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Design – Where To Start
Start a scrapbook of ideas. Pictures from magazines, photos of houses or details that you come across, cuttings of kitchens and bathrooms from catalogues - the sources of inspiration are endless. Visiting ‘show’ houses can help developing some ideas. Whilst you will obviously want to tailor your design to meet your specific requirements and create your dream, a word of caution: remember that one day you may decide to sell this house and not everyone will have your taste. So, even though you may have dreamt of a fuchsia pink bathroom for years, try to resist! It will make it much harder to sell in the future. Once you have a good idea of what you want, you will be able to start looking at the options of who to use to create it for you. Having your scrapbook to show a kit manufacturer, builder or an architect will give them a good idea of what you want and will help them to determine if they can achieve it for you, within your budget. Don’t be afraid to sketch out some of your design ideas and include them in your scrapbook. You should also try putting together a brief, detailing your basic requirements. The more information you can put into this brief the better, as it will be a big help to whomever you end up working with. As well as the obvious - the number of bedrooms, en-suites, big kitchen etc - it’s also worth pointing out if you like doing a lot of entertaining or you have kids with an endless stream of friends who come and stay. Maybe you have four dogs and need a dedicated space for them; or you like to BBQ at every opportunity, come rain or shine. The more your designer knows about you and your family, the better. If you can afford it, working with an architect will probably be the best way to ensure that you get exactly what you want, rather than possibly having to compromise with off-the-shelf designs provided by kit manufacturers or builders. In saying that, of course, many kit manufacturers will make alterations to a design to suite the client. The first thing an architect will probably do is provide you with a fee quote which will be based on your proposed budget/build cost. Fees’ Quotation If you are not sure enough to sign up for the whole package to take the project from inception to completion, ask for a fee quote to provide sketch designs and cost estimates first. Then, if you are happy with these, you can agree terms to take the project forward. Do remember that even if you do not go ahead, you will still have to pay for the work that has been carried out for you. It will be very important to build a good working relationship with your architect, so be sure that you feel they are on your wavelength and that you can really get on well with them. If using an architect is not an option for you, there are building companies who can provide basic designs that can then be tailored to your needs. If you are planning to self-build, then kit manufacturers are also often prepared to amend designs for you. With these options you will have the opportunity to personalise the design with careful choices in finishes such as floorings and lighting, and kitchen and bathroom designs. ‘Wow’ Factor How many times have you visited new friends or been to look at a house, thinking when you pull up outside that it looks like a fairly ordinary house and then been hit by the ‘wow’ factor when you go inside. One great feature can be all it takes to turn an ordinary house into something very special. Remember, though, keep it tasteful and stylish to be sure of a ‘wow’ and not an ‘oh…my…god!’
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