Because every house is so different, we initially calculate an hourly rate from the first meeting to the completion of the floor plan. This can be anywhere between 6 and 15 hours depending on the complexity and size of the house. If you have firm ideas of what you want including any pictures or sample floor plans, this may reduce the number of hours required. This is the time to decide exactly what you want your house to look like including the sizes of rooms, types of windows and the layout of your kitchen. It is the most important part of the process and you should allow plenty of time to make sure you are completely happy with the design of your new house.

If you have an existing floor plan, we will still need to calculate an hourly rate to transfer your design into our program which will be the basis of completing the full working drawings. This can take anywhere between 2 and 10 hours depending on the complexity and size of the house. Due to copyright law, we are unable to transfer the floorplan of another designer.

Before the design is finalised, an initial energy efficiency assessment will be done on your house to assure that the 6 star minimum will be achieved. This is mandatory requirement introduced in Queensland in March 2009. Council will not accept any plans without a 6 star energy certificate. This assessment is done by a qualified energy assessor. The cost varies between $242 for a single story house and approximately $330 for a two story or complex house. This will be included in your final bill.

If you have a builder in mind, now is a good time to involve him. He should be able to give you an estimate to construct your home based on the preliminary plans you have received. He may also have specific construction preferences which we will need to know about.

We will engage our preferred engineer to design your footings, bracing, and other structural details. He will also stamp and certify the final plans which go to council. Please let us know if you or your builder has a preferred engineer.
We will not challenge what the engineer has specified or his fees, if you or your builder do not agree with the engineer details, you will need to contact him to discuss possibly changing the plan. Similarly, you may wish to ask for a quote from the engineer prior to his commencement of work. Please let us know if you wish to do this and we can put you into contact with him.
We cannot anticipate how much the engineer will charge as it depends on the complexity of the design, typically, it varies between $660 and up to $1980.

Once the design has been approved and working drawings have commenced, try to avoid making changes. Changes to plans will incur a fee of $120 per hour plus any additional engineering fees.

The final bill will include:

• Cost to draw final plans for council approval

• Energy efficiency fees

• Engineer fees

First invoice
- between $660 and $1650 for the design

Final invoice
- drafting between $2530 for a basic house to $3960 for a complex or two-story house
- energy efficiency $242 for a single storey house to $330 for a complex or two-story house
- engineers fees estimated between $660 and up to $1980

in hard copy as well as electronically.
• 4 sets of plans stamped and certified by an engineer incl: Form 15 completed and signed by the engineer
• Energy efficiency assessment showing at least 6 star rating incl: Form 15 completed and signed by an approved energy assessor

All of the above plus:
• Soil test
• Building application including builders lic number and signed by the builder
• Plumbing plan including plumbers lic number and signed by the plumber