1. 0 Define & Refine
1.1 Feasibility & Brief preparation
Before starting any project there are questions to answer? Will our ideas work? What is possible? Is this what we want?
After we talk and understand your goals and general requirements, we begin to evaluate the project. We explore the opportunities of your site or building against the limitations of planning and building regulations to establish and clarify your brief and goals.
The work and time spent here may clarify direction you may take. Should you renovate and extend, sell or buy or build new? What are your next steps?
2. 0 Design
2.1 Schematic Design & Brief preparation
Concept design, also called Schematic Design, is the first phase of design. During this initial phase, we further explore your personal ideas and translate your brief into strategies and sketches, giving your project personality and added value.
We talk many times in this phase, discussing ideas and questioning assumptions, to distil requirements into the project brief. The project brief is both the spaces you want from a practical point of view and, just as importantly, the design feel or concepts.
This is the fun part, where we work together closely. We produce sketches to inform the general design. At this stage we don’t go too deeply into the interior design of the project.
By the end of concept design, we have figured out the plans and design concept of the built form. Here we recommend a getting a cost plan. This is a check for you, whether you have a realistic expectation before moving into Design Development phase. We can help with obtaining the cost plan.
If you need to apply for council planning permission, the concept design documents form part of the application, along with other documents as outlined under Town Planning below.
This part of the project may also require site information or other consultant input to provide more clarity to the brief.
2.2 Design Development
This is where we move into the interior design, working with you to resolve the finer details for all your spaces.
We further develop the project brief to capture all items, such as appliances and materials. From here we expand the design into the interiors, capturing the feel of the interior aesthetics you desire.
In this stage we fine tune all your final requirements for look and feel. These include:
· the colours, textures and materials
· lighting and power point locations
· how the kitchen or bathroom will look
· even which drawer the cutlery goes in!
There are several likely specialist consultants required now. These typically include structural and services engineers, land surveyor, cost consultant and building surveyor. We have an established network of these consultants or we’re happy for you to use your own.
2.3 Town Planning Application
Not all projects require town planning permission from the local council. If yours does, we can prepare the formal set of documents required.
This document set encompasses information from specialist consultants who can be engaged by you with our assistance if required. The consultants may include land surveyors, planning consultants, landscape architects, arborists, traffic engineers, building surveyors, heritage architects and others.
We’ll guide and advise you through what’s needed for your project.
3.0 Construction Documentation
In this phase of the project, we spend less time working with you and more time collaborating with a variety of consultants. Our focus is to capture the design, construction detailing, quality, and materials and finishes of your project to provide the information for a builder to construct it.
We prepare drawings, specifications and schedules for the building permit and tendering process. During this phase we strongly recommend pre-tender estimate of the cost of works is prepared by a quantity surveyor or builder that we can assist with engaging.
The culmination of this phase is a comprehensive set of drawings and documents defining the deliverables for the tender and contracts, ready for construction.
4.0 Delivery
4.1 Tendering
At this stage we discuss your preferred contract and tender process. It might be that you have already a builder in mind or want to go to an open tender. We prepare tender documents, issue them to builders and respond to queries during the tender period.
Tendering is the process that involves giving the drawings and specifications to different builders and asking them to provide a quote and time amongst other project specifics. This information enables the selection of the most suitable builder to construct the project for you.
4.2 Construction
This stage has several phases, pre-construction, construction and post-construction.
Pre-construction
This stage includes the preparation and collation of all the relevant documents that establish the scope, details, cost and timing for the construction of your project. It also includes the preparation and signing of the building contract.
Once the building contract is signed, the documents form the contract documents, and your project can begin construction.
Construction
As project managers and superintendents of the contract, we administer the contract.
In this stage we:
visit the site periodically to observe the general conformance of the construction works with the building contract documents
track and monitor the quality of the construction and date you can move in.
monitor and report on variations from the contract and progress claims
monitor and report on claims for extensions of time
assist the building contractor with queries through issuing advice notices
review and assess requests for progress payments and issue progress payment certificates
issue practical completion certificate
4.3 Post-construction
The project isn’t over once you move in. There is the period of time called Defects Liability Period (written into various contracts) where the builder is obligated to return and rectify any issues that arise.
In this stage we:
instruct the building contractor with regards to incomplete work and rectification of defects that may arise
assess and issue final certificate.