ARCHITECT: Quality Home Design
LOCATION: BACCHUS MARSH
STARTED: JULY, 2019*
Completed: august, 2020
INSIDE THE PROJECT
HOW DID IT START?
As the clients had a family connection with the team at Quality Home Design, they approached them to start designing their home. The exact process in this early stage can vary slightly depending on the architect, but Quality Home Design consult with the clients to establish a brief. They thoroughly discuss the clients ideas, inspiration and what the clients need within the space, so that they can take all this into account from the very first sketch.
Once they have some plans drawn up that fit the brief and that the clients love, QHD encourage the clients to get in touch with builders to get some initial quotes based on the architectural plans. The plans can be refined from there, working around the clients’ budget and any input or suggestions from the builder.
QHD will only finalise the plans after the client has seen a builder to ensure the design will be within the client’s budget. Then once construction plans and engineering are sorted out, we can get a contract price and get everything confirmed to move forward.
Below are the elevations and floor plan of the home. The architectural plans were completed in July 2019.
WHERE DID THE DESIGN COME FROM?
The design is most often a collaboration between the clients and their architect, with guidance from a builder’s perspective if needed. We spoke with Alyson from Quality Home Design to get some insight into how this home design came to be.
“[Billy and Jade] were really open and quite trusting… They came to me with a functional brief - what they needed from the space and how they imagine themselves living. They’re a young couple so the home needs to work for them now with the two of them but also keep in mind growing needs later on”.
“They showed me some photos of facades they liked - but they were all double-story. They liked [those concepts] but they didn’t want a double-story since they had so much space on such a wide block… We designed a few different options and actually the first sketch we drew for them was what they ended up building”.
ABOUT THE DESIGN - EXTERIOR
It makes sense that a home should be designed for the block that it will sit on, and this was the starting point for Billy, Jade and Alyson for this home design. “They wanted to make the most of the width of the block, and also build in side access as they’ll be putting a shed down the back. The block is north-facing, so we wanted to utilise the natural light. The idea was also to have a nice flow from the home to the backyard and make the most of that visual”.
The facade was based on the images they provided, but tailored to be a single story, wider home. “They knew the materials that they wanted and they were pretty set on the colour scheme”.
While the home design is set and signed off on in order to start construction, building a custom home with us gives the client some flexibility to shape things as we go. For example, during the process “they changed their cladding a bit. Billy wanted something he could paint, to choose his own colour rather than a pre-finished product”.
ABOUT THE DESIGN - INTERIOR
The beauty of a custom home is that any unique needs and preferences can be catered to. “The home needed accomodate Jade’s beauty business. I talked to them to see how the business works, and that’s why we’ve designed the second door [at the front of the house] so they don’t have to take clients through the rest of their home. It keeps it all separate, but we also made sure to consider resale down the track”. The powder room is placed directly across the hall from this area where the home business will be run. The space created is suited to specific requirements, yet it’s versatile so it won’t limit how the space could be used.
A key driver of this design was realism and practicality as this is the couple’s first home. They want it to suit their lifestyle now while keeping in mind the longer-term needs of a growing family. For example - the dark theatre room (as they love watching movies together), the comfortable bedroom sizes, plenty of storage integrated throughout, plus thing like the under-bench oven to free up counter space.
The home was also largely influenced by the desire for there to be a flow through the house while being able to section things off where needed. The design essentially created three sections to the home - the area that will predominantly be used by the couple in day-to-day living, the area for the beauty business, and the wing of the house with the additional bedrooms and bathroom.
They wanted to make the most of the space within a practical budget. “They loved the idea of high ceilings, but the higher you go, the more it costs. So when you come through the entry, we wanted the visual straight to the backyard… we wanted things to align, and we thought, to add a different feature [for more height], we could raise the ceiling in that space where a dining table will be, and also line that up with the door”. A raised ceiling step-up in the trusses was a budget-friendly way to add height and a visual feature to the main area of the house.
Another area with a focus on practicality and flow was the master bedroom. The walk-in robe and ensuite were placed together behind a door as the couple wake up at different times. This set-up allows the early-riser to shut the one door and minimise disturbance to the one still sleeping.
Ultimately, the couple wanted a high quality home designed for their present and their future. The team at Quality Home Design took in all this information to create a functional floor-plan, and then we brought it to life.
THE LOOK & FEEL
The architect designs the external facade and the overall design and layout of the home, but the overall aesthetic of a home comes from the combination of materials, colours, fixtures and fittings. These are chosen by the client. When we quote your build for you, we include allowances for certain things, based on conversations about what you want. For example, to work to your budget, we’ll give you a number to work to for your tile selections, and then you’ll go ‘shopping’ to choose your tiles to suit your budget. The same goes for your plumbing appliances, doors, handles, etc. This is how we get to a final price for the contract stage - by having budgeted amounts for all elements of the build. Once we have the sign-off on the contract, we work with you to finalise your selections.
