House designs / plans website????

[Guest Guest75]

Well after getting a contract on our house we are finding it hard to find any house that fits our wishlist.

 

 

Sooooooooooooo

 

We might build.

 

Have our eye on a nice level 1200sqm block.

 

Dunno where to start for house designs though!!!

 

Is there a good website with house designs / plans of that you can look through.

 

Bit fed up looking through the "usual suspects".

 

After something perhaps a little different that fits us and not the other way around!.

 

We just need some ideas.

 

Preferably looking at single story but adding a master bed and lounge as a second floor.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

[newlife]

How about going to an architect and telling him your wish list and see what he can come up with

[NicF]

We're in the process of finding a house to build at the moment. We already have the block of land. Most builders will customise their plans to what you want and some builders don't have any plans at all. We had a builder come round last night who recommended a building designer called Domenic Condina, who they use all the time. He will produce a basic plan based on our requirements for about $500, whereas a full technical spec would cost about $5000. We're thinking single story with maybe a living room in the eaves.

 

It's worth choosing a building designer that is familiar with the planning requirements of your area as these vary from council to council. Our council has just introduced a rule that the footprint of the house must be no more than 50% of the total area of the block, and also has a rule that any second storey must be two meters in from the boundary. Different councils have different rules though. Good luck.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

That sounds great Tyke!

If you build an additional rumpus room put me down to rent it...my boys don't seem to want to move on so I might move out on them!

 

It's a weird situation with plans here. All the existing plans are owned by the company that built the home. There are plenty of existing plans in the Sunday newspaper and on the property developer company websites and this might be a good start to cut and paste your requirements. Then you would have a good working draft before taking your draft design to an architect.

Visit a few showhouses..see what you like and what works and what doesn't. They don't really like you taking pictures but...

It's also a good idea to go through the plans with a good builder before you submit and have them approved..they pick up things and see things from a different perspective.

 

Tamara

Edited September 21, 2012 by Tamara (Homes Down Under)

[Guest Guest75]

That sounds great Tyke!

If you build an additional rumpus room put me down to rent it...my boys don't seem to want to move on so I might move out on them!

 

It's a weird situation with plans here. All the existing plans are owned by the company that built the home. There are plenty of existing plans in the Sunday newspaper and on the property developer company websites and this might be a good start to cut and paste your requirements. Then you would have a good working draft before taking your draft design to an architect.

Visit a few showhouses..see what you like and what works and what doesn't. They don't really like you taking pictures but...

It's aslo a good idea to go through the plans with a good builder before you submit and have them approved..they pick up things and see things from a different perspective.

 

Tamara

 

Cheers Tamara.

 

If possible we don't need a big house as there is only the two of us (and 3 dogs!).

A three bed design would be great - but we'd like a big block of 1000+ m2.

Spoilt I know after 2.5 acres.

There are so many 5 bed houses built on what I'd say is a 3 bed block!

 

Just wanting ideas and it will be a cut and paste job!!

[Anne B]

I love looking at house plans (and dreaming). I do find that a lot of Australian designs are all the same, with slight variations. It's as if they can't think outside the box. Try looking at home designs on the internet from other countries. I remember once looking at designs from the USA and Ireland - I can't remember the websites, but there were some very different ideas there, and fabulous homes, so you might find some ideas worth pinching!

[sinob]

This might give you some inspiration

 

http://www.huf-haus.com/en/the-huf-house/huf-house-gallery.html

[Guest Crushfamily]

Have a look at Statesman & Hickinbotham brochures for ideas and then build with someone else!

[Anne B]

Try http://www.architecturaldesigns.com or http://www.houseplans.com/

[Guest Guest75]

This might give you some inspiration

 

http://www.huf-haus.com/en/the-huf-house/huf-house-gallery.html

 

Hmmm!! Interesting!!!

Seem to remember this firm had a house on Grand Designs???

[Misplaced]

Or try hear my little Yorkshire friend

 

http://australianhouseplans.com.au/

 

http://www.iwantthatdesign.com.au/designs

[Guest ali]

Hi Tyke,

 

I searched and found two websites for you:

 

http://www.thehousedesigners.com/

 

http://www.globalhouseplans.com/

 

The first one also gives you a floor plan. They both give you prices if you are interested and the first one also allows you to modify the plan.

 

Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

Cheers mate,

 

Ali

[foxychick]

Back of a napkin for your ideas, thn head to an architext to expand and suggest ideas or someone like Samuel jones, their stuff is lovely

[Guest USA soon just SA]

Wow! austalian customs will take a lot of getting used to for us. We had noticed that you have been looking for moving boxes for a while now, but haven't yet decided what your new house will even look like. Man, I am going to look like I am really doing things backwards, as I would not pack my stuff untill a few months before the move at most.

 

I'm just poking a little fun, but on a more serious note, our container will be arriving in late november, and all of our packing boxes are from sterile medical/pharmaceutical supplies, so are clean and strong, and are assorted among anly about 5 or 6 sizes for easy stacking. If you want, we can be careful unpacking them, and save them for you if you still want them. There are probably about 150 of them. We didn't respond earlier because we figured your move was more immediate than it apparently is. Good luck finding the home that really makes your heart sing, and put us down for moving day if you want some extra laborers.

[Guest Guest75]

Wow! austalian customs will take a lot of getting used to for us. We had noticed that you have been looking for moving boxes for a while now, but haven't yet decided what your new house will even look like. Man, I am going to look like I am really doing things backwards, as I would not pack my stuff untill a few months before the move at most.

 

I'm just poking a little fun, but on a more serious note, our container will be arriving in late november, and all of our packing boxes are from sterile medical/pharmaceutical supplies, so are clean and strong, and are assorted among anly about 5 or 6 sizes for easy stacking. If you want, we can be careful unpacking them, and save them for you if you still want them. There are probably about 150 of them. We didn't respond earlier because we figured your move was more immediate than it apparently is. Good luck finding the home that really makes your heart sing, and put us down for moving day if you want some extra laborers.

 

We do our thing in our "own" style in the Tyke household:wacko:

 

We have sold where we are now and have to be out by the 29th of next month.

 

Going to move into one of our holiday rentals for now and it may be for a while as we are leaning more and more towards building a house that WE want:cute:

 

 

Thank you kindly for the offer of the boxes but we will be out and packed by your arrival

 

 

Been to look at some show homes today and I can feel myself really getting caught up in the whole process.

 

Impressed with the Scott Salisbury Manhattan show home !!!

It's the easy bit now - just deciding on the house design and finding some land to build on!!

[Guest Guest75]

Thanks for the help and suggestions guys.

 

Just don't have the patience to build we realise but more importantly we have found an established house that fit's the bill!!

I would have liked a larger block but the lovely sea views more than make up for it.

We move there on the day we leave here so all's good:biggrin:

[Guest ali]

Congratulations Tyke! I'm sure that you will make lots of great and lovely memories in the new house too:smile:

 

Cheers,

 

Ali

[Guest barkers18]

i've discovered a decent designer (but now discovered he's not an architect) so i'm looking for structural engineer (wouldn't mind as its only a carport conversion).

 

i'll drop you a line Tyke

[Rammygirl]

Have a look at these guys. We looked t the house in Greenfield it was fab.

 

http://www.drewedwards.com.au/

[Guest Guest75]

Have a look at these guys. We looked t the house in Greenfield it was fab.

 

http://www.drewedwards.com.au/

 

I know of Drew Edwards.

My friends are renting a home designed by him and are building their dream home based on his designs :biggrin:

[xzibit]

i've discovered a decent designer (but now discovered he's not an architect) so i'm looking for structural engineer (wouldn't mind as its only a carport conversion).

 

Architects don't usually do any structural design. We always either use an engineer or get our drawings signed off by an engineer before issue. So you would have needed an engineer anyway.