Best design and layout for extensive renovations
Deonne Lyness
4 years ago
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Kate
4 years agoKate
4 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (40)Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating volume build in ANY way....there's actually little positive I can say about it except they are a more affordable option, and for some people that's the priority.....,whether or not it's in fact good value for money is a whole other discussion ;).......people have to work out where they sit within the quality to quantity spectrum for a particular project..................It's certainly a challenge here for you in that how can you accurately assess and distill/filter the "advice" offered by various parties?.......Seriously, unless a builder actually absorbs your design brief and comes back with a considered solution, any suggestion/comment such as " you could raise the ceiling" or "put in a window" or "use trusses" of whatever is neither here nor there, and are just floating ideas to consider in the mix...........but isolated "suggestions", whilst may be ideas to consider, don't effectively dealing with the overall solution/big picture to your challenge..................there are different areas of expertise in this game.....builders are builders, (and they seem to have a knack of getting called in and influencing too early in the process) they build stuff and certainly they have an idea about this and that from experience, and they can provide sound quotation/opinion on how much it will cost to do something... BUT really only properly/accurately once there is hard documentation in place (read: documented&specified, not basic concept/design sketches/verbal ideas) .......I have great respect for builders (it's a seriously hard rugged gig) and I know some fantastic ones, but builders are (in general) not "designers" unless they have come form a design background......and the conversations if held too early can be (unintentionally blurred, confusing and actually detrimental to the client and what they really need to be focusing on...........design advice from a builder can be offered with good intentions, however I have found it generally comes from more a singular benefit angle (usually motivated by business/profit) whereas (good/seasoned design) advice from a design professional comes from more complex, balanced and creative position and process in which various aspects are simultaneously managed/considered to achieve results for a client on multiple levels, ie, cost, function, aesthetic, experience etc.............the different and various professional skills all have their place, but need to be utilised in the right order relevant to the process......................yep I wish you all the luck.....these are always big investments, and big decisions, both emotionally and financially :)...See MoreArt deco home renovation/extension suggestions needed!
Comments (41)Hi Sarah, hope you enjoyed your travels last night, that's something we have spent our lives doing plus living in different countries. Do look into the attic room/s they are lovely and the Velux skylights very unobtrusive, look great and if positioned correctly take care of venting any hot air, as I mentioned ours were pivoting ones and could be locked open in several positions. I much prefer these to dormer windows, you don't really notice them. The stairs were built off site and lifted into position and installed, built in. At the time we did ours a very good friend a builder did the same but just completely opened the whole ceiling space right out towards the gutters into a large bedroom play study area for his daughters, also using Velux windows. Glass ceilings, like Velux windows have been around for years, believe me I know, we're both getting older. Velux windows can be used as glass ceilings in opening and non opening configurations. I would love to see you keep the outdoor loo as well and updating the old shed into a new connecting space to the house, perhaps a glass breezeway. I will have another look at your plan again over the weekend. I love your front iron gate as well, auto sliding driveway gates work really well and would really fit with your carport. My brother in law put in a tall timber sliding gate at his last home, lovely cheers...See MoreHelp with Merchant Builder extension & renovation.
Comments (14)Seems like advice has been well covered here, but to add my 2 cents.........it ultimately depends on what you are seeking and expecting from a professional. Off the bat engaging a professional is not something you should "accept" to have to do, rather it should be something that you are actively seeking........I work with people in a range of contexts but to be clear there is a difference between people who are expecting to "buy" a particular end result with some knowledge of what that will be, and others who engage in a professional design process and embark on/trust in the "journey" so to speak that works towards an customised/crafted end result. It's horses for courses and one way or the other is not necessarily suited for everyone. For example, my particular way of operating is probably similar to Dr Retro in that I approach projects with flexibility and respect for the client's needs and specific context. The creativity comes in to play in negotiating these unique aspects and therefore results vary widely from project to project. Alternatively you can find designers/architects who essentially are a "brand" delivering similar end "products" in that you'll be able to get a clear idea beforehand as to likely what end result you will get with them at the helm. Similarly to Dr Retro, I provide a particular stage of frontend/contained service that I call a "Feasibility" exercise in that various options and scenarios are considered specific to client's particular needs/goals within the properly analysed context and some proper/hard costings are applied. This provides the client with legitimate and viable options in broad format and critical information to ascertain what the best balance/option will be for them. For example, we can consider scenarios of alterations/additions in various configurations as well as comparison to new rebuild scenarios - there is never a single right or wrong "way" as to how to achieve certain requirements, however I do find ultimately that the Cost is the ultimate controller and without proper and professional understanding on what particular design moves/options one way or the other will cost you really are literally walking around in the dark in regards to making critical decisions moving forward for your project. You are (not surprisingly) stuck here, I deal with this situation all the time I know exactly where you are at.....all I can say is that there are professionals available who can help you achieve the best outcome, and you need to consider/understand and be comfortable that this is part of the process and is a necessary and critical investment front end to ensure the eventual physical build has been properly considered........ultimately my advice is to research and seek a suitable professional you can trust and work with :) PD...See MoreExtension and renovation plans advice
Comments (8)OK, a few issue here. General comment : It could be heaps better - there's nothing much exciting here. What do you see when you walk in the front door? The back of the garage door beyond the window. There is a disconnect of flow from the kitchen and the living/dining zone. To start with The plan is missing furniture (big designer fail). You'll see once that is put in whether it's working appropriately for what you want or not. I'd guess if you got a lounge onto the plan immediately you'd see that you'd be squeezed walking into the end of it trying to access the dining table and depending on the dining table proportion's likely that area is squeezed. The relationship between the dining and kitchen area could be improved. I'd suggest there is an alternative that avoids such an exaggerated doglegged end to the space that renders some precious unusable outdoor space and is a clunky resolution. You'd be better off building hard up to the end and enlarging the main outdoor areas so it's a single space, or potentially getting some external storage into it. The living/kitchen dining could be a lot cleaner and more spacious feeling. Would be good to understand where north is. On something like this you're better to exploit the site length rather than try and compromise the width. If north is up the page my instinct would be to flip the whole thing entirely having the kitchen running along the south. Also for a house this smallish scale arguably it would be more efficient to combine pantry and laundry for a more spacious outcome. Also I'd suggest that the outdoor kitchen is oversized and out of proportion for the site. It's always about balancing and prioritising elements, and in tight sites you have to work harder and make robust decisions about where you give & take. You can't afford to waste a square inch here, and if you want it to be awesome the design needs to be super efficient and to achieve a reasonable amenity that doesn't feel squeezed in the main spaces. It takes experience and skill to get this stuff right. Sorry if am seeming overly critical, but when engaged in resolving spaces for people I consider it a responsibility as a professional to ensure a client gets the absolute most out of the opportunity. There is so much underwhelming "vanilla" design work that people pay good money for, thinking that it's "good" when they are no idea how much better it can be. It doesn't have to necessarily be more expensive, but it does have to be throughly considered and properly managed, and opportunities identified and harnessed. Typically this involves considering a number of various broad options and then fine-tuning towards an outcome that is properly aligned to budget and project brief. Budget of course is the biggest factor to get a proper handle of, think here at least $500K+. If that's pushing it, then you'll have some hard decisions to make and need to be consolidating the extent of the expensive fit-out areas in conjunction with a more efficient design that achieves something in a smaller extension......if that's so then possibly one of the front rooms may have to be repurposed for bathroom.......again this comes back to starting the process by considering various options in broad form together with properly applied costings to each option so you can be making informed decisions on what's possible, rather than nitpicking detail on options that are likely beyond budget. Hope this provides some food for thought from a professional perspective Good luck with it PD :) www.pauldistefanodesign.com...See MoreDeonne Lyness
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