Our clients make an appointment, where we talk in broad terms about what you wish to achieve on your site and at what budget. This meeting takes about 1/2 an hour and there is no cost for this.
Typically the client may have a wish list of the number and type of rooms, number of cars to be accommodated, and ideally a contour plan of the site. At this meeting, the client will be shown examples of the process that they will expect to go through.
We will refer back to our previous jobs to give an estimate of what the building cost may be for the type of home the client envisions. A preliminary budget is then calculated.
A member of the Cross Design team will visit your site to ascertain all matters affecting it. This can include issues such as the view, solar orientation, prevailing winds, site contours, privacy, vehicle access, the location of neighbouring buildings and many other factors.
The next step is to discuss the project with the local council to ascertain their requirements. Council requirements today are very complex and are often beyond the understanding of the average property owner. Council requirements can include boundary set-backs, height limits, floor space ratios, building envelopes and many other requirements.
The next step is to discuss your requirements, including your budget - in detail. These requirements are known as - the brief.
Once this has been completed, it is time for us to prepare the design concept. This is usually a sketch showing the approximate layout. We will discuss this concept with you and work with you until agreement is reached on the basic layout. Once you are satisfied, this design is developed in more detail to show finishes, building materials etc.
When you are satisfied with the concept design, we prepare working drawings and specification. These documents tell the builder exactly how to construct your building in detail. These documents are very important. First of all they allow all builders who are tendering on your building to quote for exactly the same thing. If the documents don't have enough detail or are unclear, different builders will quote on differing things and you will be unable to accurately compare your builders quotations.
The second reason that the working drawings and specification are important is that they form part of your contract with the builder. For this reason it is particularly important to engage a professional to design and document your new building. A large amount of detail is required to fully document a new building. Everything must be specified, from the brand of roof tiles to be used to the type of windows and doors to be installed.
For a new building or for renovations, it is necessary to obtain planning permission and building approval from your local council. It involves completion of the application forms, the payment of fees and submission of a number of sets of the drawings and specification.
In most cases council will also require submission of reduced scale drawings in order that they can notify your neighbours of your submission and ask for their comments. Council often require additional information such as sun shadow diagrams to indicate how your proposed building will cast shadows onto neighbouring properties and several other issues. Cross Design can handle these matters for you.
Cross Design are experienced in the full range of building design services, including design and documentation, calling tenders, council submissions, contract management and supervision. We can assist you through the complex maze of council requirements, building design and technology and the actual construction process. We undertake continuing professional development in order to keep up to date with the rapid changes in building design and technology.
There are two major inspections that we recommend to be undertaken. The first being the footings and slab inspections. This should be undertaken by the person who designed them, the structural engineer.
The other major inspection being the wall, floor and roof frame, bracing and tie down inspections. These are nominally inspected for compliance by the private certifier as part of their services, but we recommend that these items are inspected in far greater detail by the person who designed them in the first place, and that being - us. Alternatively a structural engineer can also undertake these inspections if you wish.
Landscape Design
We have a number of landscape designers we can refer you to, who can colour co-ordinate the planting and hardstand areas to your home to make a complete package. We will co-ordinate their services and provide the appropriate building drawings to the landscape designer to assist with their documentations.
Builders
We work with a number of regular builders who specialise in new homes and commercial construction, and are accustomed with our drawings and intent. If you require contact names and phone numbers we can assist. We act in good faith when we refer our clients to consultants and builders to assist. For legal reasons, we take no responsibility for their performance.
The design is the single most important element in creating a new building, whether it be a house or a commercial or industrial building.
Building design is a complex task that should be entrusted to a professional.
It is not simply a matter of drawing a set of plans. Every building site is unique and has it's own set of problems and possibilities. Cross Design works to overcome the problems and make the most of the possibilities.
Overview