If you’re starting to plan a building project, one of the first questions you may have is: do I need a draftsman? For many homeowners, the confusion comes from not knowing exactly where drafting fits into the overall building process. You might already know what you want. Perhaps you want another bedroom, a larger living area, an extension at the rear of your home or an entirely new house. But knowing what you want and having the documentation required to properly design, assess, approve and build it are two different things.
A residential draftsman can help bridge that gap. In this guide, we’ll look at when drafting may be required, why professional plans are valuable and how the role changes between renovations, extensions and new-home projects.
Professional drafting is particularly valuable when a project involves meaningful changes to the layout, footprint or design of a building. A draftsman can take your requirements and develop drawings that clearly communicate the proposed project. This might include:
– Existing-condition plans
– Concept plans
– Floor plans
– Elevations
– Sections
– Perspective views
– Approval documentation
– Building Approval documentation
The exact documentation will depend on the type and complexity of the project. If you’re unfamiliar with what happens during drafting, start with our complete guide to residential drafting.
For a minor cosmetic renovation, extensive drafting may not be necessary. Painting rooms, changing finishes or replacing cabinetry without substantial building changes is very different from altering the layout or structure of the home. Professional residential drafting becomes more relevant when the renovation involves substantial changes such as:
– Removing or relocating walls
– Reconfiguring rooms
– Creating new openings
– Altering the existing building layout
– Changing major parts of the building
– Combining renovation work with an extension
– Preparing drawings for building approval
One of the biggest benefits of using a draftsman for a renovation is the ability to look at the home as a complete layout. Instead of making isolated changes, you can consider how those changes affect surrounding spaces.
Renovations involve an existing building, which means the design process begins with understanding what is already there. Accurate existing plans are important. The dimensions and conditions of the current building influence how the proposed renovation can be designed. This is why Eclipse Drafting uses site measurement and point-cloud scanning for existing homes. Accurate base information can then be used to develop the proposed plans rather than relying on assumptions.
For more on how this works, read our guide to the residential drafting process from site measure to building approval.
A home extension is one of the clearest examples of when professional drafting becomes valuable.
An extension needs to connect new construction with an existing building. That involves more than determining the dimensions of the additional room. The design may need to consider:
– Existing floor levels
– The current floor plan
– Connections between old and new spaces
– Roof forms
– Door and window locations
– Overall building appearance
– Site conditions
– Structural considerations
– Documentation required for Building Approval
A well-designed extension should work with the rest of the home. This is why it can be beneficial to develop the extension as part of the broader building design rather than simply treating it as extra floor area.
Sometimes the answer isn’t simply making the home bigger. A drafting and design process may identify opportunities to improve the existing layout as part of an extension. For example, adding a new living space could create an opportunity to reconsider the kitchen or improve circulation through an existing area. This is where design development adds value. Instead of beginning with the assumption that one predetermined layout must be built, the draftsman can explore how the project’s goals could be achieved through a more considered configuration.
If you’re designing a new home, professional drawings become central to the project. A new house begins with a large number of possibilities. You need to translate requirements for bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas, storage, outdoor connections and other spaces into a coherent building design. A residential draftsman can help develop the initial brief into concept plans and then progressively refine those plans into the documentation needed for later project stages.
Eclipse Drafting provides dedicated new house design services for homeowners developing a new residential project.
One of the most important contributions is turning a list of requirements into a layout that works as a whole. Consider a simple request such as:
– Four bedrooms
– Two bathrooms
– Open-plan kitchen
– Living and dining
– Outdoor entertaining
– Garage
– Home office
That list describes the spaces but not the design. Questions still remain. Where should the bedrooms sit relative to the living spaces? How should people enter and move through the house? How does the kitchen connect with dining and outdoor areas? Where should storage be positioned? How does the building respond to the site? Drafting and building design help turn individual requirements into one coordinated proposal.
Professional drafting isn’t limited to major renovations and new homes. Depending on the nature of the work, drawings can also be useful or required for projects such as:
– Granny flats
– Duplexes
– Decks
– Carports
– Raise-and-build-under projects
– Other substantial residential alterations
For example, Eclipse Drafting provides specific drafting and design assistance for decks as well as a range of other residential project types. The important thing is not to judge the need for plans purely by the physical size of a project. A smaller structure can still involve design, engineering, approval and documentation requirements.
Your own sketches can be extremely useful. They help communicate what you’re thinking and can provide an excellent starting point for a conversation with a draftsman. But a rough sketch and a A professional drawing package serves different purposes. Your sketch might show where you’d like an extension to go. Professional drafting develops that idea into accurately dimensioned plans and supporting drawings that can be coordinated with the project’s technical requirements.
So don’t throw away your sketches. Bring them with you. Just think of them as the beginning of the design process rather than the finished documentation.
Bringing drafting into the project earlier provides more time to develop and test the design. Waiting until you’re trying to obtain prices or move towards construction can place pressure on decisions that would have benefited from being considered earlier. The drafting stage is an opportunity to make changes while they still exist on a drawing. Moving a wall on a plan is very different from changing it after construction has begun.
Early planning also gives consultants a clearer design to work with as the project progresses.
You don’t need a professional brief. Start with the practical information you already know. This might include:
– What you want to build or change
– What problems you’re trying to solve
– How you use your home
– Rooms or features you want
– Existing plans if available
– Photos
– Inspiration images
– Rough sketches
– Your priorities
– Approximate budget considerations
A useful drafting conversation focuses on both the physical project and the reason behind it. Instead of only saying “I want an extension”, explain why. Perhaps your family has outgrown the living area. Maybe you need a home office. Perhaps you want the kitchen and outdoor area to work together more effectively. Those objectives help guide the design.
Explore our residential drafting services or contact Eclipse Drafting to discuss your proposed project and the drawings you may need.
