thinking of renovating your house?

DESIGN, SOLAR PANELS AND FOOTPRINTS – WHERE TO BEGIN?

With fall, thoughts start to turn with some trepidation to another heating season.  If you’re tired of high utility costs you might be contemplating a renovation or even starting from scratch.  It’s not too late to plan for a construction start in the spring of next year.  With the downturn in the economy, construction costs are decreasing and government grants for home renovations are available.  Media is filled with articles on green homes, energy alternatives, green roofs….the choices are dizzying and you may be wondering where to begin and how to make the best choices for your project and family. 

Your first step should be to clearly establish the project goals that will then be used to check every following decision.   Aim to establish visionary goals that go beyond “I’d like a really nice walk-in-closet”.    Your guiding principle could be to spend less money on utilities, maximize efficient use of space, or allow for aging-in place.  You may have more than one goal, but they should be compatible.  It is difficult to reconcile an aspiration to have a sustainable home with a 5,000 square foot area requirement.

Once you have established your guiding principles seek out the advice of a professional – either an architect or a builder.  Builders typically offer design services as part of the construction services in a design/build agreement.  A reputable builder will have a clear contract that you will review and sign prior to beginning any work.  For renovation projects, Renomark^TM is a good place to start to find a professional, reliable contractor- reputable builders will happily provide references.  Review their portfolio and assess whether their style and approach is compatible with your dreams.

An architect can offer a unique set of skills acquired in years of training both in university and in practice.  Architects are not merely designers – an average house design involves building science, negotiations with city authorities, material selections, site analysis, solar studies, and marital counselling.  A good architect will provide an innovative and personalized solution that is unique to you, your family and your site.  Typically, a full service architectural agreement will result in a set of construction documents that are more comprehensive than a builder package.   Architectural fees are usually calculated as a percentage of building cost and therefore increase as the budget does – reflective of the increasing work required for a larger project.  Make sure you review the architect’s portfolio and that you like the firm’s body of work – the relationship is doomed to fail if you dream of a Victorian mansion and your architect is a modernist.  Similarly, if you are particularly interested in sustainable design, seek out a firm that specializes in it and can offer advice based on experience.  Most architects will recommend contractors they trust to complete the building portion of the work.  Your architect can review pricing, perform regular site visits, address issues that arise during construction and advocate for your interests in the case of a conflict or discrepancy.    Note that the term architect is often used loosely and incorrectly.  A registered architect must be a member of the Alberta Association of Architects and is allowed to use the designation AAA. 

Grant options are available for sustainable homes or energy retrofits – your builder or architect should be able to provide direction if needed.  Generally, if you are contemplating a renovation you should consider investing in an energy audit of your home prior to embarking on any planning to take full advantage of the available programs. 

Finally, always keep in mind that every additional square metre of area not only has an associated cost of construction but also the cost of its ecological footprint.  Small, well designed spaces are made beautiful by the dinner parties, family gatherings and quiet reflections that occur within them, not by the area of exotic wood on the floors or the large sectionals they contain.