The urge to do home improvements is entrenched in human nature, and with the emergence of television programmes following people as they attempt to build a home from scratch, more people are taking on these big projects.
While the objective of these TV shows is to chart the progress of the daring builds, they aren’t for the majority of people who just want to use traditional methods and materials to build a house.
Michael Barnett, Head of Design at Strata Homes has been working as an architect for more than a decade and suggests there are a number of top tips to ensure you get it right when creating your new home.
Make sure you get the architecture right
One of the most important elements when starting work on a new house is making sure you select the right style. Michael recommends choosing traditional architectural styles to avoid your home looking dated in the future.
“Very traditional architecture in terms of Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian architecture is something that you see repeated constantly,” he said. “Sometimes it’s done badly but we do it very well because we understand the history, the process and the reason why certain elements were used at that time.
“Those styles continue in very contemporary architecture and it’s those elements you can incorporate into any form of architecture - Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture is similar to modern day houses and the principles of how they built homes are still used today.
“When building a new home, it’s about bridging the gap between the two house types by remaining true to the traditional form, scale and mass but what we do is add slight subtle elements incorporated into a modern design.
“Contemporary architecture is really simple and beautiful, it’s about understanding material, principles and philosophies and proportionality. It’s not about seeing something and thinking ‘I can stick that on my house type and it’ll look good.’”
How to maximise your home’s potential
There are also specific additions that Michael suggests could improve the value of the house and offer more space.
“I would always build it with an attic truss, you can actually get a truss that allows you to walk through the attic and walk around freely,” he said.
“It allows you to have that option if you want another bedroom and provides added value to the house when you may eventually be looking to sell.”
Top tips for getting the right architect
As well as understanding what work should be undertaken, knowing who should be doing the work is the most important part of the project.
Making sure you have the right architect for the job can be a difficult decision, but Michael reveals a few tips that can help in getting the right person for the job.
“Ask them what do they love about architecture and why did they want to get involved,” he said.
“Ask to see some of their work, whether that be graphical work as part of their portfolio, or part of their actual imagery of samples of their work and also ask them to sit down with you to sketch some conceptual ideas.
“Architects work on the basis that they will pop round and have a meeting with you and if you like what they have to offer then you can move it on from there. Part of that process is about a relationship between the architect and the client and they should be saying that architecture is a hobby.
“I’ve drawn all my life and I love it, it’s not a job, it’s something you love doing, it’s a hobby you turned into a job and get paid for and that should ooze out of an architect - if it doesn’t then you shouldn’t be appointing them.”