You’ve Got an Idea. Now What?

There are two moments in any project that are the most exciting: the conception, and the completion. 

The very first moment an idea strikes you, your mind runs wild with possibilities. Caution is thrown to the wind, and your mind romps to fantastical places. And then, the moment you enter that new space, where all the intangible possibilities have been wrangled into a real living space, it’s a joyful experience.

It’s everything in between these moments that can be the really difficult times: the setbacks, the compromises, the incremental progress. All of these things are made much worse if you’ve not got the right builder. LPC Projects are Northern Beaches builders that specialise in designing and constructing the right build in the right place for the right people. If you get any of these wrong, you don’t get that magical moment at the end. You get disappointment or regret.

How do we avoid this? Simple. We carry out a SWOT analysis on your site to establish the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats so that the design can be as thorough and smart as possible. We will typically consider the following:

·       local climate – A broad strokes analysis of your climate will drastically affect the materials used. A log cabin in Tasmania has different needs to a beach shack in Byron. But there is such a thing as a microclimate as well. You might be in a valley or near a body of water which means you need more insulation and warmth than the house in the next suburb over. Failing to plan for this means you’re never comfortable in your own home.

·       Orientation – As Northern Beaches builders, we are big believers in designing and constructing the build to compliment the natural surroundings rather than clashing. As such, we love maximising the number of north facing rooms so that it feels brighter and warmer all year round. This means we strategically put the less important rooms on the south side of the build. Of course it goes without saying that we also need to factor in the direction of the views. There are many moving parts to this game.

·       Solar Access – This goes hand in hand with the orientation. Once the rooms are pointed in the right direction, how can maximise the size and number of windows? This will inevitably make the build more hospitable and will save your back pocket in the long run as you aren’t forced to artificially heat and light these rooms for the lifespan of the building.

·       Bushfire, or flood risks – Council will have maps outlining which properties are within established flood plains or bushfire paths. Yet as the world becomes more and more influenced by climate change, our designs must stay up to speed. You might not be in a marked danger zone now, but you may be in ten years time. This affects how we would lay foundations, and the types of materials we would use.

This is but a fraction of the things we consider when we design and construct a project. But I hope it shows that diligence and care we take as Northern Beaches builders to make sure that the completed project exceeds even your initial conceptions.

We consider that a job well done.