design guide for your new home or...
TRANSCRIPT
design guide for your new home or remodel/addition
How to create a design briefbefore engaging an architect
start hereHow to create a design briefbefore engaging an architect
Renovating a house can and should be really exciting. However, all too often we hear stories of clients who feel that their needs and desires are not being met, that there is miscommunication among client, architect and contractor regarding the scope of work. This can end up as both frustrating and as costly. Worse, some get their “ABC’s” out of order; Architect Before Contractor saves much grief and a client’s money.
I have decided to do something about it.
It all begins with the brief
If the brief is not clear, the architect could have different assumptions that get translated into plans that the contractor and subcontractors follow into compromised decisions and cost over-runs. It is much easier to hit a target when the target is clear. You can avoid the “Ready - FIRE! - Aim” syndrome. Really think about your brief and consider all its aspects.
Right then, lets get started...
the whysEmotional Conversation
“I want to put an extension on my house.”Why?My parents are getting older and will be moving in with us and my sister is in a wheelchair, so we need another large bedroom. Why?My dad needs his own space beyond just sleeping.Why?He likes listening to his own TV shows. Why do you need an extra large bedroom for that?He is hard of hearing and its always too loud for the rest of us and I work from home. Why?Because its loud - the speakers are too loud and we feel bad if we have to tell him to turn it down. Why?Easier to build a new larger bedroom addition for him.Would he then be isolated from you?Yes, but what else could we do? He likes to be outside, so we need a front patio, but that won’t work. Why?Well, he is also sensitive to sunlight. And we’re sensitive to the sound. Why not consider a covered porch depending on solar orientation? Would it be OK with you if there were other solutions?
The above conversation is one I recently had with a client of mine. Note how we slowly started out talking about the expansion and how the client started to elaborate more and more on what the brief should include.The important thing here is to look at the challenges, the needs and the “why” behind those. Your architect will help you with creative solutions. In the case above, solutions included wireless headphones for dad to hear the TV and be with others, a new
sunroom with closure to the house so that there could be two different temperatures - “some like it hot”. An accessible bathroom and a porch with a roof and a tasteful ramped entrance became part of the accepted solution. By the way - there was no need for an extra large bedroom.
Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings and then our buildings shape us”. Think that your home does not impact your lifestyle? Are you investing in “sticks and bricks” or in a thoughtful solution that enhances your life? One is a “cost”, the other an “investment”.
The WHYS exercise:Think about your “whys” for your remodel/addition project:List some of your needs and then ask yourself a few “why” follow-up questions. Answers to these will help clarify the challenges you present to your architect.
Need or Room(s) Wanted Why?
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the nuts and bolts
Right, we have dealt to the big elephantin the room. Now it is time to dwell on thenuts and bolts. The following is a series ofquestions which will further elaborate onyour emotional brief.
Who will live in your home now and in the future?
______________________________________________What different new activities will you need to accommodate?
______________________________________________Do you want your addition to match or contrast the existing?
______________________________________________How important are sustainable or “green” solutions?
______________________________________________Are there any health and safety issues for which you need to account?
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What would you really like to live in?
______________________________________________What is your preferred exterior style? (and always, why?)
______________________________________________What is your preferred interior style?
______________________________________________What level of finishes? (high end, middle, economical?)
______________________________________________Is the existing heating and air conditioning able to handle an addition? Is it energy efficient?
______________________________________________Electronic infrastructure desires? (cable, wireless, fibre optics, security, fire, house control via phone application, sound system)
______________________________________________Will you be living in the home during the remodel/addition? If so, are you prepared for phasing?
______________________________________________Have you established a budget? If so, what?
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Have you determined the type of project delivery? (traditional design/bid/build, negotiated bid, design/build) (your architect can help you with the pros and cons of each - there is not a “one size - fits all” approach)
______________________________________________
my “likes” folder
Several websites, among them Houzz and Pinterest, will allow you to capture images of spaces you like and put them in a folder that can be shared with your architect.
As you select images, again - ask a series of “why” questions. One might like several photos, one with stripes, one with plaids and one with checkerboard patterns. When asking a series of “why” questions, one also finds some common denominators - your architect can help you discover the real “why I like this” and be able to create the same “like it” or even “love it!” response.
Consider building your “like” folder. You may want to have sub-folders for different rooms or for interior and exterior images.
