What will you show your builder at the first meeting? Who prepares the plans?

So you are ready to dive in and renovate, your’e buzzing with excitement. But who do you call first?

Before You Call a Builder: Who Prepares the Plans?

When people are ready to renovate, whether it's the whole home or just the kitchen or bathroom, their first call is usually to a builder. But when the builder arrives, there's no plan to work from, which means they can't give an accurate quote. Often the owner doesn't yet have a clear idea of what they want either, and that's precisely where the confusion begins and time is wasted.

Builders aren't designers. They're skilled tradespeople who build what's on the plans, and without those plans there's nothing to price and nothing to build to.

So who prepares the plans?

Depending on the size and scope of your project, the plans will come from one or more of these professionals.

Architect

Architects hold a university degree and are registered with the Architects Registration Board of Victoria. They're the right choice for new custom homes, major extensions, second storeys, heritage properties and tricky sites.

Building designer

Building designers are registered with the Victorian Building Authority and can prepare the drawings needed for a building permit. They suit standard new homes, knockdown-rebuilds, extensions and renovations where walls or footprints change.

Interior designer

Interior designers focus on what happens inside the existing footprint: kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and living spaces. That covers space planning, cabinetry, lighting, and the selection of finishes and fittings, with detailed drawings and specifications for the builder to follow. This is the work we do at The Grounded Room. Fees are commonly fixed-fee by stage, a percentage of the project or hourly dependant on the situation. Where walls move or the structure changes, an interior designer works alongside an architect or building designer.

Which one do you need?

•      Changing the structure or footprint? You'll need an architect or building designer.

•      Working within the existing walls? An interior designer can take you from concept to a complete set of documents.

•      A bit of both? Bring them in together early so the layout, structure and finishes are all resolved before you go to tender.

Why it matters

Every decision left unresolved before a builder is engaged becomes a variation or an allowance later, and that's where budgets blow out. Plans and a specification up front mean every builder is quoting on the same thing, so you can compare like with like.

Your first step

If you're not sure which of these you need, that's completely normal, and it's exactly where most people start. Before you call a builder, call for a conversation with The Grounded Room.

Or

Tell me about your project through the enquiry form, and I'll help you work out what you actually need. If it's an interior renovation, I can prepare the plans and specifications myself. If the structure or footprint is changing, I'll tell you which professional to bring in and help coordinate them, so you end up with a complete set of documents to take to builders for accurate, comparable quotes.