Design Pitfalls

If you are contemplating a self build project, how do you make sure you get the best possible design, and ensure that your dreams are truly turned in to reality? Architect Julian Owen MBE RIBA, chair of the ASBA Architects Network (Associated Self Build Architects www.asba-architects.org) explains.

Keep Within Your Budget
The easiest trap to fall into as the design of your home is developing is to create something that will cost too much to build. Self builders who do this are not alone – this mistake is made regularly by large government departments, property tycoons and world famous architects. It is so easy to do because at the very start, no-one can know exactly what the design will cost.

The only way to be sure is to describe the project in sufficient detail for builders to calculate the price of the all materials and workmanship that will be needed. A lot of work is needed to get to that stage, by which time the architects will have been paid most of their fee.  Cost management at the very start of the design stage is like being given a shopping trolley and a set amount to spend in the supermarket – but you aren’t going to find out the individual cost of anything you choose until you reach the checkout.

So how do you avoid your project getting in this sorry state? The first thing it to face up to the fact that any one-off building project involves a significant risk of going over budget, and that even with the best advice in the world this cannot be completely removed from the equation. Then you have to ensure that you get reliable, honest professional advice. As an architect I have occasionally been confronted by a potential client who simply will not believe the building costs that I suggest are likely. Even after I have shown them the many projects that we have built and the graphs from the Building Cost Information Service provided by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, they do not want to believe it. They then visit many more architects, until they find one that tells them what they want to hear, i.e. that they can have a huge house to a high standard at a bargain rate and they will be looking at a guaranteed 30% profit at the end. Falling for this kind of nonsense is a perfect way of ensuring that a project will go over budget. But by the time the true cost is identified by a builder, the duff designer will have had most of their fee, so it will not be their problem to sort out.

You have to be an optimist to self build in the UK, but don’t let your natural enthusiasm lead you to close your ears to the warning words of people who have experience of the real world of construction. The internet, magazines or reps trying to sell their products are no substitute someone with working knowledge of building costs. As a rule, if the prices make self build sound like a bargain, they’re probably wrong. On the other hand, if you cast a cold, hard, realistic eye over the budget at the start it will set the rest of the project up for success.

Don’t Go Under Budget Either
Less of a risk is the danger of spending too little on a house. It may seem a strange concept after the dire warnings above, but what I am referring to is ‘underdevelopment’. In other words, this is spending all your cash on a wonderful, large site and then only being able to afford to build a relatively cheap, small house on it. A professional developer will borrow as much money as necessary to build the optimal house type and size on any land that is acquired, and this way the maximum return is gained on the investment. If a small house is built on a large site, the profit is not maximised and money is lost. Of course, this may be a definite choice, particularly if the location is important, but at the very least you should do your sums and make sure that you know the potential loss of profit that you are about to incur. The reverse of this problem is ‘over development’ or building a house that is too large or grand for a particular location. Most areas have a ceiling price that cannot be improved upon, even by building bigger or better.

Spend Time on Design
Keen self builders want to get some momentum going with their project and get it to the build stage as soon as possible, not least because they may be paying interest on borrowed capital. It is important to have a programme worked out and target dates to hit, but also to allow sufficient time for the design to evolve. If you are using a good architect, the design process will be interactive and there will be a lot of to-and-fro of information and ideas. You will also need time to consider some of the ideas presented, especially if they are new ideas suggested by the designer.
Apart from allowing the creative juices to flow you may also need to do some of your own research, possibly even visiting buildings for ideas. This stage is often the most enjoyable part of a project and it is important to make sure that you are completely happy with the design before it passes on to the next stages, where many other people will become involved and start to influence the finished building.

Get  the Brief Right
Whenever architects gather together and talk about design, it is not long before the discussion moves on to the briefing process. Some people think that good design is the result of a wise architect sitting alone at a desk, producing sketches and intuitively creating a house design. In fact the best architects will spend significant time with their clients and building users well before they unleash their inner artist and the ideas start flowing. With a few notable exceptions, most successful designs are the result of a close co-operation between the professional and the self builder. You can do plenty of preparation in advance to make this easier, even before you have a site, by working out what you expect from your new home.

Pick the Right Designer
How can you know if the designer is going to the right one for you and your family? You will need them to have several qualities which come under three broad headings: competence, design skills and empathy.

Competence can be checked by ensuring that the architect is registered. The title ‘architect’ can only be used by someone who has completed the seven year training in design and construction and it is protected by a government body - the Architects Registration Board - which protects the use of the title and investigates any complaints against architects on its register (www.arb.org.uk). Chartered Architects are members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (www.architecture.com). Architectural designers, architectural technicians and architectural consultants are not architects and may have no qualifications at all, but the good ones tend to be members of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (www.ciat.org.uk) - another body that requires it members to be qualified and follow a code of professional conduct. Architects with a particular interest in one off houses are sometimes members of the ASBA architects network, which can be found at www.asba-architects.org.uk.

Design skills can be identified by looking at the portfolio of the practice and visiting buildings that it has completed, as well as talking to previous clients. Most architects are happy to talk about how a particular design came about, so this is a good question to ask if you see a building that you like.

The final qualification - empathy - will be down to you meeting them and talking to them to see how well you get along. Do they listen to you as well as talk the talk? Do they seem receptive to your ideas – you are going to live in the house that will be designed, not them? Another crucial question you should ask yourself is “will I be able to work out any disagreements between us?”. Every house project involves stress, and sometimes people have strong views, but the ability to talk through crucial aspects of the design and reach a compromise that leaves clients happy is an essential skill for a designer.

Understand the Drawings
Drawings prepared by architects can sometimes be difficult to understand. I have had clients who, as they admire the completed house, have admitted that they were not sure what it was really going to look like until we were three quarters of the way through building it. Luckily for me, in a good way. But it can be a problem, especially if part of the key to the design is the three-dimensional forms and space that will be created. It is essential that you explain any concerns to your architect. They will understand if you have chosen them well and for a small extra cost will be delighted to prepare some three dimensional computer massing models. They can also produce more realistic-looking CAD (computer aided design) models, or even something more solid, out of white card and glue, but these are relatively time consuming and so are usually charged as an extra. If you find it hard to fathom two dimensional technical drawings and recreate them in your mind’s eye, be aware that you are in good company. Many planning officers and councillors on planning committees have a similar problem, which is why, with some designs, it is essential to produce some models to get across to them the true appearance of the design.

Make Sure It Can Be Built
In the UK, the development process is very strictly regulated, particularly by the planning and building control processes. It is no good agreeing a design and sending it along to the next stage if it has no chance of getting approval from the planners, or a fundamental regulation is contravened, making it unbuildable. So make sure you find advisors who know the rules and are bearing them in mind from the very start of the design.

Failure to Work Out the Detail
A common mistake is to think that the design process is completed once planning approval is granted. This could not be more wrong. If you look at any truly great building, it is not just the overall impression that gives it the wow factor. It is the attention to detail that finishes a building off and plays a major role in how it is experienced. After all, it is aspects such as the ironmongery, window frames, walls, sanitary ware and lighting that the occupants have most intimate contact with. The design process continues throughout the project until the last skirting is painted and the final door handles are fitted.

Julian Owen MBE RIBA is chair of the ASBA Architects network (Associated Self Build Architects www.asba-architects.org), and apart from running his own practice in the East Midlands (www.julianowen.co.uk) writes books for home improvers, including ‘Selfbuild’ published by the RIBA.