confused with plans and what i need to know

rosnacanee

Hi all,

I'm just after getting a site and am planning to build a 5 bedroomed dormer and a half. Im getting plans from the architect at the end of the week. What do i need to be thinking of?

Doors, insulation, heating systems, windows?????

or is the basic shape of the house enough for now

Thanks

sydthebeat

The first objective is to get planning permission. Part of this i sto get your architect to design a dwelling thats both acceptable to the planning autnority and also fulfills your wishes as to what type of dwelling you wish to live in. You need to prepare a brief to give to your architect, this is basically a wishlist of what rooms and features you want.

you can start to think about the construction method and details as youve mentioned above after youve been granted planning permission. You will find your arcitect will base his fee around this system.....

sketch design----planning ---- tender ---- construction----supervision

RKQ

Look at your site and ensure the living areas face South - West.
Consider solar panels.
Consider large triple glazed windows & patio doors on South elevation, for passive solar gain.
Position bedrooms to north or east if you like to get up at dawn!

The site is the key to your design.
Ensure the house is designed for the site!

• Sun
• Views
• Levels (slope)

Don't just "stick" any ould yoke on it!

Create a good brief with photos, sketches, cuttings from magazines etc.

All your ideas are valid at this stage, so don't be afraid or embarrased,
as theres no such thing as a silly idea!

Slig

RKQ wrote: »

Look at your site and ensure the living areas face South - West.
Consider solar panels.
Consider large triple glazed windows & patio doors on South elevation, for passive solar gain.
Position bedrooms to north or east if you like to get up at dawn!

The site is the key to your design.
Ensure the house is designed for the site!

• Sun
• Views
• Levels (slope)

Don't just "stick" any ould yoke on it!

Create a good brief with photos, sketches, cuttings from magazines etc.

All your ideas are valid at this stage, so don't be afraid or embarrased,
as theres no such thing as a silly idea!

Not so sure about that, fireplaces in every room including bathrooms and hallway?:D
but seriously, dont be afraid to design the house for yourself, add personal features or designs to the house. A good architect will be able to design you a house you want while still complying with the building regulations.
If you are concerned with energy efficency then make that clear from the start as there are design issues that will affect your energy rating. orientation, glazing, sheltering and living area percentage to name a few.
A lot of people are more concerned with the elevations than the plans, ideally the 2 should work together but from your point of view the plans are the most important. Definately contribute to the design of the elevations but allow your architect to dictate the style of windows, roof pitches, projections etc. If the elevations dont comply with the LA design guide lines (which your architect should know) you could get a refusal or at best an FI requesting a change of design which costs time and money.

sydthebeat

Slig wrote: »

Not so sure about that, fireplaces in every room including bathrooms and hallway?:D
but seriously, dont be afraid to design the house for yourself, add personal features or designs to the house. A good architect will be able to design you a house you want while still complying with the building regulations.
If you are concerned with energy efficency then make that clear from the start as there are design issues that will affect your energy rating. orientation, glazing, sheltering and living area percentage to name a few.
A lot of people are more concerned with the elevations than the plans, ideally the 2 should work together but from your point of view the plans are the most important. Definately contribute to the design of the elevations but allow your architect to dictate the style of windows, roof pitches, projections etc. If the elevations dont comply with the LA design guide lines (which your architect should know) you could get a refusal or at best an FI requesting a change of design which costs time and money.

i know we're only giving opinions here, but as a designer i hate to see client come in with a pre-designed house by themselves. What i find is that theyve spent so much time designing it themselves they are then very rigid and unwilling to change, which is a bad thing. Otherwise it shows a lack of faith in their designer. I wouldnt walk into an artists studio with my own picture and ask them to frame it and pass it off as one of their own....
give your architect your detailed brief and allow him/her to comeup with the design themselves.

Slig

sydthebeat wrote: »

i know we're only giving opinions here, but as a designer i hate to see client come in with a pre-designed house by themselves. What i find is that theyve spent so much time designing it themselves they are then very rigid and unwilling to change, which is a bad thing. Otherwise it shows a lack of faith in their designer. I wouldnt walk into an artists studio with my own picture and ask them to frame it and pass it off as one of their own....
give your architect your detailed brief and allow him/her to comeup with the design themselves.

You could probably tell from my previous posts that I completely agree with you. An Architect is trained, and experienced in design, its their profession and at the end of the day Architectur is art. Unfortunately in the last few years I have seen architects style of design take a back seat to the clients in favour of fees and getting the job out. What I meant by my comment was give them a style that that you like in the form of a brief or picture etc. Tell them the style you like but not how to do it.

Have an open mind with regards the design. The nicest design I saw was from a client that came into the office with a picture of sprawling single storey red brick bungalow, faux georgian windows et all! They left with a modern house, with expances of glass where it counted, stone and timber clad areas and form. Their brief was a statement house, the house they got was much more impressive than brick one they wanted, was better planned, more energy efficent and cheaper.

RKQ

Cavity fill insulation - read this first http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/...23/pjeff23.xml

A we are getting wetter & winder weather, it worth considering all options.

Fact :-External insulation is more expensive to install. Considering extra depth of window reveals which leads to bigger dpc at heads etc. Lot of design & supervision required for very little gain!

Good design starts with a good brief, full of ideas, pics, cuttings etc. The house should be designed for the site and your personal requirements / needs.
Start inside on the plan and work out. Elevations shouldn't dictate plan!

Sometimes it nice to know what a Client hates in order to provide a design that they will like. You may not know what you want but you will know what you do not want!

manufan16

Hi rosnacanee
Im glad you asked that question, Im in the same boat, Im expecting plans from my architect on Monday! At least now I have a bit more of a guideline :-)

save energy

Rosnacanee and Manufan,

You both mention you have an Architect on board, why then would you seek advise on a bulliten board. Rememember an Architect has to be chartered with the RIAI or RIBA to be called an architect alternatively with CIAT or RIAI tech to be called an Architectural technologist otherwise what you have is a draftsman. Can you clarify if you have in fact engaged the services of an Architect?

RKQ

Can you clarify if you have in fact engaged the services of an Architect?

I don't understand the question or how its relevant.
People seek impartial, free, advice all the time. Its great to be able to get it and it should not be a negative experience.

What is the relevence of your question?
I feel some Architects and Technicials can be quite full of themselves. Maybe people are intimidated by them and might seek advise on this page to avoid embarassment at their meeting!
Maybe people want to prepare for the meeting so they don't look silly.

I do feel there is a lot of unnecessary snobbery in this area.
I know of no legal requirement to be called an Architectural Technologist.
Theres nothing wrong with a Draftsman, honourable profession.

Maybe they have retained the services of a Designer! Nothing wrong with that either....

save energy

A designer is very different to an Architect, some might compare it to a healer being very different to a Doctor, both may give you a satisfactory service, but one is a legally recognized position and regulated with a code of conduct. This is important of any problems arise and you need to go through a legal procedure. The term Architect cannot be used generically by people in the construction industry fulfilling an Architectural role according to the registration of title in the Building control bill.

A lot of houses built recently in the countryside have inappropriate design, this is the fault of the Architectural Profession as they have not inspired the confidence of the public. Most of the wealthiest people in this country choose neo georgian or neo victorian rather than Architecture. Their should be room in the profession for a sub grade of Architectural designers to handle the likes of non architect designed one off houses.

muffler

save energy wrote: »

Rosnacanee and Manufan,

You both mention you have an Architect on board, why then would you seek advise on a bulliten board. Rememember an Architect has to be chartered with the RIAI or RIBA to be called an architect alternatively with CIAT or RIAI tech to be called an Architectural technologist otherwise what you have is a draftsman. Can you clarify if you have in fact engaged the services of an Architect?

Save it for another forum.

Thats not the way things are run around here so please be more careful with your posts.

muffler

Stay on topic here please.

The OP asked for advice not a debate about matters that have nothing to do with this thread.

RKQ

Don't see how its relevant to this tread, it has nothing to do with the original question.
Some of the best Designers in the world were trained as Architects! Part 1 is Design based not technical.
A good Designer can design anything - cars, houses, boats, fashion, furniture etc. One trains to be a Designer before one can become an Architect.

If you were king would you have technicians and sub grade of Architectural designers put to death?
Isn't the term "sub grade of Architectural designers" abit snobby?

RKQ

Sorry Muffler... that last post is 45 minutes old!
Got called away before I could post it.

Mellor

save energy wrote: »

You both mention you have an Architect on board, why then would you seek advise on a bulliten board. Rememember an Architect has to be chartered with the RIAI or RIBA to be called an architect alternatively with CIAT or RIAI tech to be called an Architectural technologist otherwise what you have is a draftsman. Can you clarify if you have in fact engaged the services of an Architect?

Firstly you are new, so welcome.
Secondly, I'd suggest a less agressive posting style. There are plenty of people here who are aware of the ins and outs of the various terms.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the above is wrong, infact way off the mark.
You do not have to be chartered with CIAT or RIAI to be an AT or to call your self one.
Regarding architects, the RIAI is not chartered. There are no charter members. And, the RIAI adminsters the BCA and protection of the title, but you may not have to be registered to use the title. (i'm not certain on this, but I can think of examples)

RKQ wrote: »

Some of the best Designers in the world were trained as Architects! Part 1 is Design based not technical.
A good Designer can design anything - cars, houses, boats, fashion, furniture etc. One trains to be a Designer before one can become an Architect.

If you were king would you have technicians and sub grade of Architectural designers put to death?
Isn't the term "sub grade of Architectural designers" abit snobby?

Agreed on designers, One of the best architects in the world, in my opinion, n't a trained architect.
But I don't think he would want put the sub grades to death as I think that may include himself. Infact, i'd be pretty sure of it.

Mellor

muffler wrote: »

Stay on topic here please.

The OP asked for advice not a debate about matters that have nothing to do with this thread.

Anyway, as Muffler said, on Topic please.
We have done the quailification route before and this isn't the thread for it.

save energy

Apologies,

Just role playing here, I'm not expressing my own opinion, just an argument that has to addressed . All in the spirit of constructive dialogue of course. Yes, the best designers come from outside the box. Tado Ando and Frank Llyod wroght for instance.

Slig

............and back on topic:D
If you are unsure of anything on the plans, try and compare the dimensions and room sizes to the ones in the house you are living in. If you feel more comfortable with imperial measurements all drawing programs give the option of dual measurements.
Any good architect will be automatically design the house to the correct orientation. What they may need from you are LRmaps etc. and a clear consise brief of what you like in a scrap book for example.
From the point of view of a designer it can be very intimidating going into a meeting with a client with provisional sketches of the elevations when you dont know if they will like them or not. Use your brief as a wish list but include rough area and budget. obviously some things from the brief may not fit into the concept but prioritise. Dont be afraid to change things now because it is a lot easier to move lines than blockwork walls.

save energy

The danger in going to 'the Architect' with some ideas, is that he may entertain all of them. Remember the Simpsons episode, where homer had some great ideas for the design of a car, and the car designers incorporated all of them. The outcome of many successful designs is one where the client says 'I didn't think I'd like that'. The designer must take the client on a journey and convince them of the merits of such things as adaptable space, daylighting, views, and tailor the building around the unique dynamics of the client. One example of this I worked on recently was a house that could be transformed to open onto a terrrace, with all partitions in the living area opened up and the kitchen turned into a bar for entertaining at home. During the week the open plan space is closed off to form some nice poky study areas, a den and a screened off dining area so the family can retreat to its own spaces. The client started off with specific requirements to recreate a 'Cotswolds style farm house' from a magazine, but ended up with a tailored house, in a modern style with respect to the vernacular form of the area. They laugh now when they think what they could have ended up in. Beware Nice Elevations and run from Symmetry.

rosnacanee

Thanks a million wasn't on for a few days and am delighted with the responses.

I have given the ARCHITECT!!! the brief which is basic enough and he seems very interested and is presenting good ideas all the time.

I think i'm going to go with bog oak colour windows to keep with the rural look. I was talking tp a guy from a window company who said that the triple glazed windows are almost 50% dearer thatn double glazed and there are some disadvantages to it.

They can only open inwards which could make it awkrd for blinds etc.

I havent got a clue about insulation and what type of heating to use.

Would double glazuing with low e value be enough or should i take the extra step and go triple glazing.

Also got a recommendationthat natural slate is the way to go?????

Thanks for all the help - wanna get it right at this stage to save confusion later on.

RKQ

I'd recommend triple glazing, but shop around. It will soon be standard.
Double glazing with low e just doesn't compare for heat retention or sound proofing.

Opening in is not a problem... ideal for cleaning!
Blinds can be fitted to each panel, i.e a 1250mm wide window could have 2 no. 600mm wide standard blinds.

Natural slate is fine but expensive. Its at least twice the price of man-made, takes longer to lay so it costs more to lay. It is heavier than man made, so rafter depths increase, adding cost. (But better for insulation thickness!)

Natural slates come in lots of sizes but smaller slates require more battens, so extra cost!

Natural slate is traditional, which may compliment your design.

Design is subjective, so we must have bad design in order to appreciate good design. Love Tado Ando and Frank Llyod Wright! Barcelona blew me away and sometimes I see something that excites me. So many great designers so little time to visit, study or just admire!:D