The Home Renovation Process
The home renovation process can seem daunting and confusing, especially when there are so many steps involved, as well as numerous consultants, authorities and regulations that are paramount to bringing the project to fruition.
General Phases of the Building Process:
Initial Design Phase
Development Application (DA) Phase
Documentation and Construction Certificate (CC) Phase
Contract Administration
Occupation Certificate (OC) Phase
Initial Design Phase
This phase includes collecting relevant information about the site, such as your local Council’s planning regulations, as well as conducting a survey of your site. The height limit, maximum built area and landscaping requirements are some of the basics that are researched at this phase, to ensure that the design is in line with Council’s constraints.
After all constraints are looked at, and the feasibility of a project’s chances of approval are good, an initial design is completed and shown to the client for feedback. It takes about two to three meetings to decide on a final design, which the client will sign off on before we move onto the Development Application Phase.
Development Application (DA) Phase
At this stage of the project, the design has been finalised, and relevant drawings and documentation are prepared to hand in to Council.Every Council has different requirements for what kind of documentation they need in order to assess the design.
In most cases, external consultants will need to be engaged, for example for storm water drawings, landscape plans and structural drawings, to name a few. After all documentation is ready, the application form is filled out and the owner has signed it, the DA is ready to be submitted. Council's Development Application fees are calculated by the estimated cost of works of the project.
Documentation and Construction Certificate (CC) Phase
This phase occurs after Council has approved the design. However, legally, construction works are not yet allowed to commence.
A certifier or the local Council is engaged to provide a Construction Certificate. Fees do not differ by much for either , and documentation needs are the same. The certifier’s job is to issue a building permit and ensure all of Council’s approval conditions are met. At this point, the relevant consultants are engaged to provide the relevant documents, such as structural engineering drawings, and an arborist report.
The architect will also produce much more detailed drawings and schedules in this phase, based on the approved design. These drawings will be used to get a construction price from the builder.The builder is also chosen, and the client signs a contract with him once they agree on the price and conditions. Once a builder has been finalised and all relevant documentation is ready, the certifier issues the CC and building work may begin after 48 hours.
Contract Administration
After the construction certificate has been issued, the client may ask the architect to look after the project during the construction phase. The designer can provide advice about different forms of contracts and supervise the construction process, acting as the agent between the client and the builder.
This is often useful for projects costing over $2mil, as the owner is usually unable to manage the project on his own due to the project’s complexity.
Occupation Certificate (OC) Phase
After construction has been completed, the certifier inspects the work to ensure that it has been built according to the Council approved plans. Once he is satisfied that this has been done, and that the work complies with various Building Codes, he/she issues an Occupation Certificate, and the owner may officially move into the premises.
