Understanding the design journey · 5 minute read (estimated)
From first ideas to clearer project decisions
Discover, Define, Design, Detail, Deliver. Understand each stage, give useful feedback and keep your project team working from the same direction.
Your project follows the stages and deliverables included in your agreed scope. Additional services are confirmed separately.
01
Discover: understand the project
The first conversation is about your goals, the existing home or site, your budget and the kind of support you need. For homeowners, that means understanding the way you want to live. For builder partners, it also means understanding your client, your team and how design support will fit your project.
02
Define: agree on the scope
Before work begins, confirm the deliverables, fee and responsibilities. Different projects need different levels of support. Be clear about what is included, what is separately quoted and who is coordinating any additional consultants.
- Which spaces and decisions are covered?
- What drawings, presentations or selections will be provided?
- When will feedback be needed, and who will bring it together?
- Which additional advice or approvals need to be considered?
03
Design: test ideas and give clear feedback
Concepts help you compare possibilities and decide on a direction. Look at how each option meets your brief, rather than focusing only on individual finishes. Gather feedback into one clear response and flag competing priorities so they can be resolved together.
04
Detail: resolve the agreed documentation
Once the direction is established, your designer prepares the drawings, schedules and practical details included in your agreed scope. Consultant information is coordinated where that additional service has been commissioned. Before the documentation is issued, confirm any outstanding decisions with your project team and agree who will resolve them.
05
Deliver: issue the information and explain next steps
Your designer issues the agreed documentation with its revision and status clearly identified. Review any outstanding matters and confirm who is responsible for the next steps. Formal submissions and construction-stage involvement are provided where separately commissioned; confirm the status of consultant advice, approvals and pricing before moving ahead.
- Confirm the current drawing set and any outstanding decisions.
- Identify who will answer design and construction questions.
- Make sure any proposed change is discussed before it is treated as agreed.
- For builder partners, agree how client feedback and team updates will be coordinated.
One thing to take away
At each stage, ask: “What are we deciding now, what information do we need, and what happens next?”
These guides are a starting point for a design conversation. Your project’s scope, site requirements and professional advice will be specific to your home or build.
Discuss the design support you need