INITIAL CONSULTATION
Our initial consultation is free!
At our first meeting we will go over your project brief. Once we have an understanding of the scale and scope of your project we will then provide you with a written fee proposal which is broken down into stages.
We will also advise if any other consultants are necessary for your project and obtain fee proposals as we work through the project.
Some things for you to consider prior to our meeting are:
- Architectural styles and features you really like. This may take the form of photos, magazine cutouts or pinterest boards.
- Timeframes and budget
- How you like to live - spaces you need - what you like or don't like about where/how you're currently living
CONCEPT
Setup for the Concept Stage:
A survey may be required for either New Home projects and Addition/Alteration projects.
Addition/Alteration projects - we will order the existing council building file and carry out a site measure of the existing house.
For all projects - we will visit the site and investigate planning zone rules for the property.
Then we get Creative!
Out of this we will present a concept design which will be presented as floor plans and elevations. 3D sketches can also form part of the presentation depending on the scale of the project.
DEVELOPED DESIGN - Part 1
During this stage we develop the design to a stage that comprises detailed plans, elevations, cross sections, window and door schedules, and an outline specification of materials. Basically - have half of what is required for a building consent.
We do this for a few reasons:
We are able to verify what we need other consultants, such as structural engineers for example, to do. They can then provide fee proposals and start working alongside us.
Clients are able to make initial selections of items and work with kitchen designers and colour consultants.
We can have a builder estimate the build costs which leads to part 2 of the Developed Design.
If a Resource Consent is required for the project - these documents can also be used by a Planner for the Resource Consent application. When a Resource Consent is required we will obtain a fee proposal from a Planner to assist with this.
DEVELOPED DESIGN - Part 2
Part Two of Developed Design
Often its quite a hard ask to choose everything that goes into a project in one go. Sometimes the decisions are budget dependent, and until the project is priced a final decision cannot be made.
We need to be quite specific with what is submitted to council for building consent these days, changes during, or after building consent, can result in costly re-work and delays to the build process, as often a project cannot continue until the change has been signed off by council.
This stage allows for those final tweaks due to any decisions that have been made during pricing.
COMPLETED WORKING DRAWINGS & SPECIFICATIONS
We finalise the documentation - drawings and specifications required for building consent.
Often this includes cross referencing other consultants information and checking it all works together.
BUILDING CONSENT
The final stage is the building consent application. Typically this is done via the councils portal.
The council has 20 working days to provide a building consent.
We pride ourselves on producing thorough documentation. However, more information is often requested.
It's all part of the regulatory environment we're working within and part of the service to answer those requests.