms on the ground floor, about 150m2 with a kitchen. I don't know whether I will do timber framing or double brick, but I wanted to know if there are any good books on how to design a house? I used to use auto cad many years ago and will likely learn revit to do this, but, I wanted to fully detail the design before I build. I've also got a few of the Allain Staines books. I understand there is the NCC and Australian Standards and I'm familiar with the process of designing something, but, I haven't designed a house before. I'm not sure how to calculate energy levels but I'm sure there's a process or standard for this, I just don't know it. I also worked on my dad's owner build 2 storey house in my teens and have some if small building experience. I'll get the engineering completed by some good consultants. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Re: Designing an extension 2Jun 22, 2022 9:51 pm Best tip is to get hold of some good plans, often council has copies of submitted DA’s online. Then just copy the bits you like, Revit is really expensive, i used Canvas for mac but you can use anything. Good to get copies of relevant standards if you need them. Having done it recently, remember you need to value your time. Draftspeople are cheap and building mistakes are expensive or can be permanent reminders of your hubris if you get it wrong. Re: Designing an extension 3Jun 23, 2022 9:52 am As Pulse said, existing plans are 95% of it (in my opinion). I drew up our house plan (no roof/elevations) before handing it to a designer to design the roof and facade, do the architectural drawings and lodge to council (luckily with only minor changes to layout). We are building through a family friend (who doesn't have designs as such, is a builder) so I have also done the layouts for kitchen/WIP, kitchen/laundry/bathroom, electrical etc. to save money I had house plans for half a dozen houses, one of which we lived in so knew what was good and what could be improved. I used Inventor for it - not the ideal software but I use it every day for work. Having internals in 3D meant I could model the cabinets, plumbing etc and do layout/detail drawings for that. Also was easy to get floor and wall areas for flooring, tiles etc. Engineering ($825), energy ($550), stormwater & geotech ($1980 for both) were all done by consultants through the designer. I am not certified to do any of them, and the cost was pretty low anyway I thought. On average I reckon I have spent about 15-20 hours a week on house related design/spec/council info since this time last year. And in terms of a mistake, I am not happy with the ensuite layout, I stuffed it up a bit. It will be a permanent reminder! Re: Designing an extension 4Jun 23, 2022 10:57 am Yes I have books and books of building floor plans, have been looking at them for years, I'm a a slow planner. The issue with draftspeople is anyone here in Perth seems to be charging an arm and a leg, like $90-100 per hour, and for that they are so busy that I want to get into a lot of detail and they just say thats too hard. I asked one for a specification on everything in the house and for it to be detailed on drawings before I get it built. He said oh thats a great idea, I just did that with my house and it really saved me some money. I had a folder this thick of drawings. I then said okay I want that and he said, we don't provide that service here. Certifications are interesting, I will check what I need, but Stormwater and roof drainage I can do, energy I'd like to do myself just to learn the process. Yeah the layouts, sometimes you get it wrong, but, hopefully visiting display homes, and doing a 3d on revit will give me enough confidence its right. Thanks for the tips. Re: Designing an extension 5Jun 23, 2022 2:20 pm Agreed on pricing - we are in Perth and we paid a touch more. Overall it would have been cheaper if we had a more straight forward block and design. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=104814 Once you learn the energy rating process will you be able to certify the energy report for submission? Our energy report has an assessor accreditation number and organisation which was highlighted as a requirement by the council (NatHERS certificate). I can send you our report if you want for reference. Always handy to have the facts on hand when relying on agents advice, a lot of times sale agents advice is only good anecdotally, and when you actually dive deeper it's… 33 52709 Hi, We have a single story MacDonald Jones house, on a waffle pod slab with steel frame. Are we able to build a second story extension? Other info is we are 900mm from… 0 8476 Hello Josh, This is Irving from PRIMA, we are a manufacturer of the staircase, railings, kitchen cabinets, windows, doors from China. If you have requirement to purchase… 0 5459 |