At Vitale building design group, engaging a building design draftsman means much more than having your new space designed and documented by our experienced team.
We handle all permit applications required and act as the principal consultant that manages external experts from initial onboarding, liaison and practical application into the drawing sets required in an effort to obtain a building permit. We understand this process can be daunting or confusing for clients so we have broken it down into 3 main stages below:
upon an enquiry, Vitale Building Design Group will organise a site meeting to discuss your requirements and intent for your design to your property in detail. This may involve a walk through and discussion to talk through your expectations and non-negotiables. We will then take this information back to the office and undertake feasibility studies and research on any overlays or restrictions your block of land or home may have, to ensure we remain compliant with your goals and scope of works but also council and building regulations.
Your project begins with an on-site visit at a time that works best for you. During this appointment, we will accurately measure your existing property to understand the current conditions. Depending on the project, this will also include a 3D scan to capture detailed spatial data. These measurements form the foundation for all design work moving forward.
The fun stuff! Based on your goals, lifestyle, budget and relevant council rules, I’ll prepare an initial proposed floor plan to present to you as the client. For some projects, I’ll provide multiple design options so you can compare layouts and find what best suits you.
A Land Surveyor may need to be engaged at this point in order to gather accurate levels, boundaries, easements, and other essential information that affects design. Not to worry, We will organise this for you!
The not-so-fun stuff: While the design concepts are being developed, we take care of collecting the technical background information needed for the project. This typically includes:
Gathering these documents early helps avoid delays later in the process.
Once you’ve been presented with the initial designs, we meet again to work through any changes or ideas you’d like to explore. This stage is collaborative and flexible — adjustments are made based on your feedback until the concept accurately reflects the vision for your home. Nothing is ever locked in at the concept stage! We are conceptualising your ideal space for the timebeing.
We may also undertake high quality 3D imagery – also known as renders- of your proposal so you are able to better visualise what it is we are creating!
If a town planning permit is not required, skip to stage 3 “Construction Documentation”. Vitale building design group will confirm at step 1 if a town planning permit is required for your project.
After you’ve approved the final concept, the drawing set needs to be detailed and transitioned to a full town-planning standard. These plans include a higher level of detail, and will help council assess compliance and how the proposal affects any neighbouring properties. Town planning drawings are submitted (by Vitale BDG) along with any supporting consultant reports required for council assessment.
When everything is ready for submission, we handle the entire town-planning application on your behalf, acting as the applicant or owners agent throughout this process.
Councils town planning department will review the submission and almost always request further information in the form of a checklist. Vitale building design group responds to these requests, gathers any additional documents, and manage communication with council until they are satisfied.
Once council accepts the application, the project enters a statutory 3-week public advertising period. During this time, neighbours are notified and given the opportunity to submit objections, comments, queries or maybe even some praise!
After the advertising period, the application generally goes the following way from here :
If Town Planning is Not Required (or once Town Planning issues a permit) we may proceed to…
Once you’re happy with the design and specifications we have created, our draftsman prepare full construction drawings. These are commonly referred to as working drawings – this is where we make the design work in order for it to be built!
These drawings are far more detailed than stage 1 and include every aspect that a builder and building surveyor need to understand the construction requirements. This stage ensures the project is built accurately, safely, and in compliance with all relevant standards.
When we have the construction drawings documented to a preliminary level, we will then require additional expert input. – known as the external consultants. These experts include professionals in their fields such as:
Vitale building design group handles all the admin related to getting the consultants on board. Once agreed upon, their work begins, and their reports are integrated into the final drawing package.
We act as the principal consultant on your behalf so all drawings, documentation or comments from these consultants comes straight to Vitale Building Design Group and we can relay this back to you throughout the process.
The information provided to us from these consultants enable us to transition the preliminary construction drawings into drawings that can be Issued for Construction ie Final Architectural Drawings!
The serious stuff: When all drawings and reports are complete, the full package is submitted to a registered building surveyor for a building permit assessment.
The surveyor reviews everything against current building regulations and typically issues a checklist of final items to be resolved before the permit can be issued. I take care of addressing these items on your behalf – we also organise the lodgement and liaison with the building surveyor from the outset!
Once the surveyor’s requirements are satisfied and you’ve nominated your builder, the building permit can be issued, in short, this approval permits you to build!
With the permit in hand, your project is approved for construction — the builder can begin, and all documentation prepared throughout the process becomes the official basis for how the works must be constructed.
The building surveyor engaged in step 3 will also undertake inspections at each stage of the build (yep, this is mandatory) to ensure they are built in compliance with the plans and all applicable standards protecting you as the consumer!
LOCATION
Melbourne, Australia