Say that you are the owner of a wonderful home that is a venerable 80 years old, a modern vintage classic near and dear to your heart. The problem is, as beautiful and charming as it may be, it hasn’t physically aged well and requires some major renovation work, so much so that parts of the structure will have to be completely rebuilt! You want to make sure to preserve the home’s intrinsic historic value and architectural heritage, but you still need to have a liveable structure suited to the lifestyles of today- what do you do?
Well, we have good news for you, your best course of action is to engage the services of an expert residential architect in Melbourne who can help you assess the heritage features that must be properly preserved while creating a viable modern living space within that framework!
The architect’s role in a major home renovation project of this scope is a major one that is indispensable to its success. They will be there to help respect and retain the vital features of the original structure while guiding the process that will remake the home into a place where you can live your daily life in comfort within. They will take your vision and make it a reality for you by designing the necessary changes in a way that honours and preserves the home’s flavour, then carefully choosing the right materials, and diligently overseeing the reconstruction process through to its completion.
Let’s take a moment to examine the steps that this kind of project is going to need to go through:
The very first step is for the architect to visit the home to be renovated and meet with the homeowner in order to view the structure, and find out what the homeowner’s goals and hopes for the project are, then make a plan with them to make their vision happen! The architect will probably want to sketch out some conceptual designs that lay out the homeowner’s ideas viewed through the lens of their expertise.
The next step will be to take careful measurements of the home that will be used to create a floor plan of its current state and describe the features that must be preserved. They will then use that information to draw up a more detailed preliminary schematic design that is to scale.
The architect will refine the schematic design, being sure to incorporate the homeowner’s concept and established goals to create what is called a conceptual design. This is where the architectural design process really begins to take shape! While the schematic designs might appear highly detailed and complex to the average homeowner, in reality, they are a very basic format for architectural projects. The schematic design is carefully drawn to scale and typically includes elevations and detailed floor plans. These days most architects create 3D computer renderings of the intended project to show the homeowner. This is the point where a very rough cost estimate of the project can be formulated.
Following the schematic design phase there is generally a round or two of revisions to be made, mostly dependent on the homeowner’s opinions about the initial design. This is where greater detail can be discussed and added, as well as making decisions on the kinds of materials that will be used, choosing any new appliances that will be installed, additional furnishings, replacement plumbing and wiring, etc. This stage involves a great deal of collaboration between the homeowners and the architect in order to ensure the renovation is able to proceed further without having to make a lot of last-minute changes.
The final pre-renovation phase is when the architect presents the homeowner with a final design based on all of their collaborative efforts and the physical demands of creating a viable legal structure. This is also when the final cost estimates for the project can accurately be made.
This is the point where the architect steps back and the designs are shown to a contractor, who will also need to have some input on the final direction the project will take. At this point, it’s best practice to retain the architect in an advisory capacity as the renovation physically takes place.
We hope this inspires and informs you so that you can preserve the special aspects of your wonderful old home while making it capable of sheltering you for years to come!