Lara's Design

Lara Begg
Building Designer
BDAA Member, BDAA Accredited Building Designer, Sustainability Design Specialist

Lara is an Accredited Building Designer with the Building Designers Association of Australia with 30 years of experience in design and drafting.  BDAA Accreditation demonstrates a level of expertise and competence in a range of skills in design and documentation providing extra reassurance of a quality outcome. BDAA Accreditation is required to complete certain types of projects in NSW.  Lara is also a Sustainability Design Specialist and is therefore skilled in incorporating no-cost or low-cost measures to reduce energy costs and re-use water.

Our team is rounded out by qualified draftsmen with decades of experience.

We provide custom design ideas and concepts through to building plans for approval to home and business owners in the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney.

We are fully insured with Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance.

In addition to our building design services, we can recommend Builders and an Interior Designer.

DESIGN

Our building designer services include:

• New homes, granny flats, dual occupancies, house alterations and additions, small commercial projects, and more.
• If you want to start with an investigation into development potential on your land, we can prepare a feasibility report.'

DRAFTING

We draft all architectural plans and prepare the documentation necessary for DA (Development Application), CC (Construction Certificate), and CDC (Complying Development Certificate) approvals:

• Plans, Specifications, BASIX Certificates, Statement of Environmental Effects, etc.

We coordinate the project with other consultants as necessary, such as:

• Land Surveyors, Structural Engineers, Hydraulic Engineers, Bushfire Assessors, Landscape Designers, and others, to complete documentation for approval.

APPROVAL

Building design approval process:

Lara’s Design Studio works with a range of Sydney Councils and Private Certifiers to navigate the planning and building approval process.

Where do you start if you want to build a new house, granny flat, or extend your existing house?

Think about your needs and wants. What kind of “look” do you like?  What is your budget? We understand that building is a big investment and consider your budget in the design process. On this page, we answer common building development faq’s.

How do you want the design process to work? You may want to delegate all design decisions to your designer. On the other hand, you may want to be fully involved throughout the process. In either case, discuss your level of involvement with your designer at the beginning.

We meet you for an initial consultation on site to understand you, how you live, your land, and/or home. After that, we take your “brief” and discuss the process. We carefully listen and collaborate with you to create a beautiful yet practical custom design that you are happy with.

We are familiar with the planning regulations that apply and assist you to navigate from concept to through to building plans for approval.

If you are looking for some inspiration, check out our recent projects.

How do you know which approval path (Council or Private Certifier) is best for your project?

We analyse the land zoning, hazards such as bushfire and flood, and what you want to achieve. After that, we inform you whether your application for approval can be Development Application via Council or Complying Development Application via Private Certifier. Private Certifiers have the benefit of simplicity and speed, are required to issue approval within 20 working days.

What is involved in building on Bushfire Prone land?

Unfortunately, the best bush views often come with fire-prone land. The thought of building on bushfire-prone land can be daunting. Being based in the very bushfire-prone Blue Mountains, Lara’s Design Studio is consequently experienced in designing for bushfires. Firstly, we identify how much of your land is bushfire prone, which we source from Council maps. The next step is engaging an Accredited Bushfire Assessor to assess the BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) rating for your land. Finally, armed with this information we advise you of the design features and building material options to comply with building bushfire regulations.

How can you reduce energy costs yet have a comfortable home to live in?

With rising energy costs and looming effects of climate change we have you covered, as Lara is a Sustainability Design Specialist. For instance, we incorporate Passive Solar Design principles to optimise the orientation of your home. This results in reduced energy running costs. We recommend methods of wall and ceiling insulation and improved glazing to keep your home at a comfortable ambient temperature. As a result, the need for excessive heating and cooling is removed. Solar PV panels and solar hot water heating can be added too.

Additionally, we recommend water-saving methods such as rainwater tanks for use in your garden and for toilet flushing. Most sustainable strategies can be applied with no additional or low building costs.

What is the difference between an Architect, Building Designer & Draftsman?

An Architect is the first profession that springs to mind when thinking about getting an architectural design for your home or commercial project. However, most residential homes in Australia are designed by Building Designers or Draftsmen. A recent survey revealed, “An estimated 5% of single residential homes in Australia are architect-designed, while architects are involved in the majority of public buildings, commercial spaces and multi-unit developments.” So, what is the difference?

In short: qualifications, skills, experience, and price.

Architect:

Firstly, architects are highly skilled and licensed to design any size and type of building. In addition, architects hold a university degree and must maintain their registration every year. They must also hold professional indemnity insurance and undertake regular continuing professional development.

Secondly, architects build the cost of their education and registration into their fees. They generally charge 5-15% of the total building cost. At the upper end of fees is a full service from architectural design through to Contract Administration overseeing the building progress and ensuring building faults are rectified.

Draftsperson (Draftsman):

A draftsperson generally focuses on drawing plans and documentation for approval, rather than design.

Although draftspersons are not currently required to hold any qualification in NSW, a draftsperson may hold a TAFE qualification. There is no guarantee of the skill level or expertise of an unqualified draftsperson.

Draftspersons may charge the lowest fees at around 2% of the building cost.

Building Designer:

Building Designers are the middle ground between Architects and Draftspersons. They design buildings and draft plans for building approval.  They generally do not provide Contract Administration overseeing the building progress.

A building designer usually has more training and licensing than a draftsperson. However, they are more cost-effective than Architects. The Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA) requires members to hold a qualification, portfolio of projects, Professional Indemnity Insurance, and undertake continuing professional development.

Lara is an Accredited Building Designer with the Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA). BDAA Accreditation demonstrates a level of expertise and competence in a range of skills in design and documentation, therefore providing extra reassurance of a quality outcome. The BDAA Accreditation is required to complete certain types of projects in NSW.

Finally, Building Designers charge around 3-5% of the building cost.

So, which one is right for you?

For a small simple project, it is best to use a Draftsman or Building Designer without the unnecessary cost of an Architect.

For more complex larger projects it is best to employ a Building Designer or Architect with more training and expertise.

Whomever you choose, the cost of services varies based on the complexity of the project, the inclusions, and the level of service required.