OWNER BUILDERS AND BUILDING DESIGNERS WORKING TOGETHER

WHY USE A BUILDING DESIGNER FOR MY DEVELOPMENT PLANS - QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

What are The Costs and My Responsibilities in Having a Custom Designed Home?

Horizon Design offers you a FREE consultation, in their office, to discuss with you all the ideas you have and type of design you require. Local authority requirements, site covenants, site features and your budget will all be discussed at this meeting. All fees that would be applicable to your development will be discussed. You will also be made aware of your responsibilities, prior to any formal commitment. When you have informed the designer to all your requirements, the designer will be able to give you an approximate cost to construct and finish your development. This will help with your budgeting.

When I Commit to The Designer, What will I Receive For My Money?    

The fees you pay when you commit to have your design done will include the briefing, design work, sketch plans and elevations. It may also include some of the following services;

                        1. Feature survey by a licensed surveyor.

                        2. Planning application drawings.

                        3. Working drawings and specifications.

                        4. Structural engineers design and documentation.

                        5. Energy efficiency assessment.

Horizon Design and our associated Building Broker, will obtain several written quotes from reputable registered builders to construct your development.

Will I Own The Copyright for the Drawings?

When the design is finalised and the working drawings have been completed to your satisfaction, you will be the sole owner of all the plans and specifications for a one off house on your site. You will be able to take your plans and have them priced by any builder you wish. However Horizon Design, through their associated Building Broker will obtain up to three written quotes for you to compare with any quote you may obtain. This will help you receive a competitive quote to build and complete your development within your budget.

Owner Builders and Timber Framed Houses helping the Environment

Timber Framed Construction helping Reduce Our Carbon Footprint

Most timber frames are made from plantation timber, an endlessly renewable resource. In 2004, Australia’s production forests and tree plantations are estimated to have absorbed around 44 million tonnes of CO² from the atmosphere. This is the equivalent to taking nearly 9 million cars off the road in one year. When considering the embodied energy of building products, across their entire life cycle, framed construction comes out on top. Both steel and timber structures can also be recycled, further extending the life of the material and helping to sustain the environment for our future. Coupled with rainwater tanks, grey water recycling and solar power systems, framed construction delivers a total environmentally friendly home.

If you want an energy efficient home that saves you money, saves the environment, is comfortable to live in and fits your modern lifestyle then you can’t go past timber framed construction.

Timber and Steel Framed Homes strength for Owner Builders.

Steel and Treated Timber are termite proof so white ant and other insects can’t attack the structure of your home. Frame is also strong and can stand up to Australia’s extreme weather, in fact it’s considered to be the best product to withstand an earthquake. In northern Australia most of the homes built in cyclone area are framed homes due to better energy efficiency rating and internal comfort of living in the home.

Owner Builders and Framed Housing Part 2

The lightweight, flexible nature of framed construction allows for innovative spaces inside and enhanced street appeal for your home. Living in a brick box just like the one next door is no longer acceptable for most Australians. With an array of finishes to choose from such as flush rendering, metal, weatherboard or stone cladding, your house can be tailored to suit your individual taste and the unique environment you live in. Without the restrictions of dull brickwork, your house can be become a true reflection of you, with colours and spaces designed to fit you.

All components within a framed home are factory-engineered under strict quality control measures, giving you a straighter, better finished home ideal for the Owner Builder.

Equivalent or better acoustics can be achieved with the use of special sound insulation to internal walls with the additional bonus of allowing you to thermally insulate each room individually. After all there is no point warming up the laundry in winter when you are not using it.

Toxic Truth about BPA in Plastic Baby Bottles bad for our childrens health, So what else is in our homes.

Check this out this story from 60 Minutes The Toxic Trurth, its about BPA plastics that are still used for baby products. Click for story link here. I know of this company Naturesafe Distributors who sell BPA FREE glass bottles and stainless drink bottles, check out their web site for more info. I will find out some info on the plastics that are used in our homes soon.

7 Key Points of the BE ON TOP Strategies for Owner Builders

To succeed Owner Builders need to implement and adhere to the BE ON TOP strategies. These are the 7 key points in your thought process for the design and construction of your dream home. Please read about us for more information.

Framed Housing for Owner Builders - Built for Today and the Environment

Global warming and energy efficiency seem to be on everybody’s minds lately but many people wonder with such a big problem, what can I do?
While photovoltaic power systems, rainwater tanks and grey water recycling are fantastic investments, but the most influential decisions you make will be with the design of the building and the materials you use.

Eco Friendly framed construction has emerged as a leader in the quest for economical, energy efficient homes. Long considered the poorer cousin to double brick construction, modern science and more critical investigations into construction types have vindicated framed construction.

Many comparative studies between double brick and framed homes, both overseas and throughout Australia, have proven that there is little difference between temperatures inside a house whatever the temperature outside. Importantly, framed homes are generally cooler on summer nights when you are trying to get to sleep.

It’s not only in energy efficiency that framed construction can have an advantage over the old way of building. With the trend towards smaller lots and bigger houses, space is at a premium. Due to framed walls not having a cavity and an extra wall like double brick does, you can gain over 300mm of extra internal width in you house without making the building bigger.

More to come....