BYO Floor Plan

Our Services

BYO can provide as much or as little help as required because we realise every project and client’s needs differ. Sometimes our clients prefer us to take more leadership in the pre-construction and design process, providing guidance on how to make the most of their property and achieve their goals. Operating with a QBCC Open Building Designer's License we are fully qualified to design any building type in QLD and houses or duplexes in NSW.

Acting as your pre-construction project manager, we set out a staged timeline that works towards being build-ready in a structured and methodical way to avoid delays and council surprises.​

Typically our services follow the below Stages. (Stages 3-5 are optional)

Predesign: Project Briefing, Site Analysis and local planning searches for your property

1. Concept Design and/or Facade Design - To resolve a suitable floor plan(s) and 3Ds of the building's exterior
2. Working Drawings - For 1 Builder to quote from (also used for Building Approval)
3. *Tender Package - Full set of drawings with further information plus interior design documents, allowing multiple builders to quote.  
4. *Value Management - Assistance and drawing amendments to adjust construction cost or design
5. *Support During Construction (Phone and email support, site visits, extra drawings)

*Optional Services

Our Fees

We pride ourselves on being upfront regarding our professional fees. For most new build projects, you will be able to estimate many of our fees based on the breakdown below. However, we will provide you with a written quote so you can rest easy knowing what's included. If your proposed project requires development approval, as do most duplexes, townhouses, units, and most 3 storey homes, an extra service stage 1.5 will be offered. Please note all prices listed below exclude GST.

Typical Fee Structure: Based on the stages below

​Predesign:

Included in Concept Design Fee

Typically after an initial meeting, we can gather any preliminary site and planning information, to identify the limitations and opportunities of your property. Each project requires a unique amount of predesign depending on how much information you have already and the complexity of the project. See Property Analysis Report

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1. Concept Design:

Based on $100/hr, Typically 25-50 hours

With an established brief, we can provide a fixed fee agreement for the Concept Design stage, so you know what's involved and aren't yet committed to technical drawings. We will base our fee on an estimate of hours required to turn your design dreams into reality, typically presenting them in refined floor plan drawings and 3D perspectives. If desired we can also create a concept 3D model which can be interactively viewed and rotated on mobile devices

2. Working Drawings - Suited to 1 Builder:

If your project is a new build house, fees will be based on the square metre rates listed below. These drawings are also suitable for submission to a private certifier to be assessed for Building Approval.

Optional services for interior design are also available and their pricing is based on the type of service and customisation of design you'd like.

Square Meter Rates

• Entry level home: $12.50/m2
• Mid level Home: $15.00/m2
• Luxury Home (Includes Hamptons)​ From $20.00/m2

Commercial projects, Renovations, Carports, Duplexs, Townhouses and for buildings under 100m2, a fixed fee agreement will be prepared based on the project's requirements

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1. Tender Package - For Multiple Builders (Optional)

To enable more than one builder to quote on an identical design, extra design documents are prepared mostly relating to the interior design and fit-out of the home. Based on designs and decisions we have agreed upon and developed through an interior design process, we select all the key items builders will need to allow for. There really is no point having multiple builders quoting different fixtures and fittings as this can easily sway the quote 15% either way.​

Pricing of this stage will be tailored to the level of detail, luxury and design consideration desired.

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4. Value Management: (Optional)

Following discussions with the builder(s), amendments may be agreed in relation to reducing cost or new design thinking that will need to be formally communicated by updating various drawings or schedules. This revised ‘Contract Set’ of documents is what is attached to your building contract and becomes the main reference for construction. As there is no way to predict the scope of service required here, these amendments can be provided hourly rates or a fixed fee to be advised at the time.​

Drawing amendments, correspondence and meetings billed hourly

5. Service During Construction (Optional)

When construction is underway, builders can ask lots of technical questions and may need assistance with unforeseen renovation discoveries! If you’d like somebody to stay in touch with the builder to talk the construction lingo on your behalf, BYO Floor Plan can provide this service. Regular meetings onsite for walk-throughs are the best way catch any oversights before they cause time major delays or you get stuck with them. A key part of this service is identifying defects at practical completion before you make the final payment to the builder.​

Pricing of this stage will be tailored to the level of service required, often dictated by how complex the construction is.

Note: Some architects and designers use a 'percentage of construction cost' to forecast their fees and regulate their invoice values. Although nice for the architect, this method places the client at risk because construction projects rarely have cost savings equal to the value of potential increases. Expensive foundations or structural costs, attractive builder upgrades, and miscellaneous additions all can cause the budget to stretch which would increase the invoice values. BYO Floor Plan will always provide a fixed quote for authorisation, before commencing the primary design services.

Scott Bowden - Lead Designer at BYO Floor Plan

With a background training and working alongside architects for the past 10 years, Scott's experience has focused on designing custom homes, often waterfront or beachside, and apartment buildings up to 9 storeys high. With a love for the building industry, he enjoys working alongside other construction professionals, developers, tradies and people who appreciate how starting with a carefully considered design can add tremendous value to a project or their dream home.

Over the years, Scott has had extensive experience helping clients to enhance their floor plan ideas and then producing 3D facades in a style to their tastes, giving them a feeling of ownership and contribution to the finished design. Working closely with clients to understand their requirements and create a tailored outcome, they are excited about and proud of, is what he finds truly rewarding and he started BYO Floor Plan. 

Contact us today for a confidential discussion with Scott about how we can help develop your design project or get it back on track towards construction.  

Our Fast-Tracked Process

When there's no reason to waste time going back to the drawing board, we don't. What we do, however, is curate a 3 step process to turn your floor plan into a real project, with both a potential builder and building application lined up.

Property & Floor Plan Review >>> Facade Design >>> Approvals and Quotes

1) Property & Floor Plan Review

We will investigate your property in detail by providing a Property Analysis Report, which will identify things like local planning codes, underground infrastructure and essentially anything and everything you need to know about your property before embarking on a construction project. When this stage is skipped, often projects are delayed and financially burdened by otherwise foreseeable obstacles, such as various planning approvals, easements and council infrastructure. This then allows us to review your floor plan ideas to ensure what you're after is possible and help you make any adjustments required.

2) Facade Design

We will proactively develop 3D facades in a style of your choice based on your floor plan. This is a quick process aiming to bring your project to life into something tangible you can admire and fine-tune before the technical and approval ball starts rolling. 

Optional - As design professionals, we are always available to offer tailed design consultation to reach a floor plan that will enrich the spaces in which you and your family live, work and play. Similarly, if you are wishing to maximize your building's floor area on a tight block we can employ many space-saving techniques to your floor plan, to get that extra value for money from your block of land.

3) Approvals and Quotes

Part A)

Having already established any council (planning) approvals needed in our Property Analysis Report, we will then address these before jumping into the technical part of the approval process. With any relaxations to the local planning code approved, we can then dive into the technical drawings, which communicate a complete picture of what the builder’s will price. Along the way, we will oversee licensed structural and geotechnical engineering and lodge the building application with a private certifier.

Part B)

While the certifier takes 3-4 weeks to assess the application, we will contact at least 3 suitable licensed builders and provide indical information and strict guidelines for how they should structure their quote. Managing an ever-beeping email inbox, won’t be your responsibility. We’ll be completing a mountain of digital paperwork on your behalf and recharging our mobile phone batteries several times for the phone calls and emails that would otherwise dominate your breakfast and lunch breaks. At the conclusion of this service, we will provide 3 quotes for you to compare, which will place you in a better position to select a builder from.

The builder will then write up a contract, which once signed, will begin the next exciting phase of construction. Once your builder has made the required payments to regulatory bodies, the certifier can award building and plumbing approval.

How we achieve speed

We have a solid understanding of local planning processes and how our services fit in amongst related professionals such as surveyors, structural and geotechnical engineers and builders so we can keep your project tracking towards construction in a linear fashion avoiding delays as much as possible

BYO Floor Plan also understands our clients often have busy working lives, so have adopted special contact hours. Just imagine, you can actually enjoy your lunch break and talk to us after work at your leisure. It also means we could inspect your property or have a meeting on a Saturday when you are available.

Tuesday - Friday 7:00am – 9:00pm
Saturday: 7:00am – 5:00pm (By appointment)
Sunday & Monday: Closed

Outside of these times, you are more than welcome to email us 24-7 or leave a voicemail, that we will respond to at the next available moment.

Optional Services:
We have a range of optional services, to help you save money, get the best kitchen and bathrooms, and relieve stress. Or maybe you'd like us to design your floor plan too​.