In the third chapter of our 'Ultimate Guide To Building Your Dream Home' we take you through our unique process for designing and building your dream home.
The Koru 5-Step Process
Once you’ve secured your ideal plot or property to replace you’ll need to appoint an architect if you haven’t already.
Designing and building your own dream home may feel like an overwhelming task fraught with legal hurdles, techno-babble and a multitude of decisions (and it is), but our easy to follow 5-step process will take you through those challenges from our first meeting through to moving into and settling down into your new home. The following article will take you through our 5-step process starting with the project briefing and moving through concept design, detailed design and technical design stages before the project moves to site, culminating in construction and handover.
Step 1: Research
Lack of proper research and failing to ask the right questions can lead some architects to produce designs that don’t live up to high expectations. Before launching into any design work or preliminary sketches we always carry out preparatory work and will advise on the need for any site or building or tree surveys that will need to be undertaken by specialists prior to putting pencil to paper. The first meeting with us will usually be to establish your detailed brief for the spaces, their uses, sizes and relationship to each other and the outside. Comfort levels, materials and technology will also be discussed along with the atmosphere you wish to create and how you intend to live in your new home. It’s often useful to share with us some image examples or a Pinterest page with inspirations and illustrations of the lifestyle you aspire to. At this early stage it’s important to discuss your budget and a timeline for the key stages so that your expectations can be met.
Typically the design phase for a new build home can be as much as 12 months followed by a construction phase of about the same. A large extension project will be about 6 months in the design phase followed by a construction phase of about 6 months.
Step 2: Ideas
Often designers will rush this step to meet deadlines and may revert to standard designs for previous schemes or fail to explore all the available options. We believe this step needs time and relaxed, creative energy. This is where the ‘magic’ happens and our unique skills are put to work to visualise a solution and prepare multiple sketches to test the concept designs. Your brief and site context will be carefully analysed and the thought process to realise your vision will begin. The sketch designs are then converted into digital CAD drawings which will form the basis for all the drawings to follow.
We will usually want to meet with you again in person to explain the sketches which usually consist of plans and section drawings to illustrate the initial proposals. Client feedback is crucial at this stage so we can understand how to develop the ideas into a full design solution that meets all your needs and desires.
If planning permission looks like it may be challenging we might recommend making a pre-app planning enquiry at this stage which involves preparation of further drawings and a submission to the planners to gain their feedback before moving on to the next stage. On very sensitive sites it can sometimes make sense to engage the services of a specialist planning consultant to support the application.
Step 3: Permission
Planning permission can be a stumbling block for many projects if the detailed design is not carefully considered or if the planning drawings are not well presented. Once your concept design has been ‘frozen’ the detailed design can be developed in readiness for a planning application. This more comprehensive version will go beyond the shape and style of the building to include all practical considerations and the work of any other consultants. If your planning application requires additional support from other consultants such as a tree, highway or ecology specialist or a planning consultant we will advise and will liaise and coordinate with them.
At this stage a comprehensive set of digital drawings including plans, sections, elevations and sometimes 3D images will be prepared with careful consideration to the materials, external finishes and glazing etc. We will then prepare a well presented package of documents that will be submitted to the Local Planning Authority for their approval. During this process we will liaise with the planners and may occasionally have to negotiate on your behalf to gain approval.
Step 4: Technical
The right input at this stage can make the difference between a sustainable, high performance, low energy home or an average home that meets the minimum building standards but consumes more energy.
At this stage a structural and a services engineer and possibly other specialists will be needed depending on your brief requirements. We will closely liaise with these specialists to ensure that your home is engineered for performance - with high levels of comfort and energy efficiency. The digital drawings will next require a level of technical detail that will allow the design to be translated from lines on a drawing into your perfect dream home on its plot.
A carefully prepared package of information will then be submitted to Building Control for approval. If you haven’t already, this is a good time to start thinking about the interior finishes and fittings such as kitchen and bathrooms, lighting and controls, flooring and stairs. We will want to discuss your choices of materials and fittings so that a detailed specification can be prepared along with further detailed drawings and schedules. To conclude this stage we will issue a package of digital documents including drawings, schedules and specifications to your builders of choice to obtain competitive prices. We can often help to compile a list of suitable firms and will analyse the tenders returned and advise on the next steps.
Step 5: Build
Most, but not all clients involve their architect during the construction phase. Experience shows that attempting to build without your architect’s involvement can lead to unnecessary compromises and deviations from the design that may not be desirable. Our involvement will ensure that you don’t get bullied by your builder and that you get the home you expected on time and on budget. Once you have chosen your preferred builder we will prepare contract documents for signing. At this stage we take the role of ‘Contract Administrator’ and the builder takes the role of ‘Project Manager’. It’s then our duty to administer the contract fairly between you and the builder, to visit the building site periodically to check your home is being built in accordance with the drawings and specification and to check the quality of the build. If needed, we will provide additional information where necessary and assist with the resolution of any design issues that arise during the construction. It is also our duty to record any cost variations, to check the builder’s invoice valuations and to issue formal certificates for payment.
We will inspect the building, carry out snagging and issue a certificate when the work is complete. In this final stage the project is wrapped up and your new home will be handed over to you. Once you’ve had a chance to settle in we will offer to evaluate the project and will record any issues that have affected the performance and experience of your new home. We can then ask the builder to address these issues to ensure that your new home matches your expectations. This feedback is also essential for us to continue improving our designs and services and will benefit future clients.
If you’d like to start a conversation about how we can help you or maybe you have further questions about our 5-step process please contact us at: info@koruarchitects.co.uk or call us on: 01273 204065
You can find the fourth chapter of our guide here: 'What Will It Cost To Build Your Dream Home'