STRUCTURED AND SUPPORTIVE
BUILDING DESIGN PROCESS
Drake Design are here to support and advise you throughout every stage of the building design process.
We want to make sure your project meets your expectations. Whether you’re designing a new commercial property, adding an extension or building, our expert team will help you every step of the way. Below is our guide to the building design process. From your initial consultation through to construction, this is the process we follow to help you achieve your vision.
STEP ONE - Initial Contact
If you’re planning on building a house in Melbourne, or need help with your next commercial building project, get in touch with us to get the ball rolling. You can reach us via phone or email, or you can fill out our easy-to-follow contact form.
STEP TWO - Let's Have A Chat
During your initial consultation, on site or in our office, our design staff will discuss your requirements in detail, offering their professional advice to assist you in the preparation of your design brief. To ensure the best outcome, someone from our team may come out to the building site to discuss your project with you in person. Our team will make sure to explain the process to you, so you have a complete understanding of what is to come.
STEP THREE - Fee Proposal
After your initial consultation, we will prepare a fee proposal for your consideration. Our fee proposals include information about your project, the services we will be providing and other services you’ll require to complete your project.
STEP FOUR - Project Begins
Once our fee proposal is accepted, our team will visit your building site to assess the environment to determine the most suitable design specifications for the location.
For renovation projects, preliminary measurements will be taken at this time so the building design process can proceed without delay.
STEP FIVE - Information Gathering
We need to gather all the details of your site. This includes everything from information from your local council to a copy of the property title. We need all this information so that we can properly identify everything that may impact the design of your project.
At this stage of the building design process, we will also engage a registered land surveyor to accurately identify your site boundaries and the location of anything within the property that might impact your project.
STEP SIX - Designing
This is the stage where we formalise your ideas. Based on the brief we put together with you, the discussions we have had on site and the information we have gathered, we can develop a concept design that meets all your requirements.
Once we have the preliminary design, we submit it to you for your comment and approval. At this stage, you can continue any dialogue with builders and other suppliers to ensure we have remained within your budget. Once you are confident with the design, we can proceed to the planning stage.
STEP SEVEN - Town Planning
It’s time to involve your local council and start the dialogue. If we involve council early and ensure all parties are on the same page, we can ensure a smooth transition to the planning process. Once we receive council’s feedback and have married your design needs to council’s expectations, we can submit our planning package.
STEP EIGHT - Working Drawings
Once the concept design has been finalised and town planning permission has been granted, we are ready to produce the final working drawings. These are the drawings from which your project will be constructed. These fully dimensioned plans and elevations specify every aspect of how the structure will be assembled. We then continue to liaise with our experienced and reliable team of consultants to ensure all bases are being covered for your project.
STEP NINE - Final Approval
Prior to construction commencing, a building permit must first be obtained from a private building surveyor. Drake Design produces all the necessary documentation so this process can progress as fast as possible.
Documentation submitted to the building surveyor includes the full set of working drawings, your energy rating report and structural engineering reports and certification, as well as any other consultants documentation that may be required.
At Drake Design, we only work with consultants we trust to ensure the process of issuing building permits is hassle-free.
STEP TEN - Build
With all final approvals obtained, we can continue with the final stage of the building design process: the build!
At Drake Design, we don’t consider our job completed until you move in. Our staff work hand in hand with your builder to ensure that construction proceeds without delay. We are on hand to answer any questions that may arise and to make any design adjustments that may be needed.