Deciding whether to extend or rebuild your home can be a tricky decision and can save, or cost you, thousands of dollars.

Passive design involves designing a new home or extension so that it requires minimal heating and cooling to create comfortable living spaces throughout the year. It can save you a huge amount of money as mechanical heating and cooling can contribute up to 40% of your annual home energy costs.

Unfortunately, your drawings alone are simply not enough for builders to quote your project. Sure, they’re great for telling builders how big the house is going to be, where the kitchen and bathroom are located, and what the walls and roof are made from; but the plans by themselves do not tell the builders about the fittings, finishes and materials that make the house your home.

Building & renovating is one of the biggest investments you are likely to make and there is too much at stake for you to get it wrong. Unfortunately too often the dream of a new home turns into a stressful and expensive nightmare.

So this might be a first, a designer writing about the issues you might experience when working with a designer or architect.  However, it makes perfect sense really… who better to point out a few things that we as a profession should be doing right.

Building and renovating is not something that we do very often, so it goes without saying that choosing a builder can be a tricky decision with significant consequences if you get it wrong. By avoiding these common mistakes you’re more likely to enjoy a stress free build and eliminate budget blow outs.