Our Process

The Smith & Sons Home Renovation ProcessDesign - Plan - Construct

So, you are looking to renovate your home but don’t know where to start? Or, you’ve got some idea on what you would like to achieve, but not sure how to get there?

You might even have a full set of plans ready to go, and are looking for the right renovation builder for your home.

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Homeowners planning a renovation with Smith & Sons Coldstream

The great news is – you are in the right place.

Smith & Sons’ unique Design – Plan – Construct renovation building system caters for wherever you are in your home renovation journey. The DPC system was designed for you and hundreds of people like you who are out there looking for answers and to be guided through the renovation process.

Before we go into detail, we would like to let you know why we developed the DPC system and how it works for you and your home renovation.

Design and build is the concept of integrating the process of designing and building a construction project with one company managing the entire process from start to finish. This applies to renovations also as the process of a renovation can be similarly complex to that of building a house. Choosing a single company to manage the design and build of your renovation can be far more efficient, as well as providing cost savings throughout the entire process.

This is especially true when ensuring that the initial design will fit within your budget rather than the typical scenario where the architect designs something beautiful and amazing, which you simply cannot afford and therefore have already wasted time and money before even getting started. We ensure that all aspects of your renovation project work in sync to provide you the ultimate renovation within budget.

What makes us different from other design and build companies?

Now you can see how a specialist design and build company can be easier and more cost effective than managing multiple companies and contractors in different industries… How do you know which design and build company is right for your renovation?

Here are a few of many reasons why we are different and the benefits of working with Smith & Sons:

We talk about budget before design and consents begin, which ultimately saves you time and money.
You will have a dedicated project manager who takes full accountability for project completion… on time, on budget and of the highest standard. This is not a “side job” for us as it would be if you contracted a builder and other tradespeople. We are fully committed to your project.
Your dedicated project manager handles everything from consents, to paperwork and coordinating times with the tradespeople. Your project manager is one easily accessible central source of information.
Our teams are very respectful and select only the best tradespeople for the job. Great organisation and project timing along with trust and respect generally allows you to live in your home during the whole renovation design and build process.
We work only locally and know the area, environment, housing types and the local tradespeople best for your renovation.
Last but not least, we are remodeling specialists! For a renovation design and build, you know you can trust the experts at Smith & Sons.

Ready to start the design and build process for your renovation? Good – let’s move on!

We talk about the budget before design and construction begins, which ultimately saves you time and money.

Design
Plan
Construction

The Design phase is really a creative journey finding out all about you – and what you want in your renovation. It’s a very exciting time where you get to unleash your creativity and ideas onto paper so we can help you form a clear and concise picture of what your renovation needs to entail.

While that may sound simple and dreamy, the fact is there are a LOT of questions to be asked to get this final picture of how it will all fit together. We will ask about you and your living situation, partners, families, and even pets! How you use your home and the current flow of ‘living’. We will want to know your plans for your foreseeable future, so we can be sure we are ‘renovating for the future’. In doing this, we are taking into account everything we can so your home renovation will suit you now and far into the future. We will explore ideas, designs, materials, colours and a myriad of other items that we need to discuss to get this right the first time.

The better the questions we ask you, the better result we get together, so get ready for lots of coffee and donuts! At the end of the design process, we will have a clear design set out for your proposed renovation, which will allow us to give you an initial estimate on the investment required to carry out the renovation works.

With planning – we get technical. We take all your ideas that were mapped out originally and ensure that each of them are physically possible to do (especially pertinent on large renovations including a lot of structural work) by passing them onto engineers who diligently asses every detail of the physical build, to ensure a strong, safe and compliant construction process. No shortcuts here – we need to be 100% sure your home renovation will stand the test of time, no matter what the conditions.

When we know the work required is able to be done safely and with a sturdy foundation, we commence getting the final working drawings done that are required to be passed through council or city certifiers who ensure that the building will be up to scratch and comply to local laws and requirements. These drawings are highly technical and for good reason, they are the blue print of exactly how your renovation will come together and it is critical that everything is correct to the millimetre.

Once the working drawings are complete and have passed through council / city compliance, the most exciting phase begins – construction!

The day is finally here! Our builder arrives on site, tradespeople start buzzing around and soon your renovation project is in full swing! While it would be easy to sit back and wonder what is actually going on, all the initial design and planning processes are coming together, with each builder, tradesperson and materials all fitting in place to put the renovation puzzle together! Each part of the renovation process has been planned as is now translated to action as your home begins to be transformed.

During the renovation process, you will have ONE point of contact – meaning you save a lot of time, only needing to talk to one person, to have conversations once, and talk through any changes once. All you have to relay only needs to be talked over to one person, and then it is up to us to make it happen. We will communicate and keep you fully aware of what is happening and when, so you can continue to live life as normally as possible during the construction phase.

Remember our professional renovation builders have done this all before, so no question is too silly to ask, we are here to lead you through the renovation journey and make it as easy and enjoyable as possible, so if you have a question, an issue or a change to discuss, please, let us know! Then when the final day arrives where we walk off-site, with your renovation complete, a smile on our face as we see the absolute change in your home and lifestyle, and know we have made great friends along the way!

So that’s the process in a nutshell – Design, Plan, Construct. We hope this has made the process clear, if not we are more than happy to answer any questions. Simply pick up the phone or click the ‘contact us’ tab to reach out and we will be glad to help. Happy renovating!