What are the stages of designing a house?

The brief and the site

Every house design starts with two things: what you need from the home and what the land will allow. The NSW Architects Registration Board describes the first step as briefing discussions that clarify your requirements, including the regulations and planning rules the house must meet. Feasibility, the planning controls and a likely program for the project are often discussed before design begins.

The site is read at the same time. The NSW Department of Planning's DA guide recommends a site analysis that maps the path of the sun and the buildings and trees on your land and next door. It adds the slope of the block and its drainage, which shape where and how you can build. A survey and the planning certificate usually come into the conversation here too.

What does concept design include?

Concept design is the stage where the house first takes shape on paper. It turns the brief into a layout and a form you can respond to, before any detailed drawing begins. The ARB calls it sketch design and says it explores possibilities, usually with some cost options. The Australian Institute of Architects ties it to understanding your needs and keeping the brief in line with your budget.

In practice a concept design for a house usually includes:

• a site plan showing where the house sits, its setbacks and its orientation
• floor plans that arrange the rooms and the way you move between them
• a section through the house that shows levels, ceiling heights and how it meets the ground
• a first test of the design against the budget and the planning controls

This is a good time to change direction while the house is still a set of sketches. The ARB advises owners to make changes early, because the later a change comes, the more likely it is to affect cost.

Design development

Design development firms the concept into a resolved house. The ARB describes it as producing detailed drawings, selecting materials and fittings and identifying the associated cost of the building work. The structural engineer and other consultants usually join here, so the structure, drainage and services are designed alongside the rooms they serve.

By the end of this stage the plan, the elevations and the main selections should be settled. That matters because the next stage puts the design in front of council or a certifier. Changes after approval take time and cost fees.

Approval and construction documentation

The approval stage depends on the site. A home that fits the State code may go through a CDC (complying development certificate), while most others need a DA (development application) lodged with council. The Institute lists town planning and the DA as a distinct stage of an architect's service.

On the DA path, construction documentation follows consent. The NSW Government's post consent guide explains that these plans and specifications usually carry far more detail than the approved DA plans, so the builder can work directly from them. Preparing them can take several months. A CDC works differently: the NSW Planning Portal asks for design plans, structural plans and building specifications with the application itself. On the traditional route the architect may then help you choose a builder and administer the building contract.

How the stages run at SHORE

At SHORE Design + Build the same stages run inside one studio, with one difference that matters to your budget. Our builders sit beside our architect, so the concept is priced as it takes shape and the design never drifts ahead of what the budget can hold. Our design and build process sets out each of our stages in full, from brief and site to construction documentation. To compare this with hiring an architect and builder separately, read design and build vs an architect and a builder or explore design and build in Sydney with us.