It takes time to gather information, to put all of the information together and to build architecture that will work for you in every way it can.
It takes time to to understand the problem and interpret a solution.
It takes time to consider all of the options and see the best one that will work for you.
It takes time to put all of the parts together in a practical solution that also holds the beauty that makes it special and specific to you.

t i m e
I once heard someone say that in the entire length of time from beginning to end, you should spend two thirds of that time designing and planning before you put your spade in the ground.
t i m e

It can take a while to get to a point where you are ready to commit to design and build architecture. You just want to get started!
And then someone tells you that there are lots more things to do to get there.
It can be frustrating because you just want to get to the end and to live in the architecture you have been dreaming of.
But it is not just about the outcome, it is also the process that will be specific to you. The way you travel through will affect the experience you have.
The process you choose will affect the every day moments in the journey to reach your end goal.

‘Time is free, but it is priceless.
You can't own it, but you can use it.'

HARVEY MACKAY | Author

a little way to help you find your architecture

Before you jump in and start digging, take the time to make a plan for the process you will follow to reach your end goal.
It doesn't have to be every little detail, but try to have an idea about how things will unfold.

m a k e a p l a n .

If you can get your head around what you can do and can't do, what your constraints are, what you want and what you don't, it can help you put together a plan that will suit you.
Look at your own skillset.
What can you offer, what do you want to do and what aren't you keen on?

Look at what you are missing.
What do you need help with and who could help you?
Take a look at your place.
Is there anything about your place that would make it tricky to build there?
Think about your budget.
How much do you have to spend?
Think about your time frame.
When would you like everything to be done?

Is there a process you are aware of that fits all of your answers?
Happy days! You are on your way!
If not, have a chat with someone who can run you through the options to help you find the one that is right for you.

It won't be a short journey - it will take time - so before you begin, give some thought to how you will go about making your way through.
It could make all the difference to you.

‘A goal without a plan is just a wish.' ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY | Writer

Til next time!

How do the elements in the world affect your every day moments?
What are the elements?

E A R T H | W A T E R | A I R | F I R E

Perhaps you dig through the soil to plant a tree in the perfect place for it to grow.
Perhaps you feel the rain tap on your palm and watch it run through your fingers.
Perhaps you stand in the breeze to cool your body.
Perhaps you lay in the sun to warm your skin.

There is a lot of information in the world about how to harness the elements when you design and build so that they work for the building and for you. It is one of those crazy topics that you could chat through for days or break down to its simplest parts.
At the end of the day, there is nothing complex about including the elements in your architecture.
But there is one thing that is needed.

And at this moment you may like to thank or blame Frozen Two for the following insight ;)
If you haven't seen it, go on - get in there and put your Disney hat on :D

There is a fifth element that can tie all four elements together.
What is the fifth element?
T h a t i s y o u .

Whether you are choosing a standard design off the plan or having a designer prepare something specific for you, it is you who can choose to take advantage of the elements in the place you are in.
Why you?
Because the elements can be applied to any place and any circumstance.
You can make the choice for your architecture.

‘This all will make sense when I get older - because when you're older absolutely everything makes sense!' OLAF | Snow Man

a little way to help you find your architecture

It can be simple.
Don't over think it.
These little elements can make a big impact in your architecture.

O N E | EARTH
Sit your architecture on or in the earth in a location to take advantage of the elements.
Think about where the best place will be that will take advantage of your place.

T W O | WATER
Form your architecture to shed water and find ways to catch it.
Pitch the roof and overhang it from the walls to let the rain and ground surface water fall away from the building and be taken somewhere useful.

T H R E E | AIR
Control the movement of air with walls and openings.
Put the back of your architecture to cold wind in winter, but open up to cool breezes in summer.
Seal all the little gaps and place openings on both sides of spaces to suck the air through.

F O U R | FIRE
Orient your architecture to face the sun.
Shade spaces from the higher sun in summer and let the lower sun angle into spaces in winter.
The last is the simplest and most effective of all.

‘Don't you know there's a part of me that wants to go into the unknown?’ ELSA | Magical Queen

These smudgy, sketchy drawings show one of the most comfortable pieces of architecture I have been in - a shack on the beach.

The shack was located on a remote beach on the mid cost of Western Australia.
The conditions outside were incredibly hot from being on the edge of a desert and strong winds blowing in from the Indian ocean.
The architecture was nestled in near the base of a cliff. Walking inside for the first time was a memorable experience, because the air was so cool and still compared with outside.
The concrete slabs on the floor were cool underfoot and the stone wall on one side radiated that coolth as well. The structure was timber, with timber sub-frame wrapped in shade cloth, then palm leaves and a massive combination of tarps over the lot.

It sat in a spot to take advantage of the elements
It shed rainwater with a simple waterproof skin
It controlled the flow of air with walls and openings
It faced north and protected its inside from hot summer sun

It was simple.

So give it a try!
Channel your inner Elsa and become the Fifth Element.

‘Are you alright, Olaf?’ .. 'Yah. We call this making the best out of what we can control.'

KRISTOFF + OLAF | Ice Guy + Snow Man

Til next time!

Who shines a light on your life?
And whose life do you shine your light on?

I wish I could bottle that light to have something physical to represent the care you can carry for another human being. Until that day, creating architecture for the people you care about acts as a vessel to capture that light.
I think that is why people take the time and put so much of their own effort into the journey to design + build architecture.

It is not for them - it is for who they care for.

I know it is true for the home Rich and I are designing together.

a little way to help you find your architecture

There is a lot of noise in the world about how you should do things and how you shouldn't.
Where you should put things and what you should include and more and more ..
.. You also carry around with you the habits of your past, that don't necessarily work for the lifestyle that you would like to live.

The spaces you make in your architecture should reflect YOU and the people who will share the spaces with you.
Have a good think about all of the little moments that make up your day.

Try to be objective about yourself and re-learn how you want to live each moment.
These are the moments that you design for.
These are the moments that you build your architecture for.
What do you do when you first wake up in the morning?
How do you get ready for the day?
Where do you eat your breakfast?
Where do you drink your coffee?
What do you do when you arrive home?
Where do you hang your bag?
What do you do next?

YOU HAVE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION.

And this is information you can use to design architecture to be specific to you.
If you don't think that you can take the information that you have and translate it into a design or a built form, find someone who can help you, so that the spaces you will live in are designed and built specifically for your every day moments.

Don't listen to anyone else tell you how you should live your life.

FIND YOUR OWN WAY

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

There are so many options.

It can seem daunting.

F i n d a p a t h a n d a s t r a t e g y t h a t w i l l t a k e y o u t h e r e

If you are ready to begin your architecture, but the choices are overwhelming, the big questions to answer are

What is your end goal?

and

How will you achieve it?

The answers give you the direction you need to begin the steps to Find a Path to make it happen.

My little people just start creating. They jump into drawing a picture or building towers with lego without any forethought as to how it will turn out at the end of the day, and they are not hindered by the overwhelm that comes from having too many options to choose from.  

They have no inhibitions!

They create their path as they go along - bashing through the undergrowth and making their path up as they go.

You might like to work out the path you’d like to take before you take too many steps forward.

Always remember that you know more than you think you do, so if you have a problem to solve, begin with what you know.

ONE | WHAT IS YOUR END GOAL

You know what you want at the end of the day.

What is your end goal? What is your purpose for the architecture you want to make?

FIRSTLY | Look at the little things you feel.

Your purpose is often a feeling more than a physical thing.

What is the first thing that pops into your head?

What are the second and third things?

What do they have in common?

SECONDLY | Ask yourself why five times.

What do you want to achieve at the end of the day? YOUR ANSWER

Then, why? And in answer to that, why? And in answer to that, why? And in answer to that, why?

This is the essence of what you want at the end of the day.

THIRDLY | What do you already know?

You know about yourself. You know about yourself in your past. You know about yourself in your present.

So what does the lifestyle of your future look like?

Ask yourself some Quick Questions

What do you like about the way you lived in your past?

What do you like about the way you live now?

How would you like to live in the future?

TWO | HOW WILL YOU ACHIEVE IT

Who will help you?

Who will help you make your architecture into a reality?

You may already have an idea for how you would like to go about designing and building your architecture.

There are a few different options.

to employ a team to help make it happen – to do everything yourself – a combination of the two

DESIGN – PUT THE INFORMATION TOGETHER

EMPLOY A TEAM TO HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN:

-       Employ specialist consultants to design your architecture.

-       Employ specialist consultants as well as contractors or tradesmen to design your architecture.

-       Employ a design and construction company to design your architecture.

If you choose this option, you are choosing to have them build your architecture too.

-       Purchase a pre-fabricated design.

-       Purchase an ‘off-the-plan’ design from a designer.

-       Purchase an ‘off-the-plan’ design from a project home builder.

If you choose this option, you are choosing to have them build your architecture too.

DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF:

-       Design your own architecture

BUILD – BUILD THE REALITY

EMPLOY A TEAM TO HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN:

-       Employ a contractor to build your architecture.

-       Employ a design and construction company to design and construct your architecture.

-       Having purchased a pre-fabricated design, you can usually either elect to have the maker put it together on your place for you, organise for someone to erect it for you or put it together yourself.

-       Having purchased an ‘off-the-plan’ design from a project home builder, they will build it.

DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF:

-       Be an owner builder and employ contractors or tradesmen to help you build your architecture.

-       Be an owner builder and build your architecture yourself.

Regardless of which way you choose to proceed, even if you are following someone else’s process, have your own plan for how you’d like things to pan out based on the process you have chosen and stay informed so you can keep track of what is happening along the way.

Ask yourself some quick questions

What suits you? To employ a team to help make it happen? Or to do everything yourself?

Which path is right for you?

If you have prepared yourself by gathering information about your purpose, place, people, program and parts before looking at your options, you will be able to make a more informed decision that will suit you and your architecture.

The first thing to do is to look at yourself.

What are your skills?

How can you use them to help you design your architecture?

How can you use them to help you build your architecture?

What will you need other people to do?

Secondly, look at your place.

Where are you located?

Who can reach you to help you?

What is your place like? Is it accessible? Is it on a steep slope? If it is, some options won’t be applicable to you.

Who will help you design your architecture?

Have you ever worked with a draftsman, building designer or architect before?

How do you envisage them helping you?

What do you need them to make for you to help communicate your architecture to others?

What are the questions you have for them?

Who will help you build your architecture?

Have you ever worked with a builder before?

How do you envisage them helping you?

What are the questions you have for them?

work out which OPTION is best for you!

THREE | HOW WILL YOU ACHIEVE IT

What is your approval pathway?

The approval pathway you take depends on what you would like to do.

Not all of the work you would like to do will follow a formal approval pathway.

Your architecture will most likely fall into two parts:

-        Minor Work

-        Significant Changes

Minor Work will likely be able to be completed without a formal approval process, which means that once you have worked out what you would like to do, you can start any time!

This type of work would need to satisfy all the requirements for Exempt Development.

Significant Changes will either require

-        a semi-formal approval process, which means that you will need to detail the work you would like to do in drawings and written documents, then have a building certifier confirm that they satisfy the requirements for Complying Development.

-        a formal approval process, which means that you will need to detail the work you would like to do in drawings and written documents, then submit applications for Development and Construction before a Contractor helps you complete the work for your home and then a building certifier issues an Occupation Certificate when it has been completed.

The approval pathway that you take will depend on what you would like to do.

You will probably use at least two approval pathways for the work you would like to do at your home.

Exempt Development

This is for very minor work that meets certain requirements.

There are specific requirements about what you can do.

Draw or Write What You Would Like to Do + Construct it Yourself or Have a Contractor Construct it For You = Use your architecture every day!

Semi-formal Approval Pathway

This is for larger work that meets certain requirements.

There are specific requirements about what you can do.

Complying Development Certificate + Construction = Live in your architecture every day!

Formal Approval Pathway

This is for any kind of work.

You can ask the approval authority for exactly what you would like to do.

Development Application + Construction Certificate + Construction + Occupation Certificate = Live in your architecture every day!

NOTE : The above approval pathways are typically applicable for residents in NSW Australia and states with similar legislation.

Ask yourself some quick questions

What work would you like to do?

Make a list - which is minor work and which is more significant?

Which approval pathway will each piece of work take?

FOUR | FIND YOUR PATH

Your End Goal and How to Achieve It.

Everyone’s Path will vary, depending on the combination of elements within

• Their End Goal

• How they Want to Achieve it

So get to know each to formulate Your Path to move forward.

Even so, Your Path may fall into steps similar to the following:

1. Establish Your End Goal

2. Gather Information

3. Create a Big Picture Plan

4. Break Your Big Picture Plan into Parts

5. Work out How You will Achieve each Part

   • Who will Help You

   • What will be Your Approval Pathways

6. List Your Parts in order of Priority

7. Create a List of Minor Work

8. Create Detailed Design Layouts for Significant Work

9. Prepare and Submit an Application for Development Approval

10. Prepare and Submit an Application for Construction Approval

11. Prepare Documents for Construction

12. Obtain Quotations from Contractors

13. Construct Your Architecture

14. Live in Your Architecture Every Day!

All the best finding Your Path!

If you would like some help getting there, you can find more information

• era | Find Your Path | Options for how I can help you, or how you can help yourself, Find Your Path through the process

• era | the Process | A little Story connected with others, to describe the Process to Design and Build Architecture

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

There is such hope and excitement that accompanies the anticipation of what is to come.

When you begin your architecture, there is a similar feeling.

A really positive mindset for the possibilities of what the future can bring.

And that future lifestyle is encompassed in the architecture you will make.

All too often people jump in and start designing something without taking a breath first.
They are so excited to begin the journey to their future, they jump off the jetty and hit the water without first putting on a swimsuit or checking the height they are about to jump.
The most important thing to do when you begin in your architecture is to gather information.

Whatever you do, don't skip this part!

It doesn't matter how big or small your architecture will be. The more information you can gather at the beginning of your process, the more informed you will be to design architecture that will be specific to you, to tackle the decisions that will need to be made along the way and to avoid unexpected surprises.

I just can't tell you how invaluable it is for you to get to know as much as you can about

Your Purpose
Your Place
Your People
Your Program
Your Parts

Architecture is very honest.
You just can't hide anything, so don't try to ignore anything or pretend it will go away because if you don't find out about it now, it is more than likely going to show itself to you at a very inconvenient moment further down the track. Such as that pipe you didn't know was there until you put your spade through it.
Bring it all out and lay it on the table to see what it all is and how it fits together.

So where do you look for the information that you need?

You look around you.

| PURPOSE |

What is your purpose? Your why and what you want to achieve at the end of the day.

| PLACE |

Where are all the existing elements that make up your place? The land, the trees, the services.

| PEOPLE |

Who are you and who are your people? And what do you want?

| PROGRAM |

What is your time frame and what is your budget?

| PARTS |

What will the parts of your architecture be made with? What do you like to touch and use in your ever day moments?

Get learning!

‘I think -’ began piglet .. 'Don't' said Eeyore’
AA MILNE | Author

a little way to help you find your architecture

Be organised.
You are about to collect a LOT of information that you will use all of the way through your process,
so collate it together in one place.

The information you gather at the beginning is not something you will shelve and never look at again. It is information that help inform your architecture at each step in the process.
It will help you design, build and communicate with others.

Find a place to
COLLECT INFORMATION
There will be information that you collect that you will refer to every now and then.
It often comes in the form of drawings or product brochures or written documents.
And it may be in hard copy or digital format or both!

Find a place to
RECORD INFORMATION
There is information that will be important for you to use on a day to day basis.
If you record the key information you have gathered in summary, it means that you do not have to rummage through all of the information you have collected to find an answer each time you have a question. It also means that you can take that document summary and give it to other people to communicate the information they will need to help design and build your architecture.
You can write or draw it by hand or record it digitally. Then file it in a place that is close at hand.

WHERE TO STORE YOUR INFORMATION
When you are looking for a place to keep your information, remember that you may need to access the information quickly.
For instance, someone might call you and ask for information about a product you are using and you know you have it somewhere, but where? You don't always have the luxury to take a few days to find it. However, if you know immediately where it is, you can refer to the question they have straight away and solve the problem.

Don't make it a complicated system, otherwise you will not be able to find things!
Make it simple.
For me, I keep most of the information I collect digitally, filed within a system of folders that are labelled in the order of each step in the process.

I keep all of the hand sketches and notes I make along with all of the physical product brochures and material samples I collect in a box together, so that I can pull them out and take a look any time.

Choose a system that is right for you and get going gathering information for your architecture!

‘.. people raised in different cultures behave as they do and build the buildings they do because they have different measuring devices and must, therefore inhabit different sensory worlds ..’
PAUL OLIVER – Author

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

finish things off and move in

The final stages in finishing your architecture so it is ready to share special moments with you every day.

Get to know about completion.

You are almost there!

Completion of your architecture means things are finishing up and you will be able to move in.

If you have employed a contractor or contractors to build your architecture for you, it means completion of your construction contract or contracts.

If you are building your own architecture, it means that you are finishing up – congratulations!

In general, it means that the construction of your architecture is complete.

More specifically, particularly if you have employed a contractor to build your architecture, it means that some or all and maybe more than the following will occur, depending on your construction contract:

-       The contractor or contractors will leave your place.

-       Insurances will change from being the responsibility of the contractor to being your responsibility.

-       Service connections and payments will become your complete responsibility.

-       Warranty and guarantee periods associated with the parts and construction of your architecture will commence.

-       The Defects Liability Period associated with a construction contract, where relevant, commences and ends.

-       Securities incorporated in a construction contract are released.

What is completion?

There are several steps in the completion of your architecture.

They are generally related to three things:

-       When and how your construction contract is to be completed, according to the contract documents.

-       When you can legally live in your architecture, according to the national construction code.

-       When you are literally given the keys or able to move in to live in your architecture.

They don’t all happen at once, but some do occur concurrently. It is a good idea to know your deadlines for each and to make a list of items for each part so that you can put them in your diary and check them off as you go through.

Here are the main ones in the general order they occur.

CONTRACT        Practical Completion

This is a term associated with your construction contract. It means that your architecture is complete enough to use as it was intended. The Date for Practical Completion is the anticipated date that completion will occur, before it actually happens. This is usually a date agreed in the construction contract, or a time frame from the date of award of tender identified in the contract.

The Date of Practical Completion is the date when completion actually occurs.

LEGAL                Occupancy Permit

This is a term associated with the legal requirements to occupy a building. It means that your architecture is complete in accordance with local, state and national construction requirements. Obtaining a Certificate of Construction Compliance from a Building Compliance Consultant leads to an Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Occupancy that gives you official permission to move in and occupy the building.

LITERAL               Hand Over

This is exactly as it says on the box. The contractor will literally hand over the keys and the building to you.

CONTRACT       Defects Liability Period

This is a term associated with your construction contract. It is the time frame from the Date of Practical Completion until a certain period after that date – usually six or twelve months.

CONTRACT     Final Completion

This is a term associated with your construction contract. It means that your architecture is complete. The Date of Final Completion occurs at the end of the Defects Liability Period – usually six to twelve months after the Date of Practical Completion.

How to know when your architecture is complete.

Your architecture is complete to use, when you receive a permit to occupy your architecture – an Occupancy Permit or a Certificate of Occupancy.

A construction contract is complete when all of the items within the contract and all of the conditions of the contract have been met.

The NSW Department of Fair Trading describes completion of a construction contract in the following way:

‘DEFINITION OF COMPLETED WORK

The term 'completed' has a very important role in the legislation because it marks the beginning of the time periods for statutory warranties and insurance under the Home Building Compensation Scheme. The Home Building Act 1989 has a clear definition of what is meant by 'completion'.

Residential building work is 'complete' when it matches the requirements of the contract.

If there is no contract, or the contract doesn’t specify 'completion', the work is regarded as 'complete' when it can be used for its intended purpose and is free of major defects. The earliest of the following events can be used to determine when this occurs:

·         the date the builder 'handed over' the project to the owner

·         the date the contractor last carried out work (other than remedying minor defects)

·         the date of the issue of an occupation certificate, or

·         18 months after the owner-builder permit was issued (in the case of an owner–builder).

For strata schemes, the date of issue of the occupation certificate that allows occupation and use of the whole building will be the date of completion for strata buildings.’

If you have employed a professional such as an architect, designer, design and construction organisation or project home builder they will likely guide you through the completion of your architecture.

If you are doing things yourself, all the best in finalise all the little things that will finish things off.

Now you can move in and live your lifestyle in architecture specific to you!

Your completion in the process.

The choice of what type of contract you use will determine which construction process you will utilise for the work and specifically how the contract will complete.

There may be some things that carry through past this date for your construction contract, through a defects liability period - which is another way of saying that you are living in your architecture, but anything that shows up as not in accordance with the contract through this time is attended to by the contractor.

There may also be some little things that carry over from this line in the sand beyond when you move in - such as finishing off the landscaping or putting up curtains.

However, in the overall process you have just journeyed through - this is the end.

This is the moment you move in and live with your architecture

CONGRATULATIONS!

You made it.

THE PROCESS.

This is the eighteenth step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little Book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

It can also feel like a question that puts pressure on your answer.

This simple question can make you feel as though you should be further along than you are.

People seem to think that you should build something quickly - why is that?

When the process has more randomly placed parts to pull together than a tent on a windy day, why is it that people think that you should be moving faster than you are?

They seem disappointed that you haven’t started to dig into the ground yet.

Or that your place won’t be ready for Christmas.

Are they disappointed in you, or disappointed for you?

And why approach the question with negativity in a process that is ultimately creating a positive impact in your life? Should the question be to ask if you are happy with where you are in the process? If you’re ok with with where you are - why are they concerned that you’re not moving faster than you are?

Or am I imagining all of this!

A tree can take quite a while to grow. But no-one seems to bother them about that.

They can potter along growing and taking their own sweet time.

Perhaps that is because the other trees don’t care too much about what the trees around them are doing. They let each other get on with their own growing and don’t get involved in what others are up to.

People are different. They are interested and curious - particularly about something they might be considering doing themselves or something that is unfamiliar to them.

But unless they have been through the process themselves before, they probably don’t have much of an idea of the type of journey you are moving through. And even if they have, the way they traveled will likely be different to the path you have chosen to take.

I feel like I spend a lot of conversations explaining the reasons why nothing has started happening on our site yet. People tend to understand the building they can see in front of them rather than all of the preparation that happens before that can begin. Then once they can see the building, they want to know when it will be finished.

It is a bit like when you buy a place with your partner, questions start being asked about when you’ll be married. Then when you marry they start asking when the baby is coming along.

People can’t seem to be happy in the now.

They always seem to want to know what is coming up.

And when moments in our every day lives include making a decision to purchase an item and having it on our doorstep the next day, this idea of immediacy fuels the expectation that building architecture is similar.

But it is not.

it takes time.

And everyone does it in their own sweet way. Because every one is different.

There is a lot to consider and work out, so taking your time to get it as clear as possible before you stick your spade in the ground can mean less issues later once you’ve begun to build.

But don’t get me wrong - some peoples way IS to get things going quickly and to move forward at apace!

While others consider and meander in research and options to potter through every detail.

But regardless of how you are moving forward, you need some positive support to help move you forward, rather than questions about why everything is taking so ‘long’.

Perhaps, instead of asking questions about the end and when you will be moving in and when it will all be finished, they can throw a little manure in the earth around you and help to fuel the growth of your build.

They could offer to help you out - bring you food when you’re so busy you don’t have time to breath - look after your kids to give you some clear space to make trips to collect materials or meet with contractors - write a message every now and then to see how you are feeling - or just reach in and give you a hug ….

When you have some warmth thrown around you, you are bound to grow in just the way and at just the pace you should.
Take trees ..

’In general, trees and other plants grow faster in warmer climates. Many species of trees that grow near the equator can grow several meters per year. Many trees at the equator reach maturity in as little as ten to twenty years. In contrast, trees in northern latitudes usually grow a lot more slowly, often less than a meter or two per year. In addition, for a tree to reach maturity in the boreal forests of Canada or parts of Europe, it usually takes 80-120 years!’ https://www.tentree.com/blogs/posts/how-fast-does-a-tree-grow

If you don’t do it your own way and try to rush forward without ensuring everything will be the way you are striving for at the end of the day, you will just end up building something like this …

.. but hey - it was fast! This build took 47 minutes - guaranteed

You can build quickly.

But does that mean that the quality is better? Or that it is what you will be after at the end of the day?

It probably depends on the person who is building your architecture and how much experience they have as well as what you are happy to live with.

It also depends on how much preparation you have put in before hand - all the planning and planning and planning ….

But typically, it is just like fast food - speed does not always equal quality. It just can’t - because real quality in construction comes with thought and time.

So work at a pace that is right for you and try to block out the noise in the air around you that thinks you should be at the next step when you haven’t even finished the last ten.

This is YOUR architecture | YOUR pace | YOUR choices

And it will happen when YOU are ready.

Made for You.

There are some little things and little ways to help you design + build your home that I have Made for You.

I will add things to this place as time goes by and I would love to hear if there is anything that will help you! Connect with me and let me know what would be useful for you to see there.

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

communicate with a contractor

As construction progresses, keep in touch with what is happening by communicating regularly and monitoring the progress of the work being completed by the contractor you are working with.

Get to know about the progress.

Whoever is managing the construction of your architecture will plan in which order they will progress to complete the works described in the contract documents.

It is good for you to have an idea of what is coming up. This particularly helps if you need to provide information to the contractor at any time in order to avoid causing delay in building your architecture.

You don’t have to guess or assume what will be happening.

The first port of call is to refer to the construction program prepared by the contractor.

If there isn’t one, or even if there is – why not just ask the contractor! Talk about what is happening at each site meeting or simply give the contractor a call on any day (or at a time you have agreed) to have a chat.

Here is a general order of the work that will be completed to build your architecture:

Establish the Site

Temporary Services

Clear Vegetation

Demolition

Site Preparation

Site Setout

Excavation

In Ground Works

Foundation

Footings

Structural Works

Frame

First Fix

Cladding

Lining

Fitout

Final Fix

Testing and Commissioning

Practical Completion

Occupation

Defects Liability Period

Final Completion

TIP: If you have a set of drawings, they are usually numbered and therefore in an order in which the works will be built. The Contractor will follow these documents to build your architecture.

Variations to a Construction Contract.

The contract documents may be changed or varied in any of the following ways as the process progresses:

-       Deletion of a part – Completely deleting a part

-       Substitution of a part – Changing one part to another that is similar to the original

-       Addition of a part – Adding a part that was not included in the original contract

A variation to a contract may be a physical item, such as a window, or a condition of the contract, such as submitting a certain test result or document. Any variation to a construction contract is likely to affect the time frame and|or cost of the contract because it may change how the construction has been planned to progress.

What is progress?

It is how the process of construction progresses.

It is all about communication.

The contractor will often potter along building your architecture. But don’t let things slide by not talking. Check on progress by visiting the site. Ask questions and be reasonable about unexpected circumstances.

Email and text messages are so common, however they can be misinterpreted. You don’t have time when working with a contractor to misinterpret information or to rub someone the wrong way.

You need to communicate clearly.

You need to talk to them.

You need to ensure that you maintain a positive relationship with your contractor.

Although speaking with your contractor face to face, over the phone or by email is an acceptable way to chat with them about day to day things, there are specific ways to communicate with them in a formal way that complies with the conditions of the construction contract.

If you have employed a professional, such as an architect, to be the neutral party who will administer the construction contract, then they will take care of the day to day communication with the Contractor and involve you in decision making as needed. If you have employed a design and construction organisation or project home builder they will also manage the day to day progress and have you involved as needed. If you are managing the build yourself, then you will be responsible for communicating directly with the contractor or contractors on a daily basis.

Documents used for formal written communication during a construction contract include the following:

ACTION | ANSWER  Principals Direction OR Superintendents Direction OR Architects Instruction

This is a document which communicates a direction to the Contractor to perform a certain task that might change the contract in some way. It may be in response to a question, a claim or request for information that has been submitted from the Contractor or a decision that has been made to change the contract documents. This document is issued by the Superintendent | Principal | Architect to the Contractor.

QUESTION  Request for Information

This is a document which asks a question or requests information be provided.

This document is submitted by the Contractor to the Superintendent | Principal | Architect.

QUESTION  Claim for an Extension of Time  

This is a document which submits a claim from the Contractor to the Principal | Superintendent |Architect to extend the time frame of the contract. The claim is usually measured in number of days.

The claim for a variation in time is assessed by the Principal | Superintendent |Architect with relation to the conditions of the contract. If the claim is valid, the time frame of the contract is extended. If it is not valid, the time frame of the contract remains unchanged.

Keep in mind that if a claim for an extension of time is valid, it is likely that a variation in cost relating to the reason for the extension of time will also be valid. It is also likely that the additional time frame will be of additional cost to the Contractor because it costs money to be operating a construction site and therefore a valid claim for a variation in cost. This type of variation is called prolongation.

QUESTION  Claim for a Variation in Cost

This is a document which submits a claim from the Contractor to the Principal | Superintendent |Architect for an additional cost to the agreed contract value. Sometimes the value is negative or in credit to the contract, but more usually the cost is additional. This variation is often referred to as a Variation Quotation.

The claim for a variation in cost is assessed by the Principal | Superintendent |Architect with relation to the conditions of the contract. If the claim is valid, the cost of the contract is changed. If it is not valid, the cost of the contract remains unchanged. Keep in mind that if a claim for cost is valid, it is likely that a variation in time frame relating to the reason for the cost will also be valid.

QUESTION  Variation Quotation Request

This is a document which requests that a variation in cost for a certain item or task be prepared by the Contractor and be submitted to the Principal | Superintendent |Architect. The cost is considered and a decision is made as to whether to proceed with it or not.

The variation in cost should not be enacted by the Contractor until given the go-ahead by the Principal | Superintendent |Architect in a written direction or instruction addressed to the Contractor.

QUESTION  Progress Claim

This is a document submitted by the Contractor on a regular basis, usually at the same time each month. It is a claim for payment and details the work completed to date which the Contractor is claiming payment for. Generally, payment is only made if work has been completed. Payment is not usually made to the Contractor for work which has not been completed or included, unless you have agreed otherwise in the construction contract. The Principal | Superintendent |Architect will make an inspection of your architecture on a regular basis to ensure that the Contractor is completing work in accordance with the contract documents. An inspection will also be made when a progress claim is submitted so that what has actually been completed on site can be assessed against the amount of work being claimed for payment.

ANSWER  Progress Certificate or Payment Certificate

This is a document prepared by the Superintendent |Architect to detail the assessment they have made for the value of work that has been completed at the date the progress claim was submitted. It may match the value claimed by the Contractor or it may be different. If different, the reasons for the differences will be clarified for the Contractor in the certificate.

ACTION  Progress Payment

A progress payment is the amount paid by the Principal to the Contractor for the work completed.

These are made on a regular basis, usually in response to a progress claim being submitted and assessed. As such, they are usually the value noted in the Progress Certificate.

Your progress in the process.

The plan and procurement option you choose will affect the contract you choose and therefore how the construction of your architecture progresses.

THE PROCESS.

This is the seventeenth step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little Book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

When you begin your journey to design and build architecture, you probably don’t put much thought into how many decisions you might have to make along the way.

You will likely be too caught up in the romance of designing your own home.

Or distracted by all of the little ideas that you have to begin to think about the decisions you will have in front of you.

There are a lot of parts to a building. As such, there are a lot of decisions to be made about

what the parts will be

where the parts will be located

how the parts will fit together

And each part needs to fit to meet the requirements of

purpose

place

people

program

aesthetic

There are so many pieces of popcorn to choose from - which one works best for you?

Decision Making Overwhelm is real.

Even architects suffer from it, and they make multiple decisions every day!

Don’t underestimate the affect that making too many decisions within a short period of time, can have on your mental and physical health.

The overwhelm is real and will have a real affect on you.

I am not a doctor of any kind, so I don’t have a scientific understanding or technical terminology to define the affects, but I have experienced the overwhelm many times.

The way I understand it is that our brains seem to have a quota of decisions that they can make in any one day

When your brain reaches its limit, there is not much you can do. It literally seems as though your brain heads off to sleep and cannot make even the smallest of decisions beyond its quota.

Done.

Finite.

The affects don’t only create an impact on the decisions you are trying to make with relation to your architecture. they affect the decisions you are making in other parts of your life as well - what will you have for dinner? - what time will you meet your friend for a drink? - who will do what and when and how??

I have been in positions where I was making many decisions every day. I would crash on the couch by 8pm from the exhaustion of the day and awake at 3am anticipating what would be coming up. My body was tired and my brain was so overwhelmed that I could not make any decision outside of the architecture I was making. My husband took on all of the decision making for both of us, handled our personal lives and I came along for the ride!

You can limit the affects of the number of decisions you will need to make by preparing for it.

Strategies to assist making decisions.

Don’t leave decisions to the last minute | P l a n A h e a d - Use the time when you are designing your architecture to make decisions. Work out as much as you can and make as many decisions as you can before you start to build. If you leave decisions til the time when you are building your architecture, there will be more pressure on you to make decisions within shorter time frames.

Let go of getting it ‘right’ | L i m i t D i s t r a c t i o n s - This is such a tricky one to define, because you can feel a lot of pressure with architecture to make things right - in other words, to make it the best outcome for you. Who doesn’t want that! But what is right for you? What is the best outcome for you?? When there are too many options, it is distracting because you cannot focus on the decision you are making.

It may seem like a good idea to scout Pinterest or Instagram for ideas or inspiration, but it can distract and confuse you from what the best outcome is for you. This is because there is just too much to look at! Maybe you really do want that navy blue kitchen rather than the timber kitchen you’ve been dreaming about since you were a child. And geez, that tile looks amazing - that might be better than the polished concrete that suits you in so many other ways. The amount of information is OVERWHELMING! Your brain just can’t handle that much content and it gets confused. When you are confused, you can’t make a decision.

Try a few things to get it right and limit distractions

• Your initial instinct in answer to a problem is often the right one for you, so use it.

• Try to give yourself some criteria to help you limit cruising the internet without a purpose.

Look at what you know first | C r e a t e C o n s t r a i n t s - When you collect the things you know, the things that are unknown begin to fall into place. There are SO MANY OPTIONS!! But when you create some constraints with the things that you already know about your purpose, people, place and program, making a decision about one of your parts will start to fall into place.

Don’t rush in | A s k Q u e s t i o n s - You may be put under pressure to make decisions in a short period of time. Ask your designer or contractor early on to give you a list of the information they will need to know from you and define when they need it from you so that you have time to consider the decision you are making and can make sure you get it to them in plenty of time.

What suits you? | C h o o s e y o u r p r o c e s s - If you know you are prone to negative affects when it comes to making decisions, choose a process where the number of decisions you need to make are limited. This means choosing someone to make them for you. That someone may be a project home builder or an architect. You put your trust in them making the decisions about all of the little things [and big!].

Tools to help you.

I believe that gathering information is the most important part in the process of architecture.

Not only does it inform the architecture that will be specific to you, but it also helps you to make decisions.

I have made some templates as tools to help you put the information you gather about your purpose, place, people, program and parts so that you have one place where that information is stored. It also means that you have one place where your decisions are being made. You can use these documents to communicate the information you have gathered and the decisions you have made to

• refer to when you are making decisions in the future

• communicate the information you have gathered and the decisions you have made to others.

You can find all of the templates I have made for you here.

I hope that they help you make architecture specific to you!

There is so much to say about this topic and no clear answer when it comes to managing making so many decisions that will be unfamiliar to you, without falling into a complete mess.

I will keep updating this post as I come across more strategies for managing the process to limit the decision making overwhelm. And check in every now and then to see the templates that have been added.

My hope is that you don’t end up on the floor in tears, but find a way to enjoy the process - including the number of decisions you will have to make along the way.

Made for You.

There are some little things and little ways to help you design + build your home that I have Made for You.

I will add things to this place as time goes by and I would love to hear if there is anything that will help you! Connect with me and let me know what would be useful for you to see there.

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

start to build

The beginning – the start – the commencement point at which you begin to build your architecture.

Get to know about commencement.

Technically, there may be a specific date or time frame from signing the construction contract, when commencement of the actual building work will start.

For example, you may accept a tender or sign a construction contract on a certain date and the contract will say that work will commence a certain number of days later.

However, it is essentially when you start to build your architecture. Exciting times!

There are a few things that happen between when the construction contract is signed and when the actual works begin. This is what I will talk about here.

What is commencement?

Commencement marks the very beginning of building your architecture.

Once your construction contract or contracts are signed, things will get underway – sometimes faster than you anticipated!

A contractor will need a bit of time to mobilise and organise a few early day things before they commence to start the actual work of building your architecture.

This may include

• Organising sub-contractors

• Collecting Insurances and Security

• Scheduling a Construction Program

• Setting up the site area with a fence, signage and amenities

• Connecting to services such as creating temporary power

You need to be prepared with any information you need to provide to the contractor or contractors so that your information does not delay any work they are required to complete under the contract.

If their work is delayed by you, this may affect the time frame and cost of building your architecture.

This may include

• Finalising a building permit

• Delivering any outstanding information for the site to the contractor required before they commence

• Finalising a Safety in Design Report

• Finalising the delivery of Principal Supplied items

• Finalising any Prime Cost or Provisional Sum items

• Finalising finishes or other schedules

How to commence.

If you haven’t already – get organised!

Things are about to happen.

Put all of your documents in order ready to go so that you can grab any at a moments notice.

The number one thing you will need in order to commence is a building permit.

You will also need documents to build from, so print a hard copy and have it handy.

You may also need to provide a hard copy to the contractor if your contract notes that, so prepare a set for them if you need to.

If your contractor has not organised it, you should speak to them and schedule a Start-Up Meeting.

This is the first meeting that will be held to discuss building your architecture. It is useful to have everyone involved in the project in attendance so that they can all meet one another. An important part of the meeting is to explain the roles and responsibilities of each person present. Another is to walk the site with everyone so that everyone is on the same page about where things will happen, where things will be located and where boundaries will be.

Meet everyone, get acquainted and settle into working together.

If you have employed a professional such as an architect, designer, design and construction organisation or project home builder they will likely guide you through the commencement of your architecture.

If you are doing things yourself, all the best – things are beginning!

Your commencement in the process.

The choice of what type of contract you use will determine which construction process will be utilised for the work and therefore how building your architecture will commence.

THE PROCESS.

This is the sixteenth step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little Book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

Inspiration can be found every where around you.

It is not in fancy books or buildings.

It is in the every day moments that are special to you.

Trust that that is true and find what inspires you in your every day!

Whenever I look for inspiration for the architecture I am making, I find it in

the people I am making architecture for

the place where the architecture will be

the parts that will be used in the architecture to create the story of a unique architectural language

To look elsewhere may seem like a good idea, but it can distract you from finding architecture that is specific to you.

Looking elsewhere can mean that you are trying to draw inspiration from something that has no relationship to the architecture you are designing.

As such, whatever you see will not fit with your unique architectural language and the architecture you make will not be specific to you - it will not suit you.

So if you go out into the world looking for inspiration, try to direct your search.

For instance, rather than cruising Pinterest for random images of Mountain Cabins, be specific, based on something particular about finding your architectural language. Search for a specific material that will suit your architecture.

Inspiration is not only to create an idea. It travels with you as you find your architecture and interpret it into the details of construction and a built form.

People

People are fantastic inspiration for architecture!

Why you ask? Because the architecture will be made for them!!

What is the their story?

Everyone has their own story and that story has a place in the spaces they will live every day.

What is your story?

You may think that you are not all that interesting, but you are.

Those spaces will carry the stories of your past and the stories of your future.

it will be in every little thing that you do, it will be in every little moment that you share.

You will wander through doorways, spend time in spaces, move through rooms. You will touch the materials and use the parts. You will share moments with friends and family.

How do you find inspiration from people?

LEARN their story.

FIND all of the little things that are unique to them.

Every part of the story inspires architecture specific to the people who will use it.

What is it about your story that is inspiring to you??

Find little ways that you can learn about your people here.

P l a c e

It is hard to go past

the place your architecture will sit in the landscape as a focus of inspiration.

It is literally all around you.

How do you find inspiration from a place?

If you spend the time there, you will learn more and more AND MORE that will inspire your architecture.

the lay of the earth | the vegetation | the patterns of the seasons | the way the water runs | how the shadows change as the sun moves across the sky | where people walk | where birds fly

Every part inspires architecture specific to that place and therefore specific to you.

What is it about your place that is inspiring to you?

Find little ways that you can learn about your place here.

Parts

The parts of your architecture are all of the little things that you will use to build your architecture.

They help you to use the spaces you will be in, as well as tell the story of your life.

How do you find inspiration from your parts?

If you have an idea of the parts that you love that will become part of your architecture and every day, they can be inspirational to the architecture you will create.

So sit with them, get to know them and incorporate them in your design.

Materials are one of the largest parts that will make up your architecture - and they are more inspirational than you may initially imagine.

They are the elements of architecture that will create the feel and character of the spaces you will inhabit.

They create colour, shadow, pattern and texture.

You will touch them and feel the effects of them in your every day.

How do you find inspiration from materials?

That is easy.

Because they bring the inspiration with them!

So order some samples, then hang out with them for a while - inside and out.

What is it about the parts of your architecture that is inspiring to you?

Find little ways that you can learn about your materials here.

Made for You.

There are some little things and little ways to help you design + build your home that I have Made for You.

I will add things to this place as time goes by and I would love to hear if there is anything that will help you! Connect with me and let me know what would be useful for you to see there.

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

make a deal

Look at the options and decide which contract is right for you and your project.

Or if someone is making the decision for you, understand more about the contract you will be involved with.

Get to know your contract.

A contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties.

It is whatever you both agree to. It can be for anything and be made up of anything!

If you are employing any type of professional – a consultant or a contractor – you will likely enter a formal agreement with them to work with you.

For example, you may agree with a consultant that they will design your architecture and you will pay them for it. Or, you may agree with a contractor that they will build your architecture and you will pay them for it.

Because you are asking for something to be done, it is important to be open, honest and very clear about what you are asking for, and therefore what they will be delivering to you in return. This avoids confusion or dispute and ensures a positive outcome for both parties.

Keep in mind that a contract can be made between parties even if you have not made a formal written agreement of what that contract consists of. This is a risky way to proceed, as no-one is quite sure what their roles and responsibilities are. With no clarity about what is being agreed, dispute is more likely to arise.

The NSW Government Department of Fair Trading notes that

‘Your chosen builder or tradesperson must give you a written contract if:

• the contract price is over $5,000 (including GST), or

• the contract price is not known, is for the provision of labour and materials by the contractor the reasonable market cost of which is more than $5,000 (including GST).

Jobs worth between $5,000 and $20,000 require a ‘small job’ contract with basic information, while building jobs worth more than $20,000 must be covered by more extensive written contracts.’

This is a big topic, with so much to go into, so I will summarise the different types of construction contracts and not go into any detail here.

It is worth noting that contract types and contract law differs from place to place. Although a contract is a tool used in various parts of the process, it can be a complex form of law to administer [particularly when disputes arise] and people spend their lives learning its intricacies.

Note that the information in this section is a simplistic overview and relates to contracts utilised in Australia.

What is a construction contract?

A construction contract is made up of a number of documents.

If your architecture has been tendered, the tendered documents will form the construction contract.

These documents are referred to as the contract documents and may include some of the following:

-       Contract Agreement

-       General Conditions of Contract

-       Special Conditions of Contract

-       Scope of Work

-       Drawings

-       Specifications

-       Breakdown of Construction Costs

-       Unit Pricing or Bill of Quantities

-       Security

-       Insurances

-       Any other documents included by either party to establish the contract

There are several different types of contract.

Here is a general breakdown of the different types of construction contract:

TIP: In case you are not familiar, ‘The Works’ is often the contractual term to describe ‘ your architecture’.

Standard Form Contract

Some clever people have taken the time to prepare a wide variety of standard contract documents. Each one has been made with a particular purpose in mind, for example, for a design and construction agreement. A standard form contract is often used as the general conditions for a set of contract documents. Amendments or modifications are sometimes made to the general condition standard form in order to meet the requirements of the project. However, some projects simply utilise the standard form contract as it is without modification.

Lump Sum | Fixed Price Contract

This is the most common type of contract.

The works to be completed are fixed and there is there is a fixed price to complete the works.

This also means that the works are fixed.

The works can be changed with additions, deletions or modifications which are called variations.

Variations will ultimately alter the cost of the works, usually with an increase in value.

Cost Plus Contract

This contract type is based on the idea that the contractor is paid for the works plus an agreed percentage.

It is also known as an Early Contractor Involvement contract.

This is a contract which can be more flexible than a lump sum|fixed price contract.

As there is not a fixed price or known price set for this type of contract, there is not a set limit to the extent of works or to the cost of the works.

Therefore, these are risky contracts to enter into, as the outcome, including the cost, is uncertain. Ensure to obtain professional advice prior to entering a Cost Plus Contract.

Custom Contract

This contract is a bespoke document prepared especially for your work.

The contract may be prepared from scratch, or it may be that a standard contract form is used and amended or modified to suit the requirements of your works.

How to find your construction contract.

To be fair, the decision for which contract you will use may have been made for you by someone else.

It may have been made at the time you chose your plan.

If you haven’t established which contract you will use yet, then it may be a topic you will discuss with your design team, or it may be something you are deciding for yourself.

There are a few organisations in Australia who prepare standard form contracts, with each type they make suitable for a different scenario where a contract is required.

The most common include:

Australian Standards suite of contracts prepared by the Standards Australia Committee on General Conditions of Contract and published by SAI Global

Australian Building Industry Contract suite of contracts prepared through a joint venture between the Master Builders Australia Ltd and the Australian Institute of Architects

There are other organisations that produce standard contract forms in addition to those noted above.

These include the Master Builders Association as well as local government bodies, such as the New South Wales Department of Fair Trading.

Each standard contract form is updated from time to time and it is important to note the year the contract form you are using is dated because each edition varies as this affects the conditions of each contract.

They can be used as they have been prepared, or modified with amendments to suit the particular agreement. The modified amendments are written additions or modifications to the standard form. These modifications are often determined based on the experience of the people involved in preparing the contract documents.

A study completed by the University of Melbourne in 2014 discovered that choosing which construction contract to use for a project often came down to which contract the person making the decision was familiar with. It also found that the Australian Standard forms were the most popular.

Australian Standards – Most Commonly referred to as AS with the four digit number following

Two suites of Australian Standard forms of contract have been prepared over time.

The AS2124 suite was prepared first.

The AS4000 suite was prepared to replace the AS2124 suite.

The publisher, SAI Global, notes that the AS4000 suite is updated from the AS2124 suite to:

• ‘reflect current industry practices  

• include current rulings in the law  

• make the contract easier to use and understand (in plain English)

• reflect more recent trends in the industry (such as programming and ecommerce).’

There are more standard contract forms to choose from in the AS4000 suite than in the AS2124 suite. However, the AS2124 suite was established first and it is familiar to the people using it. As such, the AS2124 suite is still commonly used in Australia today.

How to read the Australian Standard Form Number:

AS = Australian Standard

The next four digits = the Standard Form Number

Then there is a ‘–‘ = Separation Between Four Digit Numbers

The last four digits = the Year the Standard Form was Released

You can reference all of the current Australian Standards suite of contracts online.

Australian Building Industry Contracts – Most Commonly referred to as ABIC

There are different contracts that have been prepared for each purpose as well as for each state in Australia.

• ABIC MW-2018                    Major Works Contract

• ABIC MW-2018-H                Major Works Contract – Housing

• ABIC SW-2018                      Simple Works Contract

• ABIC SW-2018-H                  Simple Works Contract – Housing

• ABIC BW-2018-C                 Basic Works Commercial Contract

• ABIC CP-2014-C                 Commercial Cost Plus Contract

• ABIC EW-1-2003                  Early Works

Learn about the different types of contract, discuss the options with the professionals you are working with and agree a contract that will suit all of you as well as your architecture.

If you have employed a professional such as an architect or designer, they can likely discuss the contract options with you and guide you through choosing a type suitable for your architecture.

If you have employed a design and construction organisation or project home builder, they will likely already have chosen a contract for you.

Your construction contract in the process.

The following will help determine the contract you use:

-       The plan option you chose

-       The procurement option you chose

-       The type of documents you wish to include in the contract

The choice of what type of construction contract you use will determine which construction process you will utilise to build your architecture.

THE PROCESS.

This is the fifteenth step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little Book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

think about how you will build them.

The more I help people commence their journey in the Process and talk to people who are moving through it, the more I see how important it is to establish your Process from the beginning.

AT THE BEGINNING I see people struggling with how they will do what they want to do and trying to find a solution, but seeing too many options and not knowing which is right for them.

Or they kick off with a plan they are familiar with before thinking about what they are trying to achieve at the end of the day and what the best way might be to get there.

PARTWAY THROUGH I see people who have launched into the process without taking the time to consider which option will suit them best and ended up in all sorts of pickles trying to find their way through.

There is a lot that happens through the process to design and build architecture.

If you have a clear idea of the path to follow, it will save you time, money and uncertainty as you travel along.

Choosing you plan and your process.

When people first start to think about making their architectural ideas a reality, I find they come to me and start talking, but aren’t really sure what they are asking for.

The first thing I do is try to find out what problem they are trying to solve.

I ask some quick questions to get a snapshot of where they are and what they need.

This leads to an idea for how they might get there in a way that works best for them.

It is not just one factor that informs which path to follow. It is a combination of elements - the entire First Part in the Process to find architecture specific to you - the magic five elements

PURPOSE | PLACE | PEOPLE | PROGRAM | PARTS

You need to know something about each of these steps in order to work out which way to go.

The most important is your purpose - YOUR END GOAL.

Once you have gathered that information, it is important to think about

how you will build your Architecture

because that it what you will need to do to make your architecture a reality.

This means sitting down early on and choosing a process that will take you to that type of build and therefore to your architecture.

The way you will build and the process that takes you there needs to suit you and your circumstances.

It will inform how you will take the information you have gathered and put together the entire Second Part in the Process

PATTERNS | PLAN | PROFESSIONALS | PERMIT PREP | PAPERS

It will then inform the Third Part in the Process, as you head into the realm of construction contracts to build the reality you have been heading towards

procure | pact | commence | progress | complete

Choosing how you will build and which process you will use, means that you will head toward a clear objective and you won’t waste time or money in unnecessary ways along the way.

The process to design + build architecture is not like buying a car.

Buying a car is a big purchase. You do your research - learn about the models available - break down the ones that suit you into your favourites, then head to the car yard and take a look around. You look at the form of the car, the colours and features. Then start opening doors and looking at the insides - breathing in that new car smell … There are a few lined up to choose from ready to sit in and feel, take for a drive before you buy, with the price on the dashboard and optional extras with a set value.

Choosing a process to follow to find your architecture is not quite the same.

You can do your research and learn about the options available, but you can’t sit in the finished product to make sure you like it or touch the finishes around you and the price isn’t fixed - in fact it seems to be very uncertain.

It is not a simple thing to lay out three different options of your architecture fully finished and ready to go with a finished price and time frame known before you make a decision about which one you will choose.

To get to that point would mean going down three different paths, spending a fair bit of time and money along the way, and being involved in three different processes.

Unfortunately it is just not feasible.

The way to choose your way through the process is to look at all of the options in as much detail as you can to choose which will suit you, commit to that plan and get going.

No-one will be able to give you a fixed price at this stage.

No-one will be able to give you a fixed time frame at this stage.

There are so many steps and parts involved in the process that no-one can determine these things in any detail yet.

That is why they will talk to you in terms of estimated price per square metre, or period of time in terms of weeks or months instead of days.

They are making an educated guess based on their own experience and that is why you can speak with ten different people and have ten different opinions about the process.

Unless you have been through a particular process with particular people before, it will be difficult for you to be certain that the way you are choosing is perfect for you.

This is a big decision about a lengthy and costly process. It seems that because of this there should be more certainty at this stage about how you can choose the best way forward.

The reason you are heading into this adventure will help you make the decision because you are already willing to take a chance on your belief you can make something that will improve your life.

Your program of cost and time will often jump straight to the top of your thoughts and decision making when you start out. But when you can’t be given definitive answers on either, consider the other things that will affect your decision - your purpose, your place, your people and your parts. Get to know them all and let them help you choose which process will suit every part .

Then talk to people.

Learn the different ways through and choose the option that seems to fit you best.

Take the time at the beginning to think about

how you will get to the end.

That will inform the most efficient way for you to get there - the best way for you.

Take a look at how to plan your architecture to try to work out where you are going before you take off on your journey!

Which process will work for you?

Made for You.

There are some little things and little ways to help you design + build your home that I have Made for You.

I will add things to this place as time goes by and I would love to hear if there is anything that will help you! Connect with me and let me know what would be useful for you to see there.

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

how you will build the reality

Learn the options, decide which procurement method is right for you and tender your architecture.

Get to know your procurement method.

To procure is to obtain something with care and effort.

In the construction industry it is most often referred to as ‘the procurement method’.

For me, the procurement step in the process involves two parts:

• Method

• Action

Method

You may have already come across a construction contract, but even if you have, read on to get an understanding of what options you have, or what option you may already be involved in.

There are two main procurement methods:

A single construction contract – usually the most common method

OR

Multiple construction contracts – not as common

A single construction contract means that you employ a single contractor to complete all or most of the construction work for your architecture. You may employ a single contractor for most of the work, but still employ other contractors with their own individual construction contracts with you for minor work, and the procurement method will still be called a single construction contract.

Multiple construction contracts is as it sounds – you have multiple construction contracts operating for the one project. This option involves a greater level of organisation and management.

The method that you use will depend on what suits you and your architecture, particularly the plan that you have chosen, but also including your place, your cash flow, your time frame, the type of work to be completed, the type of construction.

Action

Once you have chosen the method that will suit you, you can take action.

Unless you are already involved in a contract with a design and construction organisation or project home builder, your action will likely be in the form of one or more of the following.

In case you are unfamiliar, a tender is a way of requesting a detailed quotation from a contractor.

A tender requires documents to be issued to contractors or tenderers so that they can review them and submit a cost to build your architecture.

-       Open Tender – The documents are advertised, such as in the newspaper, and anyone can review them to prepare and submit a tender for review.  More than one tender will hopefully be submitted to ensure there are options to choose from and therefore a ‘competitive tender’.  Tenders are submitted by a certain time on a certain day and reviewed by you and|or your design team. One submission is chosen as the preferred tender and any information in addition to the documents submitted are requested from the tenderer. When you accept the tender, the terms of the contract commence.

-       Selected Tender – The documents are sent to one or, usually, more than one contractor to request that they submit a tender for your architecture. A tender is submitted by each of the selected tenderers. Tenders are submitted by a certain time on a certain day and reviewed by you and|or your design team. One submission is chosen as the preferred tender and any information in addition to the documents submitted are requested from the tenderer. When you accept the tender, the terms of the contract commence.

-       Negotiated Tender – The contractor or contractors are contacted directly to discuss the opportunity to build your architecture. The extent of work is discussed. The extent, inclusions, exclusions, cost and contract type are negotiated until an agreement is made. When an agreement is accepted by both parties, the terms of the contract commence.

-       Expression of Interest – Pre-qualification requirements you or your design team have prepared are advertised or sent to selected parties requesting an expression of interest. The contractors who have applied though an open invitation or who have been selected, will submit a document called an Expression of Interest in response to the pre-qualification requirements.  The submissions will be reviewed based on these requirements and a contractor will be chosen. The successful contractor or contractors will discuss the technical details of the type of contract and contract documents with you and your design team before making a final agreement to proceed.

Which procurement method is right for you and your architecture?

The decision for which procurement method you use may have been made for you by someone else, such as a professional you are working with.

If not, let’s go back to your purpose for a moment. What did you discover there?

Then look at your plan. Was an option for which contract method to use made then?

If you haven’t established a procurement method yet, then it may be a topic you will discuss with your design team, or it may be something you are deciding for yourself.

If you are purchasing an ‘off-the-plan’ design with a design and construction organisation or project home builder, they will have a standard procurement method, usually with the use of a single construction contract. They will use sub-contractors or tradesmen who they have an established relationship with, and the contract you sign with them will be one that suits that purpose.

It is good for you to know, however, how everything is working and what it might mean to you.

There are risks and advantages to each method, however the single construction contract is the most common type of procurement method.

A selected tender or negotiated tender appear to be the most common action taken for smaller work,  

If you have a large project an open tender is more likely to be used.

If there are issues of complexity or unresolved issues, an expression of interest action is likely to be used.

Here is a quick and very general breakdown:

Single Construction Contract

This option is suitable if you are able to put all the requirements for your architecture into a single set of documents for someone, such as a contractor, to build from. This option puts more risk on the contractor, as they hold the responsibility to schedule time and tradesmen and complete all of the work.

• Documents prepared to show how to build your architecture can be simpler if they are showing all of your architecture, rather than being split into multiple sections for multiple contracts.

• An overall price for the construction work can be established between you and the contractor before work commences.

• If any changes are made after the construction contract commences, there will be variations in time and cost associated with that change.

• The management of time and cost as the construction progresses is the contractors responsibility.

Multiple Construction Contracts

This option is suitable if you are not able to put all the requirements for your architecture into a single set of documents for someone to build from. This option puts more risk on you, as you hold the responsibility to schedule time, cost and contracts as well as ensure all of the work is completed.

How to prepare to tender.

A Tender Checklist will help you keep track of everything you need to issue when it comes to tendering.

Documents issued for tender may include:

-       The documents you have prepared to show how to build your architecture, including drawings, specifications and schedules.

-       The construction contract you wish to use, or reference to the contract you wish to use.

-       Additional information such as a written description of the work or special conditions that will be specific to the agreement you make with the contractor.

Make sure that the documents you are issuing for tender are clear about the extent of the work you would like the contractor to complete, particularly if there are multiple contracts. You literally need to draw a line in the sand for where the work starts and stops so it is clear to every body involved.

Also keep in mind that these documents will form the contract you make with the contractor. Anything you wish to add after the agreement has been made will likely be additional to the time frame and cost.

Once your documents are out there in the world, and contractors are looking at them, you may receive questions. You need to keep track of the questions and make sure all of the tenderers are given the answers, whether they have asked the questions or not, to ensure the tender is fair.

You can keep track of Tender Queries in a Tender Queries Schedule and issue information during a Tender Period to all tenderers with a Tender Addendum. Any Addenda issued will form part of the construction contract.

If you have employed a professional such as an architect, designer, design and construction organisation or project home builder to procure your architecture for you, they will likely take care of most things. But make sure you are clear on any responsibilities you have to ensure you deliver the information required by you to them in a timely manner so as not to affect the process.

Your procurement in the process.

The plan you chose affects the procurement method you choose, or that someone chooses for you.

The choice of what type of procurement method you use will determine which construction contract you utilise to work with a contractor to build your architecture.

THE PROCESS.

This is the fourteenth step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little Book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

People often think that architects spend most of their time drawing and designing.

In some ways that is true!

I draw to understand a problem and it helps me to solve it.

When I chat with people they often think that architects spend most of their time drawing designs.
While that may be true for a small percentage who employ other people to take care of everything else, most architects spend a good deal of their time doing other things. 
.. communicating with a variety of people, co-ordinating information, collecting information, moving information around, putting the information together, communicating with people, writing a lot of documents, running a business, communicating with people ..

Despite all of this, I have been drawing quite a bit lately .. computer aided as well as of hand drawings on the side - people and places and sketches and details.
I just can't get enough of it!

What is it about drawing that is so engaging and exciting and all encompassing???

My other half says that when I am drawing, I am like a crack addict on a live feed.
Nothing else matters. Not even dependents :D 

The six and four year old just have to get on board for the ride - and they do!

They pull out their paper and pencils and draw along side me. We have even set up a desk for them right next to mine so that they can join in :)

I was trying to solve a problem the other day and realised that I was drawing to understand it, and in so doing, solving the problem.

I draw to see things more clearly.

It is a way to clarify and communicate and understand the world - the big picture and the small.

A way to solve problems.

Drawing is how I find architecture specific to people and place.

Leonardo da Vinci famously recorded the topographic anatomy of the human body to help describe the human form, including the expression of emotion. For him, to draw a person meant to understand the their anatomy. 

The same is true for buildings.

Before you start to draw your new architecture, take a look at an existing building.

Try to draw how it fits together.

Look around you in the place you are living.

Start with a layout for where each room is located.

Then see if you can draw what each room looks like when you cut the building in half and look at it in its cross section. 

This will give you an idea of the anatomy for your own architecture so that you can start to draw it!

There are a few things I live by when I draw:

01 DRAW WHAT YOU KNOW | Don't sit there looking at a blank page wondering where to start. You always know something about what you are drawing, so what is it? 

Draw what you know first, then add to that more lines, and more, and more! Just keep drawing!

02 DON'T BE AFRAID | Don't be afraid to draw something 'wrong'. This is the perfect time where you can change it if it's not quite right. It is much harder to move a line now than move a wall later down the track.

03 ROTATE YOUR DRAWING | Turn your page upside down, sideways - hell, to all angles to see what you are drawing from different perspectives. You will be surprised by how it helps you to draw and resolve problems, especially if you are getting stuck from looking at it from the same angle for so long. 

04 USE A PEN | Forget pencils - pull out a big fat texta and go for it!

An architect I worked with used to use a really fat pen to work things out at a big picture scale. Then as he worked more things out, getting closer and closer towards the detail, his pen became thinner and thinner.

Pull out your paper and pens and give it a go!

FRANK CHING
Francis DK 'Frank' Ching was 'the' architect and author to refer to when I was in university. His books, Architectural Graphics and Building Construction Illustrated were informative and chock full of incredible hand drawn images - they still are! Frank started writing a blog in 2012 and he is still writing and drawing regularly today. 
Take a look here!

Made for You.

There are some little things and little ways to help you design + build your home that I have Made for You.

I will add things to this place as time goes by and I would love to hear if there is anything that will help you! Connect with me and let me know what would be useful for you to see there.

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

it is all in the details

The documents that will show how your architecture will be built – the little things about it that will make it special.

Get to know your papers.

Take out all of the documents you have prepared so far – drawings, specifications, schedules – and see what you still need to prepare to be ready to build your architecture. You may already have everything you need and have submitted it with your building application, but if not, fill in the gaps now.

have a look at what documents you have – work out what you are missing – fill the gaps

What are your papers?

Your papers are all the documents you will use to build your architecture. They will be written or drawn.

-       Drawings – these describe where your architecture will be and how all the parts will fit together

-       Specifications – these are written, on drawings or in a document, to describe the parts and their quality

-       Schedules – these are written and drawn to describe lists of similar items, such as materials or openings

The documents will be prepared by a professional designer, architect, drafter or you, and combined with documents prepared by any specialist consultants you require, such as a structural engineer, to form a full set.

Of course, you may be purchasing an ‘off-the plan’ design or having someone else prepare documentation of your architecture for you. If so, you can leave all of this working out to them. They may involve you where they need your input for employing specialist consultants or selecting materials.

However, if you know a bit about what they are talking about and what they are showing you to look at, you can better interpret what your architecture will look like and if it will be right for you.

Drawings are the main way to show how your architecture is to be built.

Plans – Elevations – Sections

Every drawing has a purpose.

In case you have missed an earlier post, head back and give yourself a quick education in schedules and drawing types. The additional ones for constructing your building are located in ‘Patterns YOUR DESIGN’ for you to learn about and add to your documentation.

Putting together a drawing is a simple formula: 

Lay Out Your Plan – the Horizontal Surfaces + Elevate Your Building – the Vertical Surfaces = Your Architecture

details

These are drawings get into the nuts and bolts of how your architecture goes together. ­­

Imagine taking a chair, pulling it into all of its parts, then putting it back together. A detail shows anything that all the other drawings haven’t about how something is put together.

details show how something is made.

schedules

Back to those wonderful schedules!

These are drawings that put a whole lot of one type of item into one place or onto one drawing page.

The most common, is to schedule all the openings – otherwise known as doors, windows, gates and the like.

This is of use because there is usually one contractor or tradesman who will make all of your windows and doors for you, so they can see everything they are to make in one place. 

Imagine standing outside a door and looking straight at it. If you draw that door in detail, then continue on to do the same for every door, window and gate or similar, then place those drawings side by side, you will have an Openings Schedule.  There will also be a list in writing about the specifics of each opening below each drawing you have done.

schedules show all the parts of a single type of element.

When put all together, you can see your architectural emerge in the documents you have prepared to show how your architecture will be built.

This is your architecture in detail.

Your documents in the process.

You can never predict what might come up, but the more you try to work out now in detail, the more likely things will happen during construction and you will end up with architecture specific to you.

In addition to drawings, specifications and schedules, you will also need your permits, insurances and contracts ready before you commence to build your architecture.

your papers bring all of the little details of your architecture together - all of the little things that will make architecture specific to you.

THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS IS how to make your architecture a reality.

THE PROCESS.

This is the thirteenth step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

You are here!!

All of your documents have been prepared and your architecture is ready to build!!!

It is all about to happen.

Someone is about to stick a spade in the ground and build your architecture!

If you are excited, you should be - this is what you have been preparing for!!

It may seem like a slow start, but all of a sudden things will begin happening quickly.

No matter what role you are playing in having your architecture constructed, you will need to provide information or answer questions.

So before you relax and let it happen, make sure all of your ducks are in a row and ready to go.

That means, make sure you have all of the documents you will need to provide, and all of the information you will need to pass on, and finish all of the research you need to do to answer the questions that will be asked of you.

If you aren’t sure what you need to have ready, ask whoever you are working with or read up and find out so that you are prepared before things start to happen.

Get your ducks in a row - your architecture is about to get three dimensional!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

receiving a permit to build

Once your building application has been approved you will receive a permit that gives you permission to commence construction.

Waiting for your permit.

You have a bit of time from when you submit your application to when you receive a determination.

Once your application has been submitted, give the building department a few days before calling them to confirm the application has been received and all the information required is included.

They may not have completed their preliminary assessment by this time, but can confirm receipt of the documents you have submitted.

The building department usually contact you after they have completed a preliminary assessment of your application to ask you to clarify any information they are unsure of or to ask you for additional information to support your application.

Keep in mind that there may be other authorities who are required to review your Building Application. They may include a service authority with an asset on your land, or a fire authority who reviews your fire strategy. The building department will often forward these on, however follow up to check that the other authorities have received what they need in order to approve the development.

While you are waiting on your building application to be processed, don’t wait with nothing to do!

Get drawing and resolve all the little details you haven’t needed to prepare for a building application in anticipation for commencing construction. Check out information in the next step for more details.

You can even double check all the products you are planning to use are available and ready to go.

If you are super keen to get going and confident that nothing will hinder your permit, another thing you can be doing while this step in the process is passing by, is to tender your project to contractors. If you have a tender period which runs concurrently with the approval process for your building application, both will come through about the same time and you can get going on site straight away with your preferred contractor and a building permit ready for them to commence construction.

If not, then await the permit before moving forward. If you are working with a professional such as a designer, architect, design and construction organisation or project home builder, they will likely be managing this period for you and may be a matter of waiting til the permit arrives.

Receiving for your permit.

A determination on your application is usually made within a certain time frame, often by the 60th day after the date of your submission.

You will receive a letter advising you if you have received a building permit. The letter will more than likely be delivered with a set of conditions. You will also receive a copy of your drawings stamped with an approval.

This permit means that you can commence construction!

Congratulations!!

Now on to the next step in the process.

Your Building Permit in the Process.

Receiving a Building Permit is a milestone in your process. It means that you can build your architecture!

So a big congratulations to you once you receive it. You can now commence construction!

Although you have just prepared documents in accordance with the national construction code, you may require more information, more drawings and schedules, before you commence construction. These extra documents are not critical to show how your building is constructed, so not required for a building application. However, they will be useful when it comes to building your architecture.

your building permit means that now you can build architecture specific to you.

THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS IS collating your papers - the documents you will use to build your architecture.

THE PROCESS.

This is the twelfth step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

How long does it take to build architecture?

How long does the process take?

What are your expectations?

All good questions!

But what is the answer??

Being in the process can sometimes feel like you are taking a lot of steps and going no-where.

It can take a while to get to a point where you are ready to commit to design and build architecture. 

You make the decision.

You just want to get started!

You want to build your dreams!!

.. and then someone tells you that there are lots more things to do before you can get there.

It can be frustrating because you just want to start building so that you can get to the end and to live in the architecture you have been dreaming of!

Why can’t you start building now?

Because, if you start putting a spade in the ground right now, there will be all sorts of unexpected problems along the way that you have to make up solutions for on the fly.

If you are making up solutions on the fly, they cost you money and time.

It is much better to work out as much as you can before you start digging, so that you can get the best solution without surprises along the way.

But why spend the time? Why not just get going and deal with the consequences?

Making up things as you build means that you haven’t looked at your architecture in all its parts from the outset to find solutions that satisfy everything and work together to make architecture specific to you. Architecture that fits you in the best way it can. You will be making things up that work for one part of the build that you have a problem with, but be completely unsuitable for something else that then crops up later on which you will then have to find another solution for.

Why is that a problem?

It means that the final outcome - the architecture that you will live in - will be a mess of problems solved in the moment, rather than solutions considered to suit you, your place, your budget, your time frame and your purpose.

Your decision to design and build architecture is the very first step that starts a process that will eventually take you to your end goal.

How long does the process take?

i t   t a k e s   t i m e

It takes time to gather information, to put all of the information together and to build architecture that will work for you in every way it can.
It takes time to to understand the problem and interpret a solution that works best for you.
It takes time to consider all of the options and see the best one that will work for you.
It takes time to put all of the parts together in a practical solution that also holds the beauty that makes it special and specific to you.

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I once heard someone say that in the entire length of time from beginning to end, you should spend two thirds of that time designing and planning before you put your spade in the ground.

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Even the simplest process of putting together a building involves time to work things out before you can move in.

For instance, if you are buying a pre-fabricated building, like a shed, and having someone deliver it to your place and put it in position, there is still information to gather and things to work out before you can move in.

how will it be used? | what existing things does it need to connect to? | where will it be located? | where is the water running across the land so it doesn’t get flooded? | what height should it sit on that land so it matches in with everything else? | what layout suits its use? | will it be a shell, or do you need certain things inside it to make it work for you? a bench? a sink? | what services need to be connected to? | what style or ‘look’ are you after? | single pitched roof or double? | what materials will it be made from? | what colours will they be?

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But it is not just about the outcome, it is also the type of process you take.

The type of process you choose that best suits you will impact the time it takes to move through that process.

The expectations you have about that process will make a real difference to how you feel about the time it takes.

And the way you feel about how you travel through through the process will affect the experience you have.

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‘Time is free, but it is priceless.
You can't own it, but you can use it.' HARVEY MACKAY | Author

Before you jump in and start digging, take the time to make a plan for the process you will follow to reach your end goal. It doesn't have to be every little detail, but try to have an idea about how things will unfold.

c h o o s e a p r o c e s s
If you can get your head around what you can do and can't do, what your constraints are, what you want and what you don't, it can help you put together a plan that will suit you.

Look at your own skillset.
What can you offer, what do you want to do and what aren't you keen on?
Look at what you are missing.
What do you need help with and who could help you?
Take a look at your place.
Is there anything about your place that would make it tricky to build there?
Think about your budget.
How much do you have to spend?
Think about your time frame.
When would you like everything to be done?

Is there a process you are aware of that fits all of your answers?
Happy days! You are on your way!
If not, have a chat with someone who can run you through the options to help you find the one that is right for you.

It won't be a short journey - it will take time - so before you begin, give some thought to how you will go about making your way through.
It could make all the difference to you.

‘A goal without a plan is just a wish.' ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY | Writer

take the time

The architecture you design and build now, will be part of your life and the lives of others for a long time.

Spend the time in learning and finding the information that will make your architecture, so that when you build it, it will fit you like a glove.

Take the time now to find your architecture before you build it.

There is SO much to talk about when it comes to finding a process and understanding your expectations of the time that process will take to prepare architecture that is

SPECIFIC TO YOU.

My hope is that you have the best possible experience as you make your way through the process!

Made for You.

There are some little things and little ways to help you design + build your home that I have Made for You.

I will add things to this place as time goes by and I would love to hear if there is anything that will help you! Connect with me and let me know what would be useful for you to see there. Your Place.

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.

IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.

prepare your building permit documents

Prepare documents to submit a Building Application.

Get to know your permit preparation.

You have all your information, you have a design, you have a plan, you have approval to develop your land. Now you need a permit to build your architecture. A Building Permit.

You need permission from your local authority – usually known as council – in order to build on your land.

Your permission to build comes in the form of a permit.

You need to submit an application in order to be considered for issue of a permit.

Your permit may be called something slightly different in different places, such as a Construction Certificate, but you get the idea.

-       a Building Application will result in a Building Permit – Permission to Build

What do you need for a Building Application?

A Building Application Checklist will help you keep track of what is required.

The first port of call is your local council. Depending on where you live, your local council may have all the information required for an application online. If not, you may need to call them or go in and see them.

They often even have a general checklist prepared for you so make sure you check the requirements before you start preparing your application and before you submit the application. Confirm with someone in the building department at your local authority by phone or in person if there is anything you do not understand.

However, it is good to set up your own checklist to identify the following:

-       Each item required for your application

-       The contents of each item

-       Who is responsible to prepare each item

-       A place to check off each item as you complete it and include it in your application

Your Building Application will be assessed by the Building Department at your local authority.

Generally, the purpose of a Building Application is to assess that your architecture complies with the national construction code. In Australia this code is known as the NCC [National Construction Code] and previously known as the BCA [Building Code of Australia]. It is available online to download for free! You will need to know what ‘class’ your architecture is. You can clarify that by reading the definitions in the NCC or asking your building compliance consultant.

If you have any questions to clarify construction details that are specifically defined by your local authority being constructed on council managed land, such as a kerb or crossover detail for a driveway, these are the people to talk to. Most local councils have a Building Surveyor or Engineer in their building department available to answer calls or meet in person, either through appointment or within a time period without appointment. So take advantage of this service and get informed.

How to prepare your Building Application.

You need to submit an application of drawings, specifications and schedules that demonstrate the construction of your architecture will comply with the national construction code as well as any other applicable regulations.

In general, the building department looks at the following:

-       footings and structural detailing for the bones of your building including any retaining walls.

-       construction connections between ground and floor.

-       construction connections between floor and walls.

-       construction connections between walls and roof.

-       flashing and waterproofing for the external envelope.

-       wet area waterproofing for bathrooms and the like.

They care that your building will be constructed in accordance with the construction code.

That is their aim in a nutshell, but each council building department is individual and requires information specific to their area.

If you have employed a professional such as an architect, designer, design and construction organisation or project home builder to prepare your application for you, they will likely take care of most things, but make sure you are clear on any responsibilities you have to ensure you deliver the information required by you to them in a timely manner so as not to affect the process.

Your building application in the process.

Submitting a Building Application is a milestone in your process. You need to submit an application in order to receive a Building Permit. You need a Building Permit to commence construction.

Although you have just prepared documents in accordance with the National Construction Code, you may require more information, more drawings and schedules, before you commence construction. These extra documents are not critical to show how your building is constructed, so not required for a building application. However, they will be useful when it comes to building your architecture.

working out your construction details means you will find architecture specific to you.

THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS IS TO RECEIVE YOUR PERMIT TO BUILD.

THE PROCESS.

This is the eleventh step in the process to design and build architecture.

If you would like to see how this step fits within the process, you may be interested in a little book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.

The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.

Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!

Til next time!

Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.

Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.