# Forum Home Renovation Pergolas, Gazebos, Strombellas & Rotundas  DIY House Plans

## paullmichelle

Hi, I'm planning to build our house later in the year. I've designed our house plan on Chief Architect. What I wanted to know is am I able to draw my own plans?
I'm doing most of the work myself.
Thank's

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## masoth

You need the advice of the Building Surveyor used by your local council.  That could be a employee or a contracted person/company.  The plans will have to meet a minimum standard, and iinspections will have to carried out at certain stages.
Building for yourself is OK, but satisfying the Surveyor could be a headache. I'm assuming you land is zoned residential, or at least, permits you to build a house on it.
Anyway, the best is to approach your council and let the "experts" confuse you.  They are the bureaucrats who must be satisfied.   :Smilie:   Good luck, soth

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## journeyman Mick

I'm not familiar with the program, but does it work out the structural requirements as well? There's a lot more to drawing up plans than just the layout and elevations etc. Unless you know a fair bit about building and designing I would thoroughly recommend that you do not design your own house. I've worked on more than a few owner buider designed houses and most of them have very poor layouts and odd unusable corners. 
Mick

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## bitingmidge

> What I wanted to know is am I able to draw my own plans?

  Isn't that a bit like asking a stranger "can I cook?" 
I'm sorry to be so blunt, but if you have to ask that question the answer is a resounding "NO". 
Mick has it spot on.   Not that all are complete failures, just as not all professionally designed houses are complete successes. 
It's interesting though how the blame mentality develops, and how often I've seen houses drawn by inexperienced persons, who are very quick to get angry about the shortcomings, summarising with the sentence with "Why didn't the Builder pick that up?". 
Remember, it's not the builders job to re-plan your  house! 
Cheers, 
P

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## paullmichelle

Understand what your saying Midge, but if your building it yourself you only have yourself to blame.
I would also have someone in the building industry check it over.
Could I have some opinions on plan, (hopefully constructive).
I know the bathrooms and laundry are a bit on the larger size, but that's what the boss wanted, and I can't argue with that.  :Frown:    http://www.zshare.net/image/house-plan-jpg.html

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## bitingmidge

My first comment (and I won't tear it to shreds for the sake of it) is that there's no north point on the drawing, which, along with the plan itself indicates that you haven't given any consideration to the aspect from a climatic viewpoint. 
You will be amazed at how much proper design will save you in heating/cooling costs, and how much more pleasant your life will be in the house. 
There are too many conflicting issues at the moment for the house to work with the climate. 
For instance, either the bedrooms/ living rooms are on the north side or the kitchen/dining. 
If the bedrooms are, then one of them is located on the western wall and won't be that pleasant of an afternoon, and the kitchen/breakfast area will be in the south and the coldest darkest hole you could imagine in such a small house. 
I suggest you go and buy a book or two about designing with climate, and try to get an understanding of how rooms can be planned to inter-relate. 
The important things about designing houses are not whether the laundry is too big, it's whether the house is going to:
a) work efficiently with the climate it's located in
b) plan-wise work as a "machine for living in" to suit the lifestyle of its occupants
c) take advantage of the aspect, and that means planning to take advantage of views (or to avoid unsatisfactory ones) while taking note of "a)"
d) see "a)" 
By the way, I don't see an obvious way of getting groceries into the kitchen except via a sliding door?  You may want to reconsider all those sliding doors if security is an issue for you. 
I don't want to be too harsh here, anyone can "design" a house, but very few can get it right, and that goes for most of the project builders as well.  There has to be a reason that it takes six years to get a degree in architecture (apart from the fact that you have to be stupid to do it I mean). 
I'd like to hear your response though! 
cheers, 
P :Cool:

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## dazzler

> Understand what your saying Midge, but if your building it yourself you only have yourself to blame.
> I would also have someone in the building industry check it over.
> Could I have some opinions on plan, (hopefully constructive).
> I know the bathrooms and laundry are a bit on the larger size, but that's what the boss wanted, and I can't argue with that.    http://www.zshare.net/image/house-plan-jpg.html

  Hi Paullmichelle 
My experience is do the sketch out of the place yourself so that you get the floorplan that YOU want. 
Then get an architect or draftperson to draw the finals.  I just got my plans back after going down this track and was amazed at just how much more there was to it.  
Best of luck.

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## ausdesign

Greetings paullmichelle, there is no reason why you cannot prepare your own drawings, but there are many items that must be included to enable a building surveyor to endorse them.
You will need a floor plan showing all dimensions, smoke alarm positions etc. 4 elevations also showing the roof pitch, floor levels, ceiling levels, material types. Site plan showing all dimensions, easements, setbacks, overlooking onto neighbouring properties. Foundation details such as the slab layout or stump layout.
All the timber sizes such as studs & their spacings, lintels over windows & openings, stud sizes beside openings, stud sizes carrying concentration of loads, joist sizes showing spacings and both simple & continuous spans, subfloor bracing detail if on stumps, bracing layout for the required wind load, roof members or a truss layout
Notes on the plans should make reference to AS1648 (timber framing code), AS3660 (termite protection), Glass installation to AS1288 & much much more - down to in your case providing lift off hinges to the WC.
There is a lot more - another that comes to mind is the storm water details.
Basically, the floorplan you have drawn would be fine for a building designer to work from to produce the working drawings required but unless you have specialised knowledge you'll be pushing the proverbial uphill to get them passed .
At the end of the day, I'd be settling on providing an excellent presentation of your requirements to a professional & let them document the drawings correctly.

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## Wild Dingo

Giddday there Paul an Michelle... welcome to the forums by the way  :Cool:   
First that program Cheif Architect is a good one... the best I believe... propa architects probably no doubt do theirs in something else hence why no one else seems to know of it...  
Cheif Architect does floorplans as shown landscapes block locations etc actually it does everything that Ausdesign states will be required... ie: you can do a layover sheet that will show power runs pp outlets water runs septic runs etc etc it also does wall thicknesses ie brick timber etc along with ground topigraphical shapes ie: slopes trees creeks etc along with notations and added building information... in fact the end result is very professional. 
The drawing shown does actually show the roof line... however Id be game enough to say that that sketch isnt the only one they have done fellas its the one they thought would show theyve done a fair bit of work... you know a starting point from which to have some backing for what theyre asking 
However... Paul and Michelle you have to present them to the shire... ALL of them!... and that my friends will possibly be your downfall depending on your shire... some dont mind a home builder... do you have your home builder registration yet? insurance for the workers who will come on site? you WILL need them! at least the insurance will be a pre-requisite and the builder registration will depend on your state requirements 
Ive got the Chief Architect program... its a beauty... and if you register it you get constant updates which cover issues found with differing shire requirements... as yet SHE hasnt finished working on the plans SHE is drawing up... mind you we are lucky in that we have an architect in the family that she can take them to for final checking (he doesnt want to know till theyre done  :Rolleyes:  ) and SHE has been at them for over a year now and still not done... SHE wants me to build a house!!! FRIGGIN AMAZING WOMAN!!! :eek:  
The N aspect issue is easily resolved. 
Do a bit of checking if you havent already mates check with the shire have a yarn to the building people see what take they have on it often they can advise at least if the shire will approve a home designer builder... some just flatly refuse to allow it others have no probs at all 
All the best with it Paul and Michelle

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## paullmichelle

Thanks all for your replys. Taking it all in. Peter, do you have an idea of cost to have our plan drawn up? As you can see it is aprox. 200m2, straight forward 4 hip roof. We will also look at building a 1.8mt verandah around 3 sides with a pergola added later, on the rear. C-Bond roof and 2.57 ceilings. It's in Heathcote vic, so will also require septic and tank water. 
Thanks again everybody for your replies. 
PS: I'm looking at building my foundation, (stumps, bearers and joists). I can do this for less than $7000, How does this compare to concrete slab price and also the pro's and con's. Block is level.  
:confused: :confused: :confused: :eek:

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## bitingmidge

> The N aspect issue is easily resolved.

  I am not pushing for the use of a professional designer here, and agree with the above re: technical information needed.  You can still do it, but you need to learn more first. 
The "N issue" isn't going to be resolved with that floor plan in its current form. Period. 
One or two rooms will work with the climate, the rest won't. 
There's no cross ventilation in any room, if the kitchen is on the northern side (where one would prefer to have morning dining at the least,) then the ensuite is on the best aspect.  
If there are no windows to the West, there are none in the East either? 
We don't know from the information provided where the house sits on the site, or how big the site is, so we can't make sensible comment on the planning apart fromt the above, apart to say, the smaller the house, the harder it is "to resolve the N issue". 
The books on designing with climate, "natural airconditioning" etc are actually based on fact.  It does work, and it is in my (not humble at all in this case) opinion, the single most important thing. 
I have to say, that not all designers even consider this, falling for the "Womens' Weekly" trap of placing emphasis on size of rooms rather than their location.    
The Building Code requires a formal solution, but doesn't go anywhere near far enough to get the optimum performance. 
Yes, it's a hobby horse of mine, but done correctly, it's amazing how much more comfortable you can be, and even more amazing how much you'll save on heating and cooling costs. 
Cheers, 
P  :Cool:

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## bitingmidge

> PS: I'm looking at building my foundation, (stumps, bearers and joists). I can do this for less than $7000, How does this compare to concrete slab price and also the pro's and con's. Block is level.

  Don't forget when you are doing those sums that the slab forms the floor, and you'll need to insulate under a timber floor. 
Is insulation is required under concrete in Vic? 
Here's a bit of an overview of the design with climate stuff: http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhom...nical/fs11.htm
Cheers, 
P

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## totoblue

Comments on plan: 
No foyer area.
Laundry is big but because of the number of doors (5), it is not very usable space.  A big laundry is not much use without either a lot of storage and/or a lot of benchspace.
Main bathroom layour is a bit clumsy. 
I'd consider putting in double glazed windows.  If you're on a budget, do it only in the areas where you'll spend a lot of time at night (e.g. lounge room and bedrooms). 
Personally I like to have the main bedroom at the rear facing north or north east - very nice to have sun coming in when you get up. 
Like others I reckon that solar orientation is important, particularly where you are.  Most project homes are pretty poor on that.  You say you are going to have a verandah on 3 sides and a pergola out the back - you need to consider solar orientation when laying out the verandah and pergola (but consider that is is a lot easier to block the sun from entering a house than it is to get it into a house that is poorly oriented). 
I think you should look at other people's plans (e.g. project homes on the net - some are ok, magazines and books) and adapt them.  Even if you only use the bathroom layout for example. 
If you build a suspended floor, make sure there is room to get underneath.  I think the minimum required space may not be enough.  Part of our house is so low that most people (including me) can't get underneath the bearers. 
You might want to consider a steel frame.  As I understand (not having built one myself), the steel frame companies will take your plan and design the frame and supply it essentially as a kit.  You can also get steel stumps which attach to concrete footings - these stumps can be levelled after installation. 
If your soil is reactive (full of clay) then you might find a suspended floor will move all the time and make hairline cracks in walls etc.  Would be worth getting a soil test (probably required by council anyway) and the soil tester can advise on suitable floor structure. 
Story Book Cottages make kit homes as one-off designs - might be worth talking to them. http://www.storybook.com.au/

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## ausdesign

I missed something here - what is the 'N' issue.? 
Our rates are based on $120.00/ sq (feet that is ) 
Paul as far as the 'concept' design goes, work on room placement that works for you taking into account views, access to outdoor areas from living areas & the like. Although the solar performance is an essential part of the design & should be considered from the start, the actual layout to correctly suit your families requirements should be the primary thought together with maximising on the resale value of the home. - this may entail modifying any radical ideas you may have.
Locating a room such as the breakfast area to capture the morning sun is fine in solar design principals but if you have to incorporate a 1700 high screen to the window to prevent 'overlooking' then the benefits are going to be reduced.
Basically without waffling on - design the layout to what works for you & then revamp it taking into account the limitations of the site, solar access etc.
On a level site $ for $ a slab will generally be better, but soil type ( depth of footings ) will play a big part in your decision.
All new homes must achieve a '5 Star Energy Rating' level.
Timber floored homes will require at least R1.0 insulation.
I am a big proponent of 'low energy solar design' & believe the current inclusions to the BCA is both long overdue & inadequate.

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## bitingmidge

> I missed something here - what is the 'N' issue.?

  "North"   :Biggrin:   
Thanks for keeping it simple, I do tend to go on.... 
cheers, 
P :Biggrin:

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## ausdesign

I Knew that :Shock:  
I just forgot!

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## masoth

There is a heck of a lot of very good advice above.
I don't recall mention of getting a termite certificate, but you should get one, even IF your council reckon the district is clear, and I'm positive Heathcote is NOT.
Therefore to save an annual spray treatment of $130-$200 I would certainly do the steel frame thing.  Actually the framming can be prefab and raised in a weekend if the skill is present.  This may also save theft if no secure storeage is available.
You may well stay the Owner/Builder but I doubt you have the qualifications to complete everything to required standards  -  this will increase costs by having your contractors travel there.
If you don't have the experience hiring/controlling/directing contractors give a thought to sub-contracting a supervisor (you cannot depend on the inspections to protect your interests) and then YOU can stay 'friendly' with the workers. 
soth

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## elphingirl

Hi Paul 
I don't really wish to comment on your plans - as others have said, it's whether they suit your family that counts (although a bit of research into passive solar design is a really good idea). 
We built a house near you in Elphinstone (Mount Alexander Shire though), and we produced our own plans, so I thought I'd tell you some of the benfits and drawbacks of having done that. 
We had a fantastic helpful building inspector (Council). He was able to assist us in knowing what had to be on the plans, and to what level of detail. He also helped work out construction details later on. In the end our plans were passed first time with a few additional handwritten notes by the INspector on them. Don't underestimate the impact of having a good relationship with the inspector - he helped us solve many problems. 
From drawing them up by hand (I have drafting experience in another field) I knew every inch of the house - this was helpful in being able to answer questions by subbies throughout the building process. In the end there were very few design changes, or changes due to unforseen problems, at the end (3 years after we began). This was due to thinking everything through very carefully during the design phase, and also allowing enough spare money to help us through technical problems (such as overestimating what we could do ourselves). 
We did have some trouble getting quotes from some tradies, though a lot of this was due to a local building boom. Some trades used the plans extensively (electrical, plumbing), while others largely disregarded them and just visited on site and measured up themselves. It both helped us get some great tradies (people who like the challenge of individually designed housed, happy to work out details as we went along etc) and get the runaround from others (wouldn't quote, didn't show up etc) Some of that probably had more to do with the owner-builder thing rather than the plans themselves. 
You seem happy to live with your mistakes, and that is a necessary thing to accept - my only advice is to be able to say that there wasn't anything else you could have done to prepare the plans better. 
Being in the country it certainly wasn't as hard as some of the other posters have made out, certainly dealing with Council and tradies is a whole different ball-game out there that in the city. Contracts are rarely signed, and yet we had not one problem in the three years that caused us to even think about witholding money/requesting rework.  
Good luck, Justine

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## masoth

Nicely said Justine.  There are always positives. 
I'm hoping my adult (hah) son joins me in fiindinig a wreck to rebuild into a palace, for him and his family. 
soth

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## ausdesign

as an aside to the topic & in support of (some) 'tradies' who can get maligned. From their perspective they need to get in & out of the job quickly. They are asked to come up with a competitive price ( often the lowest ) & then carry out the work professionally.
From the initial contact they will quickly sum up how professional the OB is & then tailor their quote to suit. Admittedly some may be looking for an opportunity to make a fast $ but many will be looking to make sure they don't lose a fast $.
Generally trades need to spend more time with an OB & often their quote will reflect their perception of how professional & organised the Client is - whether it be an OB or a registered Builder.
The secret to successful owner building is in part to be spot on with organisation & know all the ins & outs of the various trades. 
When asked a question ( trades will often do this 'to test the waters') know the right answer.

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## paullmichelle

Yes, some good advise Peter. Being in the trade myself, (Roof Tiler), and also having had 12 months experience of house construction with a qualified chippie, I feel quite confident in building my home, otherwise I wouldn't take on such a large job. I am self employed, so I will be taking the time of to build full time, and doing most of the work myself. I imagine it would be very difficult to take on this task if you had to work on another job as well. 
Cheers

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## ernknot

Are any of you builders taking Radon readings? No point bulding a house if it is going to kill you. How often do you hear of a person dying of cancer and someone saying" never smoked, its not in the family history, exercises all the time........" Radon is probably the culprit. I am working on a project at the moment and we got Medium Radon readings which means we must put down extra protection under the slab to keep the Radon gases out. Look it up on the www

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## bitingmidge

I thought Radon was something to put in your bath to help you relax! :eek: :eek: :eek:  
I would have thought if Radon was going to be a problem, you wouldn't buy the site? 
On the project you are working on, if it's such a great problem, what happens when people go outside?? 
Cheers, 
P:confused:

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## paullmichelle

Thanks for the advice ernknot, but I don't think I'll woory about Radon too much, unless I was building my house in a cave or a mine. 
"If you have a timber home, or one built on stumps, and if your home is well ventilated, it is unlikely that there will be a problem from high radon levels. If you have a brick home built on a concrete slab and you tend to keep all your doors and windows closed, it is possible that the radon levels in your home may be higher than average.    :Tongue:   :Tongue:  :Tongue:

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## ernknot

> I thought Radon was something to put in your bath to help you relax! :eek: :eek: :eek:  
> I would have thought if Radon was going to be a problem, you wouldn't buy the site? 
> On the project you are working on, if it's such a great problem, what happens when people go outside?? 
> Cheers, 
> P:confused:

  bitingmidge
No one measures because not many people know about it. It certainly does not come up in a title search etc.  
When you go outside it is ok because dissipates in the outside air, it concentrates inside buildings and dwellings. Real good ventilation like a ductet A/C helps disperse the gas. There is also geotechtic materials available to put under the house footprint to stop gas coming through the floor or other entry points. 
paullmichelle
You are right but would you know what the levels were before you built?
have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/radon

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## Sir Stinkalot

Sorry that I came into this one a little late. 
The north orientation seems to be a big issue on this tread so far. A good design would have assessed the sites opportunities and constraints prior to having mouse hit screen. This would have ensured that there siting of the house would make best use of solar orientation and views, obviously not every site is suited and you can only do your best. 
The house will still require a 5 star rating so even if it is poorly orientated it will be compensated by upping the insulation and possibly double glazing to achieve a five star rating ..... it just basically means an increase in construction costs. Another issue would be the solar hot water system and water tank, which according to the building surveyor that we use is now mandatory on all new houses. Supposably this has been in for some time with most building surveyor overlooking it but they will now start to crack down on it. 
You will need to engage an engineer who will do your lintel calculation and bracing details if you ask. They will also issue the computations and form 11. 
As for the design ...... well design is a very personal thing. If it suits you than that is great, but you should also think about resale in the future. I feel that the design is a little clunky, unarticulated and screams out owner builder, (Sorry to be honest). The box design will certainly assist in ease of construction, but lacks creativity and visual interest. Sliding exterior doors in the ensuite, presumably on the same deck that services the kitchen meals area? 
I really think that you would benefit from taking your design to an Architect, or Building Designer, to get a fresh look at it for you, incorporating a site visit. You have the basic outline but a great design is in the finer detail. It is sometimes the case that if you work on something long enough you start to loose sight of the bigger picture. On numerous occasions in the office we look over other designs to get a fresh perspective and occasionally it is dismissed but generally it greatly improves the design. You have already asked for our opinions so it shows that you are open to constructive criticism. The money spent on design will be well worth it. I fail to see why people (not directed at yourself) are so reluctant to spend money on a good design that will greatly increase the quality of the building and benefit the resale value, they would prefer to save the couple of thousand to buy a large screen TV. 
Check out this site for details re: owner builder: http://www.buildingcommission.com.au...asp?casid=2776

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## nev25

> Hi, I'm planning to build our house later in the year. I've designed our house plan on Chief Architect. What I wanted to know is am I able to draw my own plans?
> I'm doing most of the work myself.
> Thank's

  I'm wondering how you got on 
Im thinking about going down the same path

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## Terrian

> Thanks all for your replys. Taking it all in. Peter, do you have an idea of cost to have our plan drawn up? As you can see it is aprox. 200m2, straight forward 4 hip roof. We will also look at building a 1.8mt verandah around 3 sides with a pergola added later, on the rear. C-Bond roof and 2.57 ceilings. It's in Heathcote vic, so will also require septic and tank water.

  earlier this year I had plans made for my house, none existed, fire at the council etc.
it cost me $1400 for the gent to come out, measure up the exiting house, add in the wanted extra room. plans included existing garage, proposed workshop, he was in Wonga Park, so a litle far to travel to you  :Smilie:  Oh, and it wasn't 'mates rates'   

> PS: I'm looking at building my foundation, (stumps, bearers and joists). I can do this for less than $7000, How does this compare to concrete slab price and also the pro's and con's. Block is level.

   Personally, I would get the pros in to do the foundation work for a new place, (but thats just me).

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