A foot in the door to Architecture

Most of my readers would know that I have designed the plans for the renovation. Architecture is a passion of mine, and it complements Interior Design. I have a CAD architecture program that I use to create floor plans called EZ Architect. It is basic software that has allowed me to draw up countless versions of the extension to the house (and to many others that I have played around with). It doesn't automatically show elevations like ArchiCAD does (a very high-tec software) however, but in my mind I find it easy to picture the different angles, dimensions and basic form.

Yesterday, Thursday 12th September, 2013, we met witht he council to discuss my plans. We also talked about how to go about getting final approval. The heritage advisor and a town planner were in attendance. They asked us if we were the design team becuase I had the floor plans with me. I took it as a compliment! The whole meeting was like having a vision into the future for when I am a professional designer. The council duo looked through the house briefly before we discussed the plans. We stood around the kitchen bench - here:

I realised I hadn't included a picture of the kitchen. It looks pretty neat in the photo, but don't let the light fool you, this room is as poorly maintained as the rest of the house! You can sort of the see the garden through the French doors, which I will blog about later I'm sure.

In regards to the plans, some things we learnt about include:

• Boundary lines and how much room to leave between neighbours (one metre on the second storey). 
• A new roof guideline for between the old and the new parts of the house, i.e. there must be a one metre flat roof under the eaves between the heritage building and new extension. This simply distinguishes between old and new.
• The internal walls of the heritage building can be moved wherever.
• Existing additions from decades ago to the now heritage building can stay if they are restored, but not enlarged or altered, e.g. highlight windows.
• Potential objections from neighbours and possible processes and time frames for complaints.
• Specific site lines from the street which impact the height of the second floor.
• And, the town planner said a smooth sailing application will take about 3-6 months for final approval. I am optimistic and hope that is the time frame for our plans!!

We will take my plans to an architect soon to get the profesional drawings developed (which will include elevations, the streetscape, etc.) as they obviously need to be done correctly and properly. But in a few years, I will be capable of such technical drawings and will be creating them for my own clients.

As we were leaving the meeting it had just finished raining heavily, and we suddenly noticed a puddle of water coming from the living room ceiling. There's a big a hole from an old fitting next to the current light that has been left open, allowing water to run through. We've had to catch the drips with a bucket and newspaper. So, we'd better get a move on with the planning permits!

TGIF

xo