Tag: ask an architect

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Architecture DIY RENO ADDICT

Home design services at your fingertips

For most of us, the thought of designing or renovating a new home can be extremely daunting. But relax. The good news is there are lots more good stories than bad and it doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience.

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Billabong Houses by Julian Rutt Lumen Studio

Archicentre, the building design, inspection and advice service of The Australian Institute of Architects is a great place to start and offers useful advice and design packages for anyone building, renovating or restoring their home.

Whether you’re planning to renovate, build your dream home, buy an investment property, or undertake a dual occupancy development or townhouse, Archicentre’s fixed price, introductory Design Services are a great online tool.

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Billabong Houses by Julian Rutt Lumen Studio

No matter how big or small the project, the site will help you balance what’s possible against what’s desired, establish the project budget, offer advice to secure development approvals, help with your selection of builders, look at any issues with quality control and construction, assist with the design and more.

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McSteen Tan Architects. Photo credit: Yvonne Qumi

Archicentre literally offers a direct line to a qualified architect, so you know you are getting independent and professional advice before you sign on the dotted line. In many cases you can also arrange to meet the architect onsite who can offer on the spot design potential and advise with quick turn around solutions.

This amazingly cost-effective service can help you to better understand your options, add value to your existing or new home and help you avoid over capitalising your project. A qualified architect will consider your lifestyle, budgetary concerns, sustainable design options, whether to renovate up, out or both and development alternatives including setting realistic project time lines.

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Billabong Houses by Julian Rutt Lumen Studio

As part of this package you will also receive a report that summarises the discussion and includes floor plans, sketches and cost indications so that you can assess the feasibility of your ideas before committing time, energy and money.

For more information.

Archicentre offers free Melbourne renovation workshop

Melburnians listen up! Archicentre are offering an informative and casual renovation workshop where you can gain valuable knowledge about the renovation process including financial advice. The workshop includes one-on-one time with experienced architects, so bring your renovation plans or photos of your house and receive free advice on your renovation project.

When: Thursday 8 October 6-to-8pm

Where: Archicentre, Level 2, 41 Exhibition St, Melbourne

Bookings: www.archicentre.com.au. For more information phone 1300 134 513

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Architecture Design RENO ADDICT

Going green: the homeowner’s guide to saving energy

With energy costs rising and consumers becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, builders and renovators are looking for ways to save costs and ensure their own build is green.

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Ask an Architect, the online building design, inspection and advice service, offers owners, builders and renovators some helpful advice that could not only save money but hopefully help save the planet. Here are their tips:

1.  Quality based building inspections. One of the biggest trends in new homes and renovations is the introduction of quality based building inspections, which are aimed at ensuring homes with a six or more green star design will actually perform as expected. The six star building code rating only applies to the building fabric (floor/walls/roof) – how the owner lives in the home can bring the performance down substantially.

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2. Site orientation. The first step in orientation is maximising the northern aspect, where exposure to the sun is best controlled. Eaves and pergolas can be precisely designed to block the summer sun, and still allow the desirable winter sunshine to penetrate. It is important to prioritise rooms based on access to views and solar penetration orientation. An open-plan kitchen and living area, for example, should have top position, while bedrooms or bathrooms require less daylight, as they are largely used for short periods of time, or at night.

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3. Zoning. By zoning the home, unused areas can be closed off, and cooling and heating appliances can be designed for maximum efficiency and minimum use.

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4. Additionally, Ask an Architect recommends the following:

  • Insulate the ceiling
  • Weather seal windows and doors
  • Fit blinds, curtains or drapes
  • Buy high star-rated appliances
  • Install solar panels
  • Replace single flush toilet cisterns with dual flush cisterns
  • Upgrade your heating system to a more efficient design
  • Put in a rain water tank
  • Upgrade your hot water service
  • Fit a grey-water diversion system
  • Upgrade your windows using double glazing or other high-tech glass

For more information.

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Architecture DIY RENO ADDICT

Avoid the building blues by getting an independent quality assurance check

With domestic building disputes on the rise and an increasing number of complaints noting poor quality workmanship, it is no surprise property owners, builders and renovators are looking for ways to ensure their own build is fool-proof, so they avoid the building blues.

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Online building design, inspection and advice service, Ask an Architect, believes the key in avoiding costly legal battles is discovering the building defects prior to the end of the project. “We are often called in to provide advice on building defects and believe the safest financial path for home buyers and renovators is to have independent quality assurance checks on the project,” explains Ask An Architect general manager Cameron Frazer. “These are best linked to the milestone payment schedule in a building contract so that they are discovered before you pay your builder.”

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Once a building has its ‘clothes on’, such as plasterboard or exterior cladding it is near to impossible to detect many major faults. And while people have a misconception that a building surveyor’s inspection approval can be relied on for both structural integrity and quality assurance, this is simply not the case. A building surveyor will check for compliance with regulations, but not necessarily for quality and finish.

Ask an Architect therefore offers affordable construction quality assurance inspection packages that are designed to offer an expert opinion on the quality and finish of your building project. “They’re a simple, low-cost way of getting the best advice at an early stage,” says Cameron. “And they may just save you considerable money and hassle in the long run.”

For more information.

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Architecture Outdoor & Exteriors RENO ADDICT

How to keep your balcony or deck safe

Most people give their cars and themselves regular check-ups, but tend to leave maintenance of their property until a problem becomes so obvious that is simply has to be attended to. This approach is not only bad for the property but also more expensive on the pocket! So what does Cameron Frazer of Ask an Architect recommend you do to keep the more susceptible areas of your home — like balconies and decks — safe?

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Photo credit: TVBS

We all enjoy the summertime, but it’s actually the time to be smart about home safety. Anyone planning to hold a function that will see a crowd of people occupying their balcony or deck should check that it is safe and not at risk of injuring someone or collapse.

Balconies are usually used by a small family group of three to four people, however, when 15 to 20 adults or more gather on a balcony, the stress on the structure often reaches breaking point and the balcony collapses causing serious injury.

Added to this weight factor is often the large BBQ plus tables, chairs and heavy planter boxes filled with flowering plants to brighten the alfresco dining area. Large stone tables have also become a trend for outdoor living along with steel and cast iron outdoor furniture, which increases the load factor on the deck or balcony.

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Photo credit: TVBS

Anyone with a balcony or raised deck should check it out carefully for safety, including an inspection for rotting timbers, shaky hand rails and balustrades, corroded bolts and brackets, rust stains and cracking in concrete balconies. People renting properties should also check decks or balconies and notify their real estate agents if any concerning conditions are discovered.

If people find faults they should take immediate action to repair them and if they are not sure, seek professional advice. I would recommend people get an architect to inspect their property every five years and provide maintenance advice to keep it in tip-top condition.

— Cameron Frazer is the general manager of Ask an Architect, a new online portal (launched by the Australian Institute of Architects) ready to offer you sound and unbiased advice, help you through your home renovation and provide recommendations at an affordable cost.

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Architecture RENO ADDICT

Ask an Architect: the great online resource for renovators

Home renovations can be hugely daunting. However, you only need to watch an episode of The Block, read one of our amazing real renos or talk to a friend, to realise that there’s really more good renovation stories than bad!

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But where do you start if you’ve decided to renovate your home? One of the best places is Ask An Architect, a website developed by the Australian Institute of Architects. Designed to demystify the renovation process and make architecture something everybody can easily access, they offer sound and affordable advice.

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An unbiased voice of reason, an expert architect can work with you to take the mystery out of what might seem an incredibly complex process. No matter how big or small the renovation, the site will help you balance what’s possible against what’s desired, establish the project budget, offer advice to secure development approvals, help with your selection of builders, look at any issues with quality control and construction, assist with the design and more.

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Some of the most useful features include the detailed Cost Guide to help you budget, the ArchiAdvice and ArchiDesign Pre-Purchase Packages – which offer you a direct line to a qualified architect at competitive prices, a handy online question and answer service, relevant upcoming events, the Find an Architect directory of professional architects, a gallery for inspiration and Pinterest tools to help you start scrapbooking ideas.

Visit Ask an Architect.

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DIY Outdoor & Exteriors RENO ADDICT

What to do about cracks in your walls and floors

We all know what it can be like when walls and plastering start cracking. Not only does it look aesthetically worrisome, but it can literally have you hitting the panic button in a quick fix attempt to repair the damage. The best way to stop you cracking up completely? Get independent expert advice to help you diagnose or determine the cause of cracking.

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What causes cracking? 

Cracking can be caused by many problems, some of which can be manageable and don’t require significant building works.

Common causes of cracking include:

  • Building movement – for example settling over time.
  • Change in the moisture content in soil around building footings (moisture either increases or decreases, causing the soil to move or ‘heave’). This is particularly prevalent in reactive soils such as clay.
  • Unstable soil conditions caused by changes such as adjacent construction work.

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Many cracks require cosmetic treatment only. The majority are not indications of grave structural damage. Remedies can be as simple as watering the garden a bit more or less, or waiting for the season to change, for example.

When to be concerned

As there are many causes for cracking in buildings, it is often difficult to know when, or even if, the situation warrants concern, further investigation or rectification.

Cracks should be monitored over a period of at least three seasons to assess whether the gap opens (during the dry periods) and closes (during the wet periods) – seasonal movement generally indicates a footing movement that can often be managed as outlined above.

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The speed at which the crack expands and its width can also help in understanding the cause and how to best manage it. However, with large cracks that are increasing in size, seeking immediate advice is always recommended.

Some general maintenance tips to help prevent cracks

  • Don’t plant trees or allow them to exist closer to a building than their expected mature height, unless their roots are discouraged or contained behind a root barrier.
  • Keep the garden and lawns around the building evenly damp throughout the drier months. Don’t neglect one side of the building just because nothing much grows in the area.
  • Regularly check existing drains, down-pipes, guttering and service piping to ensure no leakages occur.

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Getting the best advice

A word of warning at this point about organisations who offer cure-alls for cracking: some of these firms exaggerate the dangers involved with small cracks and recommend expensive patent treatments or unnecessary underpinning where the cracks might not require such treatment.

Remember that a company offering a particular treatment will probably be biased in favour of using it regardless of the cause of the cracking.

— Cameron Frazer is the general manager of Ask an Architect, a new online portal (launched by the Australian Institute of Architects) ready to offer you sound and unbiased advice, help you through your home renovation and provide recommendations at an affordable cost.

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Expert Tips RENO ADDICT

The new online place for renovators, homeowners and builders

Buying, renovating or building a home can be an overwhelming prospect and often the only person who can truly help is an architect. However unfortunately, not everyone has access to one, nor can they afford one; so the next best thing? www.askanarchitect.com.au, the new free online portal launched by the Australian Institute of Architects.

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A place for consumers to see real stories, gather inspiration, ask questions, participate in webinars, discover events and engage with an architect, Ask an Architect is there to help whether you’re looking to buy, build, renovate or maintain a home.

If you’re buying, the site can guide you through home inspection tips, renovation advice, pre-purchase questions and other options. For builders or renovators, a handy cost guide lets you gain an indicative cost on a range of maintenance and re-building tasks, such as restumping. Or put your renovation wish list into the budget calculator for an indication of how much your project might cost.

There is also a range of affordable new fixed priced services to help consumers take that first step engaging an architect. These include ArchiInspect fixed price home inspection services and ArchiDesign, an introductory design feasibility service including floor plans and cost indications to help bring your dream home project to life.

Ask an Architect also includes a handy online question and answer service, relevant upcoming events, the Find an Architect directory of professional architects, a gallery for inspiration and Pinterest tools to help you start scrapbooking ideas.

Visit Ask an Architect here.