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:
Architect:
Building Designer:
Draftsman / Draftsperson:
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
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:
- Tertiary Education
- Licensing
- Services provided
- 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
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