Meeting your architect or designer and not sure what they will ask you?

With so much choice and beautiful inspirational images available, it's easy to get sidetracked on need vs wants.

Be prepared and have the answers for these questions ready to go.

General

Have you designed and built before?

Are you willing to do any of the construction / project management yourself?

What is your timeline for the project?

What is your build budget? Note this excludes site works, services and professional fees

Will you be living remotely whilst building?

Design Requirements

What design elements are most important to you?

Is there any views you want to take advantage of?

Roughly what size bedrooms are important to you?

Is open plan living important, what size?

Are there specific storage requirements you need?

About You

Who will be living here?

Will this be your primary residence, holiday home or an investment?

What rooms do you spend most of your time in?

How important is the kitchen for you?

Do you like to entertain?

How do you relax in your home?

Features

What special features you want to include in this build?

Think gable ceilings, timber feature walls or cladding, curves, fireplace?

Is joinery a key feature for you in terms of TV areas, robes, bookshelves etc?

Do you own any furniture or art that needs to be incorporated into the design?

Are ceiling heights important to you?

Going Green

Do you have an interest in ways to build an energy efficient home?

Did you want to include solar? Gas free home? Harvest rainwater?

Have you considered concrete flooring for thermal mass?

What type of heating and cooling systems do you want to include?

Landscape / Site

What is the terrain like, slope, orientation, soil?

What outdoor spaces are significant to you? Pool, entertaining, veggie patch?

Are there any outbuilding to be incorporated into the scope?

What natural features are on site that you want to retain?

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Hope this starts to get you thinking deeply about your home and how you want to live in it. The more clear you are on this the easier it is to communicative your vision effectively.

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And if you’re preparing for design meetings and want more clarity, our Modern Barn Guide walks you through everything - from shaping your brief to understanding materials, spatial flow and the right questions to ask your builder.