Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement 1 Aug 20, 2023 12:09 pm Hi all Starting to think about extending our 1940s California Bungalow in Perth, WA. We've come up with a rough idea of what we want in terms of size/location of rooms and rough layouts. Last year during peak housing construction prices we got some quotes and we ddn't have a budget in mind. Now that we've decided on a budget (500k) we are looking for some advice on how to best get this designed and engineered so we can achieve our goals and within our budget. Are we better off going to an architect for this size/budget extension, or a draftsman/designer or pick a builder and tell them our budget to get it done? I don't mind spending a few thousand up front for some drawing works so we can shop our design around, but don't want to spend $25k on an architect for what is a relatively straight forward extension. Its an old house, but not heritage listed. I've added some floor plans of current and our proposed design below. The staircase isn't locked into position by any means. Also the current second story lands over the dining/living rooms on the east wall. The back part of the house faces north. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Perth Re: Architect vs designer vs builder 2Sep 01, 2023 2:22 pm We are currently building an extension to an oldish house in Perth and first tried a builder with an ‘in house’ designer (not really directly part of their business, but one they used regularly as a subcontractor) and paid a couple of grand. That got us a drawn up plan of existing (as we did not have original plans, house too old) and an extension floor plan with 2 opportunities to make small changes and get it quoted up fully by builder. Our experience with that was not great, the designer was just not a great fit with our priorities and the design was really so-so. Also the pricing came out about 20% higher than the budget we’d discussed with builder and designer once the builder properly quoted it. Note at this point, there was no engineering completed or full construction drawings or anything, it was fairly basic floor plan and elevations. We then ended up walking away from that design and starting afresh with an independent building designer. All up that ended up costing more than what you have listed as an architect price, but included documentation of everything from soil site investigation, engineering, energy assessment, construction drawings, through to council DA. Most of those tasks are hidden within building contract if you go straight to a builder or a designer linked to a builder. As part of that process we spoke to a number of builders for preliminary pricing as a midpoint and again at the end before signing a build contract. Prices rose throughout the process (this was end of 2021-2022), but not as far over budget as with our first (poorly designed) design. From my experience, I would say expect to pay close to the couple of grand just to get to a starting point (unless you have original construction drawings). And then would warn you to be wary of what you get for the design cost and what is taken into account in the deliverables. I found both options we worked with wanted to start from scratch and not necessarily from our ideas. Re: Architect vs designer vs builder 3Sep 02, 2023 11:23 am Hi lemonmouse Thanks for the response. I think what you've gone through site with how we feel about engaging a builder direct vs an architect or designer. We want our vision, not elements of our vision stuffed into what the builder wants to do. The architect will also be available to help during construction as well as provide everything to get detailed quotes from builders and council submission, excluding engineering and soil testing. We are thinking the architect will be the go since although the build looks relatively simple, there will be some complex elements like stairs and where to put them, upstairs area design and ensuring it all works together. If we were simply adding a room to the house with minimal structural changes a builder would be fine. The fact that we are changing roof material and appearance, adding ~66sqm downstairs and extending upstairs we are thinking the architect will be the go. Cheers Perth Re: Architect vs designer vs builder 4Sep 02, 2023 12:21 pm Your build is relatively simple, I believe your job can be easily done by a good building designer, you really do not need to pay for the architect. Remember, architect's onsite visits will never be free, he will be charging as a raged bull for every simple tweak. You could also consider spend couple of more $$ on a good quality interior designer and after you work out how your furniture and lighting will be organised, you will know better where to put your power outlets, switches, etc. I've just had a look at the website. The company are just building broker's. There are plenty of similar companies that basically draw your plans (they own them so you… 8 11159 Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20639 |