BRIGHTDESIGN CONSULTANCY
MENUCLOSE
The process

How I work

Designing a home is a big step, so here is what happens, in order, and what your part is. You deal with me the whole way through.

  1. A free first chat

    About an hour

    We meet for about an hour, at your place or over a coffee. Bring your ideas, any photos you've saved, your LIM or title if you have them, and a rough budget. I'll tell you honestly what's achievable and what to look into first.

  2. Fee proposal and brief

    I send you a written fee proposal for the stages you need. Once you're happy, I measure up your existing home, or review your section, survey and any ground report, and write a brief we both agree on.

  3. Concept design

    I prepare layout options with sketches and 3D views, so you can see the space and how it sits on the site before anything is drawn in detail. We talk them through and choose a direction.

  4. Developed design

    We refine the chosen design: windows, materials, kitchen and bathroom layouts, and a check against your budget, ideally with a builder or quantity surveyor.

  5. Consent drawings

    I prepare the building consent drawings and specification, and coordinate the engineer and any other specialists your project needs. If it also needs a resource consent, I'll tell you early and bring in a planner.

  6. Building consent

    20 working days at council, plus any pauses

    I lodge the application with your council and answer the council's questions (requests for information) until your consent is issued.

  7. Building

    Once you have consent, I stay available to your builder for questions. Through Project consultancy I can also walk the site with you and your trades at pre-wire and before handover.

Typical timeframes

Councils have 20 working days to decide a building consent application, counted from when they accept it as complete. The clock stops whenever the council asks for more information and starts again once it has the answers, and the days from 20th December to 10th January don't count. Clear, complete drawings are the best way to keep it moving.

Fees

How I charge

I don't publish set prices, because every home and every brief is different. Here's how I charge, so there are no surprises. After our first chat I'll send you a written fee proposal for the stages you need, and nothing is charged until you've agreed to it.

Architectural design

A fixed fee for each stage (concept, developed design and consent drawings), agreed before we start and once I've seen your site and brief, so you always know what the next stage costs. Small jobs, or changes along the way, can be charged by the hour, and I'll always tell you first. Our first chat is free.

Project consultancy

Charged per site visit, or by the hour for plan reviews and selections, so you only pay for the help you use. I can also quote a set of visits up front, for example pre-wire, pre-line and before handover.

Interior design

A fixed fee for the work we agree, quoted after our first chat. For a single room or a quick review of your plans, I can charge by the hour instead.

Colour consulting & Selections

A fixed fee for an in-home colour consultation, including a written colour schedule you can hand to your painter. A single room, a whole interior and an exterior are priced separately, so you only pay for what you need.

Where

Areas I work in

  • Manawatū
  • Wairarapa
  • Horowhenua
  • Whanganui
  • Hawke's Bay

I'm based in Manawatū and come to you for our first chat and for site visits. Further afield? Get in touch and we'll talk about what works.

Questions and answers: consent, timeframes, fees

Ready to talk about your project?

Our first chat is free and takes about an hour, at your place or over a coffee.

Book a consultation