​Start offering the 'Design & Construct' service to your clients today. The benefits of this are HUGE!

We work with you to keep your clients in your system, giving them less points of contact (you & us) for all aspects of the stressful pre-construction design and planning process. This takes massive stresses off your client, and the relationship you get to build with your client - pre-contract - is invaluable in taking your client through to contract. The benefits to both you and your client are spectacular!

We are currently adding a limited number of Brisbane builders to our valued builder client portfolio.

Insider Tip:
This also gets you a leg in as one of QDH's preferred builders for referrals for our private clients.

​Call us today to get more info and to see how we can take your business to the next level.
​Sam - 0424 536 287.

The $25k HomeBuilder grant deadline is looming. To be eligible, you must have a building contract signed before Dec 31st 2020. We have been receiving tons of phone calls & emails with people wanting to get the grant, but we have been warning them that it is becoming more and more difficult to squeeze everything in before the deadline to qualify. 

Design meetings, measure ups, time for us to design and draft, making changes, submitting for DA if necessary, finalising the working plans, engineering, builders quoting & contracts, building certification... the list goes on. Usually this process takes 3-6 months.

So if you are sitting on the fence and leaning towards getting something started, now's the time to jump in! Give me a call today (0424 536 287) to get the ball rolling. If you need recommendations for builders, we can help you with that to help the process rocket along smoothly too, as it is always best if your builder is involved from the start.

Come November, we won't be taking on new projects with the grant in mind. We just can't guarantee your timeframes. 

Talk to you soon!

Sam Davies
Director, QDH

Hi all,
QUICK SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATE!
Just a quick update to make sure you are following us on Instagram. In just a few quick months, QDH has grown from 0 followers to almost 1200 at the time of writing this! 

We post at least 3 times per week with new projects, inspirational quotes, photos of finished projects, and so much more! 

Stay in the loop! Join the QDH community and follow us @qlddesignerhomes on Insta, and tag us in your photos if we have been involved in your project!
https://www.instagram.com/qlddesignerhomes/?hl=en

Sam Davies,
Director, QDH

Sooo... you've had QDH design an amazing new home for your shiny new Brisbane home-to-be! Congratulations! We've loved working with you! Now it's time to find a builder to turn paper into that new frame around your life.

Throughout the design process we would have encouraged you to start talking to builders that seem to meet your criteria for your project. We have probably also already referred some great builders to you we have worked with in the past. But how do you who is the best Brisbane builder for you? Let's crack on with it then.

1. Find a builder who has completed projects similar to yours, and comes highly recommended.
Builders who have a few of your size project under their belts can often be a good choice because they know the challenges of your type and size of project. They will be able to fore-warn you of potential unexpected 'events' or expenses that can occur during a build of your type, and lead the way confidently during the build.

This is not to say that a hungry, ambitious young builder won't do a great job of your build. In fact, a builder that is keen to expand his portfolio of projects under his belt will often take even MORE care to get things 100% right for you, because great future projects similar to yours are at stake for him. Just make sure to talk to some of the previous clients he has worked with if possible and ask them about their experience with him (or her!). If you can talk to previous clients of his, ask them all about the builder's methods, communication and core principles by which he runs his business.

2. Make sure he is a good communicator, but also really listens to you when you speak.
Communication is the key to most successful and happy relationships. There is nothing worse than a 'know-it-all' builder that tells YOU how it is and doesn't listen to you, cuts you off, or tells YOU how it all is.

When talking to your potential builder, trust the 'vibe' that you get when communicating with him. Does he listen to your ideas? Even if your ideas are impractical? Does he take the time to explain why they are impractical, or does he make you feel silly for asking the question in the first place? If you have problems talking with the builder now, I can guarantee that it will get harder and more stressful throughout the build when tensions will be higher, and your money is at stake.

3. Is the builders quote detailed?
Any builder can come around and tell you it is going to cost you $300k to do your project. But can he show you in the breakdown of works in his quote to see where he is getting this figure from? Another builder might give you a quote for $450k, and you get the shock of your life!!! But this second builder can show you exactly what is costing what and how it all adds up to the $450k. Which one do you go for?

Obviously the cheaper price sounds good, and you may reason - "He must know what he is doing, he said he has been a builder for 25 years." This method of reasoning is going in blind, and should be avoided at all costs! That $300k price could turn into $500k very quickly when the variations and unexpected costs that were unaccounted for in the beginning start coming in.

Our advice: ask that builder to show you the breakdown of costs that enabled him to come up with such a 'great price.' And make sure the builders contract is thorough. A well-written and detailed building contract is a protection for both you and the builder.

Enjoy the process, and trust your gut.
There is no doubt that a good builder is hard to find. But we can point you in the right direction with referrals to some of the best builders in Brisbane. Most of us are pretty good at working out whether we are going to trust someone or not. A good builder will allow you to enjoy the process and will naturally earn your trust quickly throughout the preliminary quoting process. A poor builder with poor communication and a vague quote will not earn your trust so quickly.

So trust your gut, listen to recommendations and genuine client reviews and experiences and don't sign until you trust your builder and have a detailed quote and contract all laid out in front of you.

Make sure you get in touch with QDH for more great advice and work with us to develop your home design with you TODAY! 

Sam Davies,
Director

SOOOOO....
How long is a piece of string? Well that's one way to open up a can of worms! Lets start with a loaded question then shall we? All kidding aside, this is a very common question, and quite frankly, a very important one. Why? Because what you pay in design and drafting can be a significant cost in your final project. And let's be honest, spending thousands of $$$ on paper and lines before you even break ground on site is not everyone's  idea of fun!

The not so secret... secret
...the truth is that, the individual project scope of works and needs can vary significantly from project to project. You will be fighting an uphill battle to try and find a universal figure for the drafting on every project. The best way to find out how much the design and drafting on your project is going to cost, is to call up an architect, building designer or draftsman and get a quote. See our blog post: What is the difference between an Architect, a Draftsman, and a Building Designer?

Ok so we knew that would be the case. But anyway, how much does it cost?

The DOLLAR COST...
To cut to the nitty gritty, with no more explanation, our fees for most typical residential projects usually fall somewhere in the vicinity of $900-$3900 depending of course on the type of project and the required scope of works, and what options you choose to include in the plans. Read on for the REAL COST!

Expectations of cost can vary from person to person. Taking into consideration that the design and planning stage is arguably the most important part of the project, this should be carefully weighed up when choosing a building designer or draftsman, however it should not necessarily be the ONLY factor to consider when choosing a building design company.

The REAL COST...
The REAL COST is what the total project costs you design and build, including the design, drafting, engineering, certification, planning fees and of course the build cost. This REAL COST is highly dependant on the quality of the plans.

For instance, if there is too little detail shown on the plans, it may pass building approval and council approval simply because all of the basic planning details are there, however it may not show enough detail to lock in a smooth build when the builder starts your project. Mistakes and assumptions can be made without seeking approval from you (the client) and/or the building certifier when the necessary items are not specified and detailed to the required extent on the plans. If this happens, then the project halts, things need to be changed, and builder's variation fees invoices keep coming, and your bank balance keeps dropping! Not everyone's favourite idea! And the majority of which could have been avoided (and dollars saved!) if the plans had the right amount of detail. A few hundred more at the start could save you thousands down the track! Imagine if everyone knew that before starting their projects!

So to mitigate these potentially expensive (and to be honest, quite scary!) issues, we generally advise every person we come across, to not just choose the cheapest quote for your building design plans. Why? Because the amount of effort the designer or draftsman puts into the project, can often be directly correlated to his fees. ie: cheapest quote = often the 'skin-of-your-teeth' amount of detail.

There is certainly a dollar sign you can put next to the piece of mind knowing that your plans have enough detail for a smooth sailing certification, approval and building process. Our recommendation would be to go with a company that has either come highly recommended to you from a personal friend or a reputable builder. Internet reviews are great and can add weight to a great recommendation, however they should not be the sole factor in choosing a company.

Here comes the shameless plug...
So if you want to know how much your building design plans will cost from a highly reputable and experienced building design company, please give us a call or email with the specifics of your project, and we will provide a carefully worked out quote so that you know all things have been accounted for in the quote, with no hidden surprise fees, and all the necessary detail has been included in the quote for a 'smooth-as-butter' build. 

Kind regards,
Sam Davies
QDH, Brisbane

We get this question a lot...
A lot of people haven't even heard of the term - Building Designer. So what is the difference between an Architect, a Building Designer and a Draftsman? Let's keep it simple.

The simple answer is - a Draftsman usually works for an appropriately licensed Building Designer OR licensed Architect to produce plans for council approval and construction. However, there are 4 main areas in which they differ:

1. Tertiary Education
2. Licensing
3. Services provided
4. Cost

Architect:

• Provides plans for council approval and construction.
• Usually concentrates mostly on the design aspect of a project. Usually employs draftspeople for production of final plans for approval and construction.
• Education to be an architect usually requires a Bachelor of Architecture at University or equivalent.
• Must be registered with an Board of Architects in that state or territory.
• Often up to 10 times more expensive than a Building Designer or more.

Building Designer:

• Provides plans for council approval and construction.
• Usually produces final plans for approval and construction themselves or employs draftspeople to assist with this as well.
• In QLD, Building Designers must be licensed to operate, holding a 'Building Design' class license with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission. This is the same authority in Queensland that licenses Builders & Licensed Contractors.
• TAFE qualification, plus a certain amount of experience in a Building Design company depending on the state or territory.
• Much more cost-friendly option than an Architect for the effectively same result.

Draftsman / Draftsperson:

• Often works under under an Architect, Building Designer or Builder.
• No formal education required, however most have completed some form of educational training.
• In many cases, once a design concept has been finalised by an Architect, Building Designer, the project then passes to a draftsperson for completion of the final plans for approval and construction as overseen by the Architect or Building Designer.
• Draftsmen can work in many different industries, as 'drafting' basically just means the drawing of the plans for a project. Each industry has it's own draftsmen to produce plans, not just in the building industry. In the building industry, most are employed by companies that are licensed to produce construction documentation, and many often work externally as freelance 'drafties'.

So as you can see, Architects, Building Designers and Draftsmen do a lot of the same type of work as each other, but differ in a few very important key areas. To have a set of plans approved by council for a building project will require either a Building Designer or an Architect.

So... which one is right for me?
So how do you choose between an Architect or a Building Designer? (We will try to be as impartial as possible for this next part.) The answer to that question is found in another question - How much money do you want to spend the design and documentation part of your project?

Due to an Architect's generally higher fees, they usually make a good profit while producing the same final result - a set of building plans for your project that you can submit to council for approval and construction. Obviously, many architects services differ from each other so we would encourage you to contact architects in your area to get a quote and weigh up their offerings against the building designers in your area too.

A good Building Designer on the other hand, will carefully calculate exactly how much time they foresee spending in design work, town planning documentation, building approval and construction documentation. This results in a highly accurate quoted figure with no 'surprise' invoices, resulting in a very cost-effective project with THE SAME RESULT!

We have had MANY clients come to us over the years, completely exasperated with empty pockets because they have been stung by their Architect's seemingly endless stream of invoices. This resulted in a LOT of wasted money, and often a LOT of frustration for their family. If you are at this stage, thankfully, we can help you from here. Don't waste any more of your hard-earned cash, all-the-while thinking - "We've come this far, so we really have to follow through with our architect." The good news is that it can stop right here! (Sorry, I realise that is not so impartial...)

Get in touch with us today to get a free quote for your project, and let us take care of you from here.

Kind regards,
Sam Davies
QDH - Brisbane

 PRESS RELEASE
​
Queensland Designer Homes of Brisbane
Awarded Best Of Houzz 2017
 
Over 40 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building,
Renovation and Design Professionals in Australia
 
Brisbane, Australia, January 18, 2017 – Queensland Designer Homes of Brisbane has won “Best Of Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design. The young and vibrant company was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, renovation and design industry professionals.
 
The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 40 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2016. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognised with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2017” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
 
“We’re so pleased to award Best of Houzz 2017 to this incredible group of talented and customer-focused professionals, including Queensland Designer Homes,” said Jason Chuck, Managing Director Houzz Asia-Pacific. “Each of these businesses was singled out for recognition by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts for helping to turn their home improvement dreams into reality.”
 
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, source products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.com.au.

So what is the deal with building a granny flat in Brisbane? What can you do and what can't you do?

Building laws (as at 02/11/17) regarding Granny Flats are pretty straight forward. Basically, this is the law from the Dwelling House Code in the Brisbane City Plan 2014:

- "Development comprises not more than one dwelling house and one secondary dwelling (granny flat) occupied by one household."
- "A maximum of 80m2 in gross floor area."
- "Located within 20m of the dwelling house."
- "Occupied by 1 or more members of the same household as the dwelling house."
-  "1 car parking space for the dwelling house; 1 car parking space for any secondary dwelling on the same site"

Household is defined in the Brisbane City Plan 2014 as:
"Means 1 or more individuals who-
(a) live in a dwelling with the intent of living together on a long-term basis; and
(b) make common provision for food and other essentials for living"

The dwelling house code further defines a "household" as comprising:
"(a) 1 person maintaining a household; or 
(b) 2 more more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption; or
(c) not more than 5 persons, not necessarily related by blood, marriage or adoption; or
(d) not more than 5 persons under the age of 18 and not necessarily related by blood, marriage or adoption, together with 1 or 2 adult persons who have care or control of them."

So who is a granny flat suited to? There are a few possible reasons for wanting to build a granny flat:
- Aging parents are needing extra care,
- Separate living space for a family member, 
- Extra space for a growing family,
- Renting out a dwelling room by room under one tenancy agreement

If you are thinking of building a granny flat to rent out to a separate tenant, think again. Granny flats are NOT multi-unit dwellings.  Multi-unit dwellings are very different in type and construction. Especially with regard to fire separation.  (See the Dual Occupancy Code in the Brisbane City Plan 2014)

A granny flat is generally designed to have one tenancy agreement between all members living in the main and secondary dwelling, one letterbox, one metered water & electricity supply etc. If a granny flat was being used in a Dual Occupancy situation and there was a fire, or similar emergency issue and someone was hurt, the owners could be liable for big dollars if their insurance refuses to cover the owners based on the definitions of a 'household' in the City Plan.

For any family, building a Granny Flat in Brisbane is a fantastic addition to your home. It creates a separate living area and creates more space and freedom within the family.

Let us help you design a Granny Flat that suits your family's requirements, or a Dual Occupancy dwelling that meets all the current regulations.

Sam
​QDH Director

Renovating your existing home is something most homeowners plan to do at some point in the future. Dreaming of what will go where, what your master bedroom with walk-in-robe & ensuite will look like, how you'd love to do the kids rooms, how great it will be to finally build that big deck. Planning your renovation is a very exciting adventure for your family.

But where do you start? And, how much work is actually involved? How much will it cost? Below, we have put together a few resources and great references for starting to plan your renovation from start to finish.

yourhome.gov.au - This government commisioned informative website starts from planning your renovation and seeing if what you want to do is actually feasible for your home, to working with your designer, to working with your builder and making it happen.

homeimprovementpages.com.au - You will need to find builder or contractor to carry out the work. hipages is a great place to start your search. The 'Browse Articles' section contains huge resources and vast amounts of information on every possible individual aspect of your renovation from air conditioning to sheds and water tanks.

Your local council website - By checking under the building and renovating section of your local council's website, you can see whether your proposed building work is possible in your area. Various local plans come into play with each individual area, and sometimes what is okay to do in Mackay, may not be possible or legal to do in Mt Isa. Find you local council using this interactive map here: http://www.qldcouncils.com.au/web/guest/find-your-council

Considering whether if it is worth your while looking into sustainable housing? The Environmental and Heritage Protection website provides a great starters guide and insight into sustainable housing and considers many of the possible ways that you can make your home more energy efficiency and eco-friendly. http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/sustainability/sustainable_housing.html

By doing your research before you begin renovating, you will save yourself a ton of headache, heartache and confusion. Remember, you can always let your building designer do the thinking and research for you too. That's what we're here for. To make planning your renovation as smooth and as stress-free as possible.

Sam
QDH Director