Perfect design. How to get it right.
By Bellriver Homes|March 09, 2016
There is so much involved it getting the design of your new home right.
You need to consider:
Listed below are the main points that need to be considered.
Aspect.
This is a major consideration, particularly given the harsh Australian climate. Facing the home the right way to make best use of the sun and to protect the home from cold winds will not only achieve a home that is much more cost effective to heat and cool, but will give the house a ‘sunny and warm’ personality. A home that’s a pleasure to spend time in. So often this isn't taken full advantage of, and beautiful homes are built that are gloomy and dull. To a good architect, aspect is the first consideration.
Land Levels and falls.
There is nothing worse than a site that is simply cut out deeply to achieve a building pad. This is so often done, as it is the cheapest way of construction. This creates a home that sits low, has water and moisture issues, and produces a 'dull' feeling, one of being low and hemmed in. It often requires expensive retaining walls to counteract such deep cuts. These retaining walls are costly and rarely add any value to the finished home. In most situations, there is a better way. This could be by raising the floor level using deep edged beams, elevating the floor, or even stepping the house design to work with the land falls.
Your Lifestyle.
Nothing is more important than this in designing you perfect new home. You need to consider room sizes, room relationship, public and private spaces and any other specific requirements. You also have to consider how your lifestyle may change over the life of the home, and make sure that is catered for. For instance, if you had a baby now, it may be desirable to have a baby’s room adjacent to the main bedroom. When your child grows, you may want them separate with their own bath area. Also, you need to consider media and computer requirements, gym equipment, level areas for ageing visitors, etc. as these are current trends and features that will affect future values. All your requirements need to be balanced against what is resalable in the future. For example, the common requirement for resale is a 4 bed, 2 bath and double garage home. Say for instance you only require two bedrooms. You could have a main suite, one other bedroom that is large with a desk area etc., a gym and a study. This could become a unique 4 bedroom house as far as valuation is concerned. You require an architect who can listen to your needs and lifestyle requirements and blend that with all the other key features in design, and produce a house plan that is absolutely ‘you’.
Flow and 'Workability'
This is a huge part of getting the design 'right'. Room relationships are not always easy to perfect when you also need to consider aspect, views etc. But ‘flow’ is so often overlooked and is possibly the biggest item that needs to be perfected so that the home is workable and easy to live in. Things to consider include:
How have we done that?
We have just introduced a brand new ‘standard’ design range of over 120 designs. Most of these are the work of two of Sydney's most highly acclaimed new home designers. One specializes in 'Classic' design and has penned the private residences of many well-known celebrities. His flair and eye for detail is impeccable. These new designs inherently address perfect room relationships, aspect, energy efficiency, latest trends and facades. They are all available in mirror reverse. We see these as a great starting point for your new home … providing approximately 250 variations. Our other designer is a specialist in modern architecture. He counts Frank Lloyd Wright as having one of the strongest influences over his work. His designs can mostly be found in Sydney's Northern Beaches area and are distinguished by strong horizontal elements. You can see his influence over our range in the 'Sanctuary' collection.
Once you have found a design from the standard range that is close to what you like, our consultants can advise on how it would work on your land - and make any modifications that are required. Then, we can work through the modifications that you desire to personalize your home. If need be, we can have it assessed by either our in-house design and drafting team or get them looked at by the architect who designed the original plan…and critique it until it is the perfect solution for you, your land and your budget. This is a magnificent design solution for new home buyers, as a custom design from these architects would cost in excess of $15000. Our clients have access to their superior designs at no cost.
You need to consider:
- Aspect
- Views
- Your lifestyle
- Flow and 'workability'
- Resale value
- Land levels and falls
- Energy efficiency
- Current trends
- The ‘look and feel’ of the home
- Budget and cost
Listed below are the main points that need to be considered.
Aspect.
This is a major consideration, particularly given the harsh Australian climate. Facing the home the right way to make best use of the sun and to protect the home from cold winds will not only achieve a home that is much more cost effective to heat and cool, but will give the house a ‘sunny and warm’ personality. A home that’s a pleasure to spend time in. So often this isn't taken full advantage of, and beautiful homes are built that are gloomy and dull. To a good architect, aspect is the first consideration.
Land Levels and falls.
There is nothing worse than a site that is simply cut out deeply to achieve a building pad. This is so often done, as it is the cheapest way of construction. This creates a home that sits low, has water and moisture issues, and produces a 'dull' feeling, one of being low and hemmed in. It often requires expensive retaining walls to counteract such deep cuts. These retaining walls are costly and rarely add any value to the finished home. In most situations, there is a better way. This could be by raising the floor level using deep edged beams, elevating the floor, or even stepping the house design to work with the land falls.
Your Lifestyle.
Nothing is more important than this in designing you perfect new home. You need to consider room sizes, room relationship, public and private spaces and any other specific requirements. You also have to consider how your lifestyle may change over the life of the home, and make sure that is catered for. For instance, if you had a baby now, it may be desirable to have a baby’s room adjacent to the main bedroom. When your child grows, you may want them separate with their own bath area. Also, you need to consider media and computer requirements, gym equipment, level areas for ageing visitors, etc. as these are current trends and features that will affect future values. All your requirements need to be balanced against what is resalable in the future. For example, the common requirement for resale is a 4 bed, 2 bath and double garage home. Say for instance you only require two bedrooms. You could have a main suite, one other bedroom that is large with a desk area etc., a gym and a study. This could become a unique 4 bedroom house as far as valuation is concerned. You require an architect who can listen to your needs and lifestyle requirements and blend that with all the other key features in design, and produce a house plan that is absolutely ‘you’.
Flow and 'Workability'
This is a huge part of getting the design 'right'. Room relationships are not always easy to perfect when you also need to consider aspect, views etc. But ‘flow’ is so often overlooked and is possibly the biggest item that needs to be perfected so that the home is workable and easy to live in. Things to consider include:
- Kitchen relationship to casual and formal dining
- Kitchen and casual living areas relationship to the Al fresco
- Children’s area needs to be self-sufficient (own bathroom, activity’s, IT)
- Relationship of the laundry to the kitchen. Distance from Laundry to cloths drying area
- Access and distance from garage to kitchen
- Quietness of Media area
- Living areas not being walkways, but ‘walk past’ areas, so that the areas can be fully used and easily furnished
- IT areas. Some people prefer these in a public space; however they require a quiet atmosphere
How have we done that?
We have just introduced a brand new ‘standard’ design range of over 120 designs. Most of these are the work of two of Sydney's most highly acclaimed new home designers. One specializes in 'Classic' design and has penned the private residences of many well-known celebrities. His flair and eye for detail is impeccable. These new designs inherently address perfect room relationships, aspect, energy efficiency, latest trends and facades. They are all available in mirror reverse. We see these as a great starting point for your new home … providing approximately 250 variations. Our other designer is a specialist in modern architecture. He counts Frank Lloyd Wright as having one of the strongest influences over his work. His designs can mostly be found in Sydney's Northern Beaches area and are distinguished by strong horizontal elements. You can see his influence over our range in the 'Sanctuary' collection.
Once you have found a design from the standard range that is close to what you like, our consultants can advise on how it would work on your land - and make any modifications that are required. Then, we can work through the modifications that you desire to personalize your home. If need be, we can have it assessed by either our in-house design and drafting team or get them looked at by the architect who designed the original plan…and critique it until it is the perfect solution for you, your land and your budget. This is a magnificent design solution for new home buyers, as a custom design from these architects would cost in excess of $15000. Our clients have access to their superior designs at no cost.
