How our Feasibility Study process helped our client go from unsure how to start to loving their renovation project.
The good news is engaging the services of an architect for a Feasibility Study is relatively simple. Learn how to commission and work with your preferred architect in four easy steps, based on this real life example.
Excerpt from the client Brief:
(photo of the original house from the rear yard)
We bought this house in the middle of the pandemic in 2021. The most important considerations for us were a big block, character property, proximity to good schools, parks and to our work. The garden for us was a key factor in buying this home and we are following permaculture principles to grow as much of the food we eat as we can. The house was built in 1937 in Spanish Mission style and with art deco features which we love and want to retain as much as possible and celebrate what was originally here. We want to create a happy, comfortable, healthy and sustainable home for our son to grow up in and for us to retreat to from our busy schedules.
Our drivers for investing in a renovation of our home are not about creating lots of additional space or having the latest finishes or technologies. Rather, we want to solve some inherent problems in the current design of our home and come up with creative ways to reconfigure what we have to support our family of three (plus two dogs) into the future.
The problems the client wanted to solve…
Create flow between living spaces and our back garden - we want a seamless transition from the indoor to outdoor that will enable us to constantly engage with the outdoor space from the main living areas, even when we can’t be outside. We also want to have the opportunity to extend our entertaining and living into the back garden.
Ensure the space is flexible enough to support our family as it changes over time - this includes a minimum of three bedrooms and a separate study area that can house 3x work stations. We aren’t having any more kids but intend to stay in this house until our son leaves so it needs to accommodate him, and us, into his adulthood. We also need to accommodate frequent stays from interstate grandparents and have the ability to have them stay for an extended period if needed.
Fix our storage issues - we need more of it and it needs to be more functional and relevant. This includes finding ways to store preserved food from the garden and bulk commodities near the kitchen.
Futureproof our home from a sustainability perspective by reducing energy consumption, take advantage of recycled materials and maximising water efficiency, where possible.
The feasibility phase allowed us to address the key problems by exploring ‘masterplan-style’ design schemes with differing levels of demolition/ refurbishment. These were discussed, developed and refined to establish the best solution for this family. It also helped better understand the budget goals prior to the more formal design phases (2 to 3).
The Feasibility Study (Existing Site Plan and Five Design Schemes testing whether the project is feasible)
Key Steps for a Feasibility Study:
1. Meet with your architect to brief them on your site-specific needs and technical requirements.
2. Accurately draw up the existing floor plan
3. Your architect will then prepare three to four design schemes (sometimes a small, medium, large and extra-large) to explore different layouts and room sizes to see what works best for you. Can you fit everything you want, or do we need to adjust the brief?
4. Prepare an opinion of cost (based on square metre rates from previous projects) as shown on the design schemes and use this to refine or reduce the scope of the project as required. This will test whether your expectations and brief really does match the budget, and provide a solid base to move forward into Phase 2 (Planning Drawings).
Book a free or paid initial consult via our online enquiry form here.
The Final Site Plan (after Phase 3)