6 Things I get clear with my Clients before starting their Concept

6 Things I get clear with my Clients before starting their Concept

I once had a potential client tell me, “Just draw it.” My response, was just “just draw what?”

A bit of a back story, the client thought the process was simple and that the drawing he was expecting to see would just magically happen without investing in all the steps of the Architectural Process.

So often Plans are seen as a product, something you pay for. The Plans are in fact the instructions. If you aren’t clear on what you are creating, the instruction might lead to something you were not expecting. “The Architect didn’t listen to the budget” or “it’s not what I was wanting.”

Before we start developing the instructions, we need to develop the vision. And before we can develop the vision, we need to establish the expectations and parameters.

Here are the 6 things that I get clear with my clients before I start to create their vision into a Concept Design.

1 BUDGET

I once had a potential client tell me, “Just draw it.” My response, was just “just draw what?”

A bit of a back story, the client thought the process was simple and that the drawing he was expecting to see would just magically happen without investing in all the steps of the Architectural Process.

So often Plans are seen as a product, something you pay for. The Plans are in fact the instructions. If you aren’t clear on what you are creating, the instruction might lead to something you were not expecting. “The Architect didn’t listen to the budget” or “it’s not what I was wanting.”

Before we start developing the instructions, we need to develop the vision. And before we can develop the vision, we need to establish the expectations and parameters.

Here are the 6 things that I get clear with my clients before I start to create their vision into a Concept Design.

2 PLANNING RULES

Each site has a set of planning rules that any work needs to comply with, unless planning permission has been granted outside these rules. This part is important to know early, as working within the rules can mean a faster and cheaper process. And knowing what rules your vision cannot comply with, makes allowance for sums and time for Planning Permission to be obtained. Often this conversation leads back to refining the aspirations to work within the parameters of Planning Law or creating allowances in the budget and timeframes to allow this happen within realistic expectations.

3 CONSULTANT, CERTIFICATION ADN CONSENT FEES

There will be other professionals apart from an Architectural Designer on your project. Making allowances for their scope, fees and costs is critical to establishing the budget and timeframes. The planning requirements, Homestar requirements and Passive House Requirements of your project impact on the various consultant and certification fees. Building Consent will need to be allowed for too and if necessary, Resource Consent. Establishing all these costs early on means that the aspirations of your project can be checked against what you have to spend.

4 ASPIRATIONS

A big list of “must haves”, “don’t wants” and “would be nice to have” is important. This is the keystone to establishing the vision. A home is far more than just a set of rooms. It’s a financial investment, an investment into your future, a lifestyle choice, the environment of every day and a place that supports your health. Why are you choosing to do this renovation or new build? What doesn’t work for you where you live currently? What do you believe you need to flourish in a new environment. What needs to be considered for your future? All these considerations shape the vision of what you are planning to create.

5 TIMEFRAMES

I get asked many times, how long to draw plans. The time for a project is entirely reliant on the steps in the process and the people required to do what your project needs to get it from concept to completion. This is dependent on the process and the aspirations. When we are clear on the aspirations, we can look at the process and find ways to streamline certification and consent process like Homestar, Resource and Building Consent and Passive House so that each work with each other, not independent of each other. The plus side is that this reduces re-design and delay costs if established early on.

Accurate Time frames are the result on getting the process clear and understanding what needs to happen.

6 DESIGN FEES

Of course you want to know how much to draw plans, but when I don’t have an idea of what I am drawing and what you are creating, its very hard to forecast what it would cost. Plans are actually a set of instructions linking a vision to the physical reality. The process of establishing a vision that works with the cost, certifications, process, people and time means that the work for those instructions comes from an informed place. Assumptions and exclusions are reduced. Clear expectations can be set for the service and process that are required to create your plans.

I have some clients do a Design Consultation and realize early on that what they were looking at doing is not within their capacity to create now. This step in my Architectural Design Process means that those clients haven’t invested a huge amount of money and time into something that wasn’t going to work for them. Its an opportunity for my client to rethink, re-evaluate or reassure themselves of that next step that is right for them.

The beauty of getting some clarity on these 6 things, is that decision to embark on a Concept Design and invest time and money into a vision comes from an informed place. Sign up for a Complimentary Chat to discuss how a Design Consultation is beneficial for your new build or renovation project.