Building Design, Prime Time
We are building designers from Prime Design. We created the Building Design, Prime Time podcast, to provide valuable information for anyone looking to undertake a new build or extension project. We share our tips, tricks and stories from a building designer's perspective.
Building Design, Prime Time
E114. How to interpret your first floorplan concepts
Designing your dream home is exciting, but designing it on a rural block? That’s a whole new adventure. In this episode of the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast, Amelia steps into the client’s chair as she and Frank unpack the real, unfiltered process of creating a home from the ground up as Amelia navigates going through the process of getting the first floorplan concept for her new home.
From interpreting the very first concept sketch to navigating natural light, orientation, and the realities of off-grid living, this episode gives you a rare behind-the-scenes look at what really happens in the early stages of residential design. Amelia shares her own learnings, the questions she didn’t realise she needed to ask, and how 3D modelling helped bring her rural home to life long before anything is built.
Frank dives into why honest feedback is essential, how to balance the wishlist with budget, and the role of “compromise moments” when two people are designing one home. They also explore the hidden costs of building on acreage, think tanks, pumps, power runs, wastewater systems, sheds, and even the potential for a future granny flat.
Whether you’re planning a rural build, considering a renovation, or simply love understanding how good design comes together, this episode is packed with relatable insights, practical advice, and a few laughs along the way.
If you enjoy this conversation, make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode, and dive into our library of past episodes for more guidance on building, design, approvals, and choosing the right team for your project. Your dream home starts with the right knowledge, and we’re here to help you every step of the way.
About us
Prime Design is a building design company locally owned and operated in Tasmania since 2004. Our goal is to share as much valuable information as possible about the process of building design, extensions, and more. We will talk about a different topic each week. To suggest a topic you would like us to talk about contact us at info@primedesigntas.com.au
Disclaimer
The information provided on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, individual circumstances, or remedy. We strongly suggest you consult a qualified professional before taking any action based on the information provided in this podcast. The views, opinions, and information provided in this podcast are those of the hosts do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organisation, employer, or company. All content provided on this podcast is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. We make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this podcast and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, or damages arising from its use. We reserve the right to change content or delete any information provided on this podcast at any time without prior notice.
E114. How to interpret your first floorplan concept
[INTRO] (0:08 - 0:24)
Hello and welcome to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast, focused on providing valuable information for anyone looking to undertake a new build or extension project. We'll share our tips, tricks and stories from a building designers perspective.
[Amelia]
Hello and welcome to the Building Design, Prime Time podcast. I'm your host Amelia and once again we're joined by Frank Geskus.
[Frank] (0:42 - 0:44)
Hey Amelia, we're going to do this again aren't we?
[Amelia] (0:44 - 0:45)
Another podcast.
[Frank] (0:45 - 0:47)
You said 114 didn't you?
[Amelia] (0:47 - 0:49)
Yeah, 114th podcast.
[Frank] (0:49 - 0:49)
That's a lot.
[Amelia] (0:49 - 0:51)
It is, yeah quite a lot, yep.
[Frank] (0:51 - 0:53)
We're going to do this one a little bit different this time.
[Amelia] (0:53 - 0:57)
Yeah, I feel like I'm under the microscope a little bit on this one.
[Frank] (0:57 - 1:06)
Oh you are, but it could be me too. That's true. You know and how we set up systems. So Amelia, you're getting new house designed through Prime Design.
[Amelia] (1:06 - 1:10)
I am. It's very different being on the other side of the table.
[Frank] (1:10 - 1:42)
It is. So I'm going to ask the questions this time.
[Amelia]
Okay.
[Frank]
Because you're experiencing what all our customers experience. And you work in the social media coordinator, marketing side, websites. You organise that for Prime and all the other businesses.
And you don't necessarily work with the design side of things. The guys supply you information, put posts up, write newsletters, website, do the podcast.
[Amelia]
That's right.
[Frank]
You do so many things.
[Amelia] (1:43 - 1:53)
In terms of technical knowledge for designing a house, I'm pretty much your regular run-of-the-mill person off the street. I don't have any experience in that.
[Frank] (1:53 - 1:56)
Other than you love looking at it, you love houses.
[Amelia] (1:56 - 1:57)
I do.
[Frank] (1:57 - 2:17)
You obviously love it. So we're going to go through a bit of a question answer thing, kind of in Amelia's experience. Because she just, we told her what to do at the start, like we do with every customer.
What is the brief? What is the scope? And we work really hard on that. And Amy worked with you to go through that.
[Amelia]
Yes.
[Frank]
I believe.
[Amelia] (2:17 - 2:18)
She has.
[Frank] (2:18 - 3:11)
So then from there, Amy gets a good understanding of what you want to achieve. You've got a beautiful acreage block. And you've got a brief that you've put together.
And you've just received your first concept sketch back.
[Amelia]
I have.
[Frank]
And you asked some interesting questions about that.
And I thought this would make an ideal perspective from a customer and how you've experienced and the reasons why we do things in a certain way. And this is unscripted, by the way. We're just doing this ad lib because we think this should be raw.
And good, bad, the ugly, we need to put this across. Because I can learn things off this as well to improve how we do our business. So you've received your first concept sketch.
And let me explain what that is. It's essentially the site plan. You've had the detail survey completed?
[Amelia] (3:11 - 3:12)
No, not yet.
[Frank] (3:12 - 3:22)
No, it's just purely the sketch. So it's been placed on the site approximately where it might go in relation to north access, neighbouring properties, all that old neighbouring blocks, because you're in acreage.
[Amelia] (3:23 - 3:23)
Yes.
[Frank] (3:24 - 3:26)
Because how big is your block?
[Amelia] (3:26 - 3:28)
It's 25 acres.
[Frank] (3:28 - 3:33)
Lovely, beautiful, pristine Tasmanian acreage.
[Amelia] (3:34 - 3:37)
Yep, two trees, all grass pretty much, and a dam.
[Frank] (3:38 - 3:47)
Awesome, a dream for a lot of people. And in Tassie, it's still quite a possibility having these wonderful blocks in there. How far out of town is it, out of Launceston?
[Amelia] (3:47 - 3:49)
I'd say less than 20 minutes.
[Frank] (3:49 - 3:55)
20 minutes drive. So in the worst case, in Launceston, it's terrible traffic. It might take you 30 minutes to get to work.
[Amelia] (3:55 - 3:57)
Not even, I don't reckon.
[Frank] (3:57 - 4:25)
Yeah, there you go. Sorry, I had to plug that with all you guys living in the big cities, especially Melbourne and Sydney, where it might take you a little bit longer to get to work and from work. Probably.
So Amy's got the brief. She sent the brief back out to you to have a look at. You're all okay.
You've now received your first sketch, which, like I said, site plan without the detailed survey yet, and basically a floor plan. It's just a floor plan, just to start with.
[Amelia] (4:25 - 4:26)
Yes.
[Frank] (4:26 - 4:33)
So what was your experience of receiving that floor plan? No side views or 3Ds at this stage.
[Amelia] (4:33 - 4:43)
That's right, just a floor plan and a rough idea of where it will be sitting on the block and I guess how it's orientated on the block as well.
[Frank] (4:43 - 4:48)
And the overall size of the house, approximately.
[Amelia]
Yes.
[Frank]
Where it's based on that sketch.
[Amelia] (4:48 - 4:48)
Yes.
[Frank] (4:48 - 4:50)
How many square metres did it come in, may I ask?
[Amelia] (4:50 - 4:51)
30.
[Frank] (4:52 - 4:53)
30 squares or 30 square metres?
[Amelia] (4:54 - 4:54)
30 squares.
[Frank] (4:55 - 4:59)
So that ends up being... Wow, that's a big house.
[Amelia] (5:02 - 5:03)
No, 283.
[Frank] (5:03 - 5:04)
That's still a big house.
[Amelia] (5:05 - 5:05)
Yeah.
[Frank] (5:06 - 5:07)
Wow. Okay, cool.
[Amelia] (5:07 - 5:08)
That's a single storey.
[Frank] (5:08 - 5:10)
Yeah, single storey. How many bedrooms?
[Amelia] (5:10 - 5:17)
Four bedrooms. One of them is going to be a study and then there is a hobby room as well.
[Frank] (5:17 - 5:18)
That's five.
[Amelia] (5:18 - 5:24)
Well, no, that was not my choice. It's not for me, the hobby room.
[Frank] (5:24 - 5:25)
Well, it's for your husband as well.
[Amelia] (5:25 - 5:26)
It is.
[Frank] (5:26 - 5:28)
You know, at the end of the day, you both do it together.
[Amelia] (5:28 - 5:31)
Yes, the hobby room is quite large though, I have to say.
[Frank] (5:32 - 5:34)
Okay, I thought that was going in the shed.
[Amelia] (5:35 - 5:48)
It was going to go in the shed. This is probably a disagreement between my husband and I, but... That's okay, that's what happens.
That's okay. That's what he wanted. He told me what he wanted and that's what the information that was given to the designer.
[Frank] (5:49 - 5:59)
You give all the information as a partnership, you do that and you work through it. So what was your first impressions? You went through it, the excitement?
[Amelia] (6:00 - 6:11)
Yeah, I was pretty excited. I think we were actually recording the last podcast when the email came through, so I had to be very careful not to get distracted.
[Frank] (6:12 - 6:16)
And also for your husband as well, he'd be pretty excited to have a look.
[Amelia] (6:16 - 6:17)
He was, yes.
[Frank] (6:18 - 6:19)
Cool. So, feedback.
[Amelia] (6:20 - 6:58)
Okay, so I guess the first thing is you try and get your head around what it is that you're at exactly in terms of, okay, what do these lines actually mean on the page? Where are the openings? Where are the windows?
How big are the windows? Is the alfresco actually covered in? I'm not really sure.
How far does the roof line actually come past the main house? All of those little things sort of creep in and you start to realise, okay, I probably have a few questions I have to ask to figure out what it is I'm actually looking at.
[Frank] (6:58 - 7:55)
Yeah, sure. Which is quite normal. So just from my point of view and experience and how we generally do this in prime design, we always start with a basic sketch for the floor plan.
And that's purely to get the sizing right. Does it flow right? You know, the functionality of the building.
That's really, really important and we like to focus on that first. Now, I'm not saying this is the right way. It's just the way I've learned, developed, but also the rest of the team.
There's other designs architects that will go a lot further or get you the 3D straight away. I know, do full renders and go berserk. In the cylinder dream of the total form, I think that's a little bit premature.
Because I would like to get the functionality and facing in the right direction. We can work on the forms later. And the idea is to get all your room sizes right.
Also recommend to, hey, you've got the basic dimensions on there. Grab a tape, compare it to what you already have.
[Amelia] (7:55 - 8:17)
That's actually exactly what I did for bedroom sizes and the width of the hallway as well. I pretty much provided the designer with what we have in our current house. Because I was happy with those sort of sizes.
They're a little bigger than the standard. And the same with the hallway as well. I don't like anything too pokey.
[Frank] (8:17 - 8:38)
No, and that's fair enough. But at least you go through that process. And then you go, yep, yep, yep, check it.
And then you go, oh, no, you might find stuff. Yeah, rethink about it because now it's put on a sketch. Classic examples like your ensuite and bathrooms isn't sometimes exactly how you want it.
There's multiple ways of doing it, but you are limited.
[Amelia] (8:39 - 8:39)
Yes.
[Frank] (8:40 - 8:53)
And the other limiting factor is like we just spoke about the overall size. You might go, wow, that's big. That is big, yeah.
It is. And then you've got to think, hmm, how much is it going to cost?
[Amelia] (8:53 - 8:56)
Well, that's right. Is it going to fit within the budget?
[Frank] (8:56 - 9:27)
That's right. This is where you've got to go through this process. And that's why I find the floor plan is a good place to start.
Because floor area, you can generally work out a square manage rate on the style of house. Kind of. And we're not experts in the cost of construction.
Because by the time you start, by the time you actually start, construction could be anywhere between six months, 12 months, 18 months or longer.
[Amelia]
Yes.
[Frank]
And the price of construction...
[Amelia]
Could change.
[Frank]
Yep. In the last five years in Australia, it's gone up somewhere between 30-40%, depending where you are in the country.
[Amelia] (9:28 - 9:28)
Yes.
[Frank] (9:28 - 9:29)
Wow.
[Amelia] (9:29 - 9:30)
That is a lot.
[Frank] (9:31 - 9:47)
So from there, have you been pondering, thinking, going over the plans multiple times?
[Amelia]
Yes.
[Frank]
So you mentioned a few things about what do these lines mean? What is this size of this window? Is the alfresco filled in?
[Amelia] (9:47 - 9:47)
Yes.
[Frank] (9:48 - 9:50)
So have you written all those questions down?
[Amelia] (9:51 - 9:52)
Not yet, no.
[Frank] (9:52 - 9:52)
Okay.
[Amelia] (9:52 - 9:53)
I probably should though.
[Frank] (9:54 - 10:16)
Yeah, no, I was about to say, the most important for us as designers is feedback. So then writing down every question. And there's no dumb questions. And just reiterate, you need to be very clear and brutal with your designer. If you don't like something, say so. Like for me personally, I'm not in the space to do something you don't like.
And you're not going to offend me.
[Amelia] (10:16 - 10:25)
No. And I mean, you have to start somewhere too. That's what the point is. There's only so far you can go without knowing what you do like when it's actually on a page.
[Frank] (10:25 - 10:28)
Because it will change once you get the 3D models.
[Amelia] (10:28 - 10:29)
True, yes.
[Frank] (10:29 - 10:58)
And then you go, well, it's not quite how I imagined it. But on plan, it looks fine. But in 3D, it's not.
Because we also, once we get to that stage, we also send out a 3D model that you can upload on the screen and spin it around on the screen, pop the roof off, have a look inside. With no furniture, it's just the basic forms and shapes. You can look at the window, spin it around, how's it sit on the site.
And we found that very helpful for a lot of customers to be able to view that. Or come into the office and view it if they don't know how to do it.
[Amelia] (10:59 - 10:59)
Yes.
[Frank] (10:59 - 11:01)
That's going to be the next stage for you, I would just suggest.
[Amelia] (11:02 - 11:03)
That's exciting.
[Frank] (11:03 - 11:08)
It is. Where do you think you're at right now? You're still pondering and thinking about stuff?
[Frank] (11:08 - 11:20)
Yeah, yeah. I think this weekend will probably be sitting down and actually going over it properly. Just the two of us.
Without everybody else's input.
[Frank] (11:20 - 11:21)
Oh, 100%.
[Amelia] (11:22 - 11:25)
I mean, I love my family, but they all have opinions.
[Frank] (11:26 - 11:26)
Really?
[Amelia] (11:26 - 11:27)
Really.
[Frank] (11:27 - 11:31)
You bring up a really interesting point there. Why haven't you shared it with your family?
[Amelia] (11:32 - 11:34)
Oh, I have shared it with the family.
[Frank] (11:34 - 11:34)
Okay.
[Amelia] (11:34 - 11:48)
Yeah, I mean, they're excited for us as well. And some of them have been through this process before. Some of them have not.
[Frank]
Yes.
[Amelia]
So obviously their perspectives are all very different because of that too.
[Frank] (11:48 - 11:49)
Yep, everyone's got an opinion.
[Amelia] (11:49 - 11:49)
Yep.
[Frank] (11:49 - 11:52)
It's very interesting that. How much weight do you put on their opinion?
[Amelia] (11:54 - 11:58)
No, not heaps. And I don't mean that in a bad way.
[Frank] (11:58 - 12:38)
No, no, no, no. And it's not meant to be that way. Because it brings up a really interesting point.
Over the years, and I've had people's ideas, their scope, their dreams been altered by other people's opinion. And I'm not talking about, oh, look, maybe having a separate toilet rather than in the bathroom or an island bench better than this. I'm talking about wholesale changes because of the way they like stuff.
Oh, you're mad if you do that. Oh, really? Your lounge room has to be 10 by 10.
You can't have anything smaller than that. You know, people's personal opinions rather than thinking of what you wanted at the end of the day. If you're questioning what you wanted, that means you weren't sure in the first place.
[Amelia] (12:38 - 12:39)
Yeah, that's true.
[Frank] (12:39 - 12:56)
And it's one of the biggest challenges we face in what we do. Because it's your castle. You have your castle the way you want your castle.
And I think it's a very important point because too many people put opinions in and it means nothing because they are not going to live in it. You have to be really happy with it. And this is going to be for you.
[Amelia] (12:56 - 12:56)
Yeah.
[Frank] (12:56 - 13:05)
But also, this is a good time to work out roughly what it's going to cost to do because we're at 185 or 183 square metres. Oh, sorry.
[Amelia] (13:05 - 13:05)
200.
[Frank] (13:06 - 13:23)
Sorry, I missed 100 square metres there. 200 odd square metres. And you can then multiply that by an approximate square metre rate.
We talk to builders and say roughly this. Now, please be aware, it's only an idea of cost. Doesn't mean the type of fit out.
[Amelia] (13:23 - 13:24)
That's right.
[Frank] (13:24 - 13:40)
Type of glass, type of cladding. Roof shape, topography. That's still to be developed.
But this is where we use a quantity surveyor to actually accurately price it. Or if you're working with a builder, even better, they will price it up properly for you. Or at least budget pricing within 20, 30%.
[Amelia] (13:40 - 13:41)
Yeah.
[Frank] (13:41 - 13:43)
So where to from here for you?
[Amelia] (13:44 - 13:48)
I guess the next step is to make any changes, feedback.
[Frank] (13:49 - 13:49)
Questions.
[Amelia] (13:50 - 13:52)
Yeah, questions that we have.
[Frank] (13:52 - 13:54)
What? What does this line mean?
[Amelia] (13:54 - 13:55)
Yeah, exactly.
[Frank] (13:55 - 14:04)
Can you interpret the plans? Yes. And as a designer and actor, you've got to be very conscious of just because we do the drawings doesn't mean you can understand them.
[Amelia] (14:04 - 14:05)
Exactly right.
[Frank] (14:05 - 14:12)
You know, and that's our job is to translate that, your ideas onto paper and then help explain.
[Amelia] (14:12 - 14:41)
It's really interesting too, when you get that first concept back and both my husband and I, we thought basically the whole plan was mirrored the opposite way to what we thought it was going to be, which is interesting. So we thought the garage was actually going to be on the opposite side, but it's been drawn on the other side. And I mean, there's nothing wrong with that.
It's just interesting how you have something in your head. True. And then, you know, it's drawn different.
[Frank] (14:41 - 14:43)
Now I haven't seen the plans.
[Amelia] (14:43 - 14:44)
No, you haven't.
[Frank] (14:44 - 14:58)
And I have suspicion Amy would have designed that. So it works better with getting the sun, the morning and afternoon, morning and midday sun. We don't aim for the afternoon sun here in Tassie because during summer, it is a shocker.
[Amelia] (14:58 - 14:59)
It's really hot.
[Frank] (14:59 - 15:01)
It's terrible and low.
[Amelia] (15:01 - 15:01)
Yes.
[Frank] (15:02 - 15:07)
So morning, midday, wonderful. And it's just built into us to do it that way.
[Amelia] (15:07 - 15:08)
Yes.
[Frank] (15:08 - 15:14)
We have people that come in and tell us, oh, we want it facing this way. Says you get no sun, don't care. And it hurts our brain.
[Amelia] (15:14 - 15:14)
Yeah.
[Frank] (15:15 - 15:17)
Because we're trying to get natural sunlight.
[Amelia] (15:17 - 15:18)
That's right.
[Frank] (15:18 - 15:27)
Warmth into your house. And once you have it, once you get that beautiful warmth into your house and you go into another house that doesn't have it, you know there's something wrong.
[Amelia] (15:27 - 15:27)
Yes.
[Frank] (15:29 - 15:35)
So yeah, it'd be good to see how you go to discussion with Amy on that. And I'm more sure it's for that exact reason.
[Amelia] (15:36 - 15:42)
I would say so. We did discuss it because where the views are is completely in the wrong direction.
[Frank] (15:42 - 15:43)
It's in the south, isn't it?
[Amelia] (15:43 - 15:43)
Yeah.
[Frank] (15:43 - 15:45)
You're looking at the Western Tiers, aren't you?
[Amelia] (15:45 - 15:47)
Pretty, yeah, pretty much.
[Frank] (15:47 - 15:58)
So that's the central plateau for those outside of Tasmania. You can see the mountains to the south and they are beautiful. But south doesn't get you a lot of natural, free sunlight.
[Amelia] (15:59 - 16:01)
No, it really doesn't.
[Frank] (16:01 - 16:02)
It makes it very hard to design.
[Amelia] (16:03 - 16:20)
It does. But that's, I mean, that's okay. I've spoken to Amy about it and I said, you know, I would rather have a house that is, you know, gets more passive solar gains than looks out at a mountain, which you can, and as she said, you can just go outside and have a look at it.
[Frank] (16:20 - 16:21)
Yeah, it's not the same when you're having a cup of tea.
[Amelia] (16:21 - 16:22)
True, true.
[Frank] (16:22 - 16:24)
Is the alfresco, will you say from the alfresco?
[Amelia] (16:25 - 16:32)
Yeah, so the way she's designed it, you can actually see a bit of the view from the kitchen, living and dining.
[Frank] (16:32 - 16:34)
Oh, okay. Yeah, but it's not the prominent view.
[Amelia] (16:34 - 16:41)
That's right. The prominent view will actually be the back paddocks, which I'm not mad about because all my horses will be in there.
[Frank] (16:41 - 16:43)
I was about to say, your horses will be in view and that'd be nice.
[Amelia] (16:43 - 16:46)
Yes, so that was in the design brief as well.
[Frank] (16:46 - 17:00)
View the horses.
[Amelia]
Yes.
[Frank]
Sounds great. Okay, I'll be interested in the next stage. Because the next stage, I believe, is working through, tweaking it, listening to your wants and not, and then doing 3D perspectives.
[Amelia] (17:01 - 17:02)
Yes.
[Frank] (17:02 - 17:08)
And that's the exciting bit as well, because you get to see how the forms work and the windows.
[Amelia] (17:08 - 17:10)
Comes to life a little bit more, doesn't it?
[Frank] (17:10 - 17:18)
Certainly does. And then this is also getting close to that practical side of it as well, of the shape of the building.
[Amelia] (17:18 - 17:18)
Yes.
[Frank] (17:19 - 17:32)
So that also takes another level of excitement. So you see, we like to do things in baby steps. So you're focused on the functionality of the layout, then you're looking at the forms of the building.
[Amelia] (17:32 - 17:33)
Yes.
[Frank] (17:33 - 17:42)
Because once you've got each one resolved, it then develops into, you know, what is final drawings. Now, I've got other people, they're going to disagree how we do this, and that's okay.
[Amelia] (17:42 - 17:44)
Everyone has their own process.
[Frank] (17:44 - 17:48)
Yeah, we have our own process. I just find little steps all the way through myself.
[Amelia] (17:48 - 17:49)
What else are we going to talk about?
[Frank] (17:50 - 17:55)
No dear. Wine's good.
[Amelia]
The wine's good.
[Frank]
So you've got to put a vineyard on your block.
[Amelia] (17:56 - 18:00)
Oh, what? Dad's already hit me up about that.
[Frank] (18:00 - 18:02)
Oh good, I like him. I've never met your dad, I already really like him.
[Amelia] (18:02 - 18:05)
Dad loves trying to spend everyone else's money.
[Frank] (18:05 - 18:06)
Oh, is he Dutch?
[Amelia] (18:07 - 18:12)
No, no. Maybe there's somewhere way back. Maybe there is some Dutch...
[Frank] (18:12 - 18:13)
Scottish, Jewish in there as well?
[Amelia] (18:13 - 18:14)
There is some Scottish in there.
[Frank] (18:14 - 18:18)
Really?
[Amelia]
Yeah.
[Frank]
Again, everyone's opinion.
[Amelia] (18:18 - 18:20)
Yeah. Dad's always got an opinion.
[Frank] (18:21 - 18:30)
Yes. Okay, so maybe in a few weeks we talk again to see and probably when you're getting ready to go for planning approval. Because you've got a couple of key things now.
[Amelia] (18:31 - 18:31)
Yes.
[Frank] (18:31 - 18:38)
The form of the building, how it sits on the site, how you access and move around outside the site, your shed.
[Amelia] (18:39 - 18:41)
Yes, which is not designed yet.
[Frank] (18:42 - 18:42)
Yeah.
[Amelia] (18:42 - 18:43)
And I don't even...
[Frank] (18:43 - 18:44)
Sheds aren't a rocket science, are they?
[Amelia] (18:44 - 18:47)
True, I don't even know where I'm going to put them yet though either.
[Frank] (18:47 - 18:55)
That's okay because I think you need this first because then you can see how everything functions with driveways, cars, horses, etc, etc. It's going to be stable as well, isn't it?
[Amelia] (18:56 - 19:00)
Not necessarily. Not necessarily. You don't have to have stables.
[Frank]
Don't you?
[Frank] (19:00 - 19:03)
No. Why not? Tassie's not exactly a nice place at times.
[Amelia] (19:04 - 19:06)
My horses are always outside. They're never stabled.
[Frank] (19:07 - 19:08)
Do they make them a bit of a hoochie?
[Amelia] (19:10 - 19:14)
But people coddle them. They wear coats and, you know, put rugs on them.
[Frank] (19:14 - 19:16)
I've seen people's dog... People do it on their dogs. why wouldn't do it to your horse.
[Amelia] (19:16 - 19:20)
Yeah, you put rugs on them in the winter and then they trash them.
[Frank] (19:21 - 19:22)
So hardening them up.
[Amelia] (19:22 - 19:23)
Yeah, yeah.
[Frank] (19:23 - 19:24)
They're not a pack of softies.
[Amelia] (19:25 - 19:32)
Well, I'm probably mean. I think I've only got one of mine's rugged and the rest are just in the nude.
[Frank] (19:33 - 19:34)
El naturale.
[Amelia] (19:34 - 19:35)
That's right.
[Frank] (19:36 - 19:37)
Oh man, we were off track there.
[Amelia] (19:37 - 19:38)
Yeah, we did.
[Frank] (19:39 - 19:44)
So then the next stage is just planning all that site and you're still deciding whether to go off-grid.
[Amelia] (19:45 - 19:46)
That's right.
[Frank] (19:46 - 19:51)
So that was an interesting point. So that's still part of that decision of whether you're going off-grid or putting power into the site.
[Amelia] (19:52 - 20:02)
We need to weigh up what is actually going to be the most cost effective. I know at the moment the government actually have some incentives for going off-grid with battery.
[Frank] (20:03 - 20:04)
Are those loans still available?
[Amelia] (20:04 - 20:09)
Yeah, they were only just released, I think, June or July this year.
[Frank] (20:09 - 20:10)
Okay.
[Amelia] (20:10 - 20:13)
So it was fairly recently those incentives came out.
[Frank] (20:13 - 20:16)
Tassie government's had quite a number of those incentives.
[Amelia] (20:16 - 20:21)
But the outlay for going fully off-grid is quite expensive.
[Frank] (20:21 - 20:23)
Yeah, I worked out for my house, it was about $54,000.
[Amelia] (20:23 - 20:26)
Yeah, I think Nick priced it about $60,000.
[Frank] (20:27 - 20:30)
Now, but be aware, the bigger your house, the bigger the...
[Amelia] (20:30 - 20:31)
The system.
[Frank] (20:31 - 20:40)
System, that's just the way it is. You can make it unless you really design for high performing, thermally efficient. I can't get my words out.
[Amelia] (20:40 - 20:42)
You need to have another sip of wine, I think.
[Frank] (20:42 - 20:45)
Gee, I'm with you on that one. High performance home.
[Amelia] (20:45 - 20:45)
Good job.
[Frank] (20:45 - 20:52)
Thank you. You could go passive home, but then you're paying for a certain level of cost with that as well.
[Amelia] (20:52 - 20:52)
Yes.
[Frank] (20:53 - 20:55)
So those are all decisions you've got to make as well.
[Amelia] (20:56 - 21:07)
Yeah, the other thing that we really had to factor into our costs was the fact that we don't have any services on our block at all. We have no water, no sewer, nothing.
[Frank] (21:08 - 21:11)
But there's water to the block though, isn't it? Oh no, you're on tank.
[Amelia] (21:11 - 21:12)
It'll be tank.
[Frank] (21:12 - 21:13)
Pure tank water.
[Amelia] (21:13 - 21:14)
Pure tank water.
[Frank] (21:14 - 21:21)
So then you're buying X amount of tanks for supply, tank for fire, and pumps to suit.
[Amelia] (21:21 - 21:22)
Yes.
[Frank] (21:22 - 21:30)
Okay, then you've got a wastewater system.
[Amelia]
Yes.
[Frank]
And a house of that size. Gee, you're going to be dropping 45, 50K on that system because of the size of your house.
[Amelia] (21:31 - 21:32)
Yeah, it's not cheap.
[Frank] (21:32 - 21:33)
And your driveway.
[Amelia] (21:33 - 21:50)
And our driveway. And on top of that, then you've got the issue of the power. So even if we use mains power, there's power to the road.
And then if we set back 150 metres from the entry of the driveway.
[Frank] (21:50 - 21:55)
Yeah, but you see what that costs. Because I know with my house, we're nearly 100 metres.
[Amelia] (21:57 - 21:58)
That was quite expensive for you, wasn't it?
[Frank] (21:58 - 22:01)
No, it was better than I thought it was. But they're using aluminium, not copper.
[Amelia] (22:02 - 22:02)
Did you go underground?
[Frank] (22:03 - 22:13)
Yes. Yeah,
[Amelia]
that's a bit dearer than the poles.
[Frank]
Very much so, very much so. But those are the decisions you've got to make. And this will then also dictate the size of your house and the money you want to spend on the house.
[Amelia] (22:13 - 22:13)
That's right.
[Frank] (22:14 - 22:17)
So you're going backwards and forth a bit. So, and that's okay. This is what you've got to do.
[Amelia] (22:18 - 22:28)
Yeah, I mean, that's one of the things with a rural block as well. You know, there's all this other infrastructure you have to factor in. And you need to make sure you factor that into your budget.
[Frank] (22:28 - 22:32)
Your piece of Tasmanian paradise is not cheap.
[Amelia] (22:32 - 22:33)
It's not cheap, no.
[Frank] (22:33 - 22:38)
We've spoken about this. Rural blocks are just plain expensive. Because you're going to have to buy a tractor.
[Amelia] (22:38 - 22:48)
Oh, don't tell Nick that.
[Frank]
Why not? It's a fact.
[Amelia]
Because he's already started looking at tractors.
[Frank]
What's wrong with that?
[Amelia]
We don't even have a house yet and he's looking at tractors.
[Frank] (22:49 - 22:56)
I'm with him on that one. They're a tractor or even just a mini backhoe. Because that driveway, you're going to have to keep maintaining that.
[Amelia] (22:56 - 22:57)
Yes.
[Frank] (22:57 - 23:02)
So he's not going to get out there with a wheelbarrow and a shovel when it's 150 metres long.
[Amelia] (23:02 - 23:08)
No. So... I need a few more nieces and nephews for slave labour.
[Frank] (23:09 - 23:19)
Oh yeah, that's a good idea. So these are all really interesting considerations when you're doing a rural block. And as you're going through this whole design process, this is going to have a bearing on what you're thinking.
[Amelia] (23:19 - 23:20)
Oh, definitely.
[Frank] (23:21 - 23:23)
So yeah, very fascinating. And you've only just started.
[Amelia] (23:24 - 23:33)
I've only just started. So watch this space because it could completely change. There might be a smaller house.
We're actually looking at down the track, putting a granny flat as well.
[Frank] (23:33 - 23:35)
You're allowed to under the zoning?
[Amelia] (23:36 - 23:38)
I believe so. It's rural living.
[Frank] (23:38 - 23:39)
Yeah, pop it in the shed.
[Amelia] (23:39 - 23:39)
In the shed.
[Frank] (23:40 - 23:41)
Granny flat in the shed, why not?
[Amelia] (23:42 - 23:43)
Oh yeah, could do that.
[Frank] (23:43 - 23:47)
Sheds are good. Stables, granny flat, machinery. How good's that?
[Amelia] (23:47 - 23:49)
Hay shed.
[Frank] (23:49 - 23:52)
Ooh, the hay shed. Train shed.
[Amelia] (23:53 - 23:58)
Yeah, that too. Well, yeah, the hobby room was going to be the...
[Frank] (23:58 - 23:58)
Train shed.
[Amelia] (23:58 - 24:02)
Anyway, we'll see. Watch this space.
[Frank] (24:02 - 24:16)
But this is the classic thing that we all have our wants. And I had this the same with my wife when we were going through our house. I wanted certain things, but she wanted certain things.
And it's all about the compromise. How do we make a fit? How do we make a fit within the budget?
[Amelia] (24:17 - 24:17)
Oh, that's right.
[Frank] (24:18 - 24:23)
And just starting off the sketches, you know, does it work? Doesn't work. This can be fun or traumatic.
[Amelia] (24:23 - 24:26)
Well, so far it's been fun. I wouldn't call it traumatic.
[Frank] (24:27 - 24:35)
No, but sometimes as a designer, you have to be the, shall I say, marriage counsellor. I kid you not. I've had to do it a few times.
[Amelia] (24:35 - 24:37)
Hopefully it doesn't come to that for us.
[Frank] (24:37 - 24:52)
No, hopefully not. But look, this is why I honestly believe in trying to enjoy this process as much as possible, but also do a lot of research. Yeah, you're doing research on power and a whole bunch of other stuff.
That's great. But you've got to keep researching all the way through. And it won't stop until you sign that contract with a builder.
[Amelia] (24:53 - 24:53)
Yes.
[Frank] (24:54 - 25:06)
You're going to find the right builder. Now, that's a whole new podcast, which we've done previously. We have.
But I've got some more information, which was really interesting from someone who's gone through hell with a builder.
[Amelia] (25:06 - 25:06)
Okay.
[Frank] (25:06 - 25:07)
That's going to be another podcast.
[Amelia] (25:08 - 25:10)
Yes. Okay. Interesting.
[Frank] (25:10 - 25:10)
Yeah.
[Amelia] (25:11 - 25:12)
So what not to do?
[Frank] (25:13 - 25:15)
Yes. And probably more what to do.
[Amelia] (25:16 - 25:18)
Yeah. What to look out for. Red flags.
[Frank] (25:19 - 25:21)
Lots of red flags. All of that. Yeah, cool. I think that wraps that one up, doesn't it?
[Amelia] (25:23 - 25:24)
Is that what you were going to say?
[Frank] (25:24 - 25:27)
Yeah. You usually wrap these things up. I don't.
[Amelia] (25:28 - 25:33)
You're true. All right, we'll wrap it up then. Thanks for listening to the Building Design, Prime Time Podcast.
[Frank] (25:33 - 25:33)
Catch ya’s later.
[OUTRO] (25:43 - 25:46)
