Useful Project Tips
- If you are not sure about the fine details of your project, it is a good idea to start with a site assessment or discovery call. They give you the option of ‘testing the waters’ by paying a fraction of the full amount to see if your ideas will work, and if not what needs to be done to make it work. The hones assessment can be done in person (site assessment) or we can meet you online (discovery call). We will even prep you for the meeting, so you get the maximum benefit and result from us. What’s more, if you decide to get Council drawings done, we deduct the assessment fees from your project price! Click to find out more..
- If you are getting drawings done for Council, it is a good idea to get a licensed Building Designer, just like you would get a licensed builder to build your house. In Queensland, it is actually illegal to use an unlicensed Building designer or draftsman. Click here to find out more or get a quote
- If you get drafting drawings done by a building designer involving any new structural work, you will need a structural engineer to issue a form 15 and sign off on structural drawings before Council approval. It is always a good idea to use an experienced Building Designer who has a working relationship with a structural engineer. It usually makes for a seamless process.
- If you plan to do any construction or renovation near your site boundaries, it is usually a good idea to get a site survey with survey pegs indicating where your boundary lines are- or you might find out that your new fence is actually in your neighbour’s yard!
- A form 15 is a structural compliance certificate issued by a structural engineer that indicates your drawings are structurally ‘safe’ to be built after Council approval.
- A form 16 is an inspection form issued by a private certifier or structural engineer after a construction stage is successfully completed.
- A form 21 is a form normally issued by a private certifier after all the building inspections have been carried out, all requirements met, and the building project has now been formally deemed completed.