era | Program YOUR NUMBERS
STEP FOUR
IN THE PROCESS TO DESIGN + BUILD ARCHITECTURE SPECIFIC TO YOU.
the numbers keep it real
Establish the time frame and budget that you have in mind to design and build your architecture.
Get to know your numbers.
People generally like to avoid this step in the process. But time frames and budget are not something to be afraid of. They are another piece in the puzzle to help you make architecture that is specific to you.
Getting comfortable with the reality of your numbers gives you the confidence to explore realistic time frames and realistic construction methods to ensure your expectations are within your reach.
A Program is a great way to put all your numbers in one place.
You will use it all the way through the process, right up to the point you move in.
What is a Program?
A Program is a schedule which puts all of your information about time and budget into one place. It takes the process and puts a period of time and a cost against each step.
It can also be referred to as a Planner, but most people in the architecture and construction world refer to it as a Program or Programme. Every Program is different, because it is specific to you and your circumstances.
Sometimes time and budget numbers are scheduled separately, however I like to put them together, because it helps me to see the whole picture. For example, I can see when a step will occur and when I will have to pay for anything that happens in that step.
If it is prepared at the beginning of a project, it means that you can consider all aspects of your time frame and budget from the beginning. Thinking about your numbers from the start helps inform your decisions along the journey. It is also a reminder as you progress through the process to help keep your numbers on track.
There are other parts of the process that will feed into your Program, such as the order for how you will work through the process, who will be responsible for each step, what will be required for each step, how long each step will take and how much each step will cost.
Where to find information for your program.
This can seem overwhelming, but you may be surprised by how much information you already have yourself.
Firstly
you will need a process. A list of all the steps that you will take to design and build your architecture.
You can learn about the steps in the process in my little Book, and adapt them to your circumstances.
Secondly
you will need to find information about time for each step.
Time is a tricky one, but start with what you know and then put in the ones you are making a guess for. Speak with your local authority to ask how long their permit process will take once your application is submitted, have a chat with a local contractor about how long their usual construction period is for architecture similar to yours, ask friends who live nearby about their own experiences.
Thirdly
you will need to find information about the cost for each step.
Cost is fairly straightforward when you have a budget. What can be tricky is knowing how all the costs for all the steps fit within that budget. Don’t forget to include a contingency in your budget to allow for the unexpected. Speak with your local authority to ask about the cost of their permit process, have a chat with a local contractor about their average cost per square metre to construct architecture similar to yours, call specialist consultants to ascertain an idea of a fee for their work, ask friends who live nearby about their own experiences.
Your process as well as your time and cost may be managed by someone else – such as someone you are working with. If you have employed a designer or specialist consultant such as an architect or quantity surveyor, they will likely put together a program for you in their own way. If you are working with a design and construction organisation or project home builder, they will put together a program for you, or they may already have a standard program of time frames and budgets for you to choose from. If you are purchasing an ‘off-the-plan’ design from a designer, prefabricator or designing yourself, you will most likely need to organise your own program or employ someone to prepare one specifically for you.
As you learn more about the parts of your architecture, you will be able to put more and more information into your Program and get closer and closer to how it will actually pan out.
If you learn about the process you will learn how best to schedule your program to make architecture suitable and specific to you.
Boy, there is so much to go into for this one, but that is the basics.
Your program in the process.
To be honest, it will flex and change as you work through your process.
As you begin to gather more and more information about other steps in the process, such as fees for permits or cost of materials, these will feed into your program and the program will become more detailed. It may also change, but that is ok. Keep it updated and monitor the progress.
a little Template for you
If you would like a guide to help you clarify your program, I am in the process of making a little Template for you!
program Time and Budget Planner | Your Numbers
Keep an eye out here for when it arrives in the new year.
This is your program
You have learnt about your program - your time and budget! Great – now you can use your Planner to refer to for the duration of the Process and to communicate the information you have gathered to others.
THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS IS TO Collate YOUR PARTS - all of the little things that you will use to build your architecture.
The Process.
This is the fourth step in the process to design and build architecture.
If you would like to see how this part fits within the process, you may be interested in a little book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.
The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.
Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!
Have fun getting to know your numbers!
Til next time!
Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a big reality.
Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.