Now is the Time to Write a Brief for Your Dream Home. Here's How
Architects provide advice on how to prepare a brief for a house that will see you and your family live better
Social distancing and self isolation due to coronavirus (COVID-19) have seen us retreat to the safety and security of our homes. Spending more time than usual at home can highlight where your house functions well and where it doesn’t and how it provides spaces for household members to be together and apart. If a renovation or new build is in your future, then now is the time to focus on how you can improve your house and ultimately the way you live in it.
We spoke to three architects about how to write a brief for your dream home and set the design process in motion.
We spoke to three architects about how to write a brief for your dream home and set the design process in motion.
“If you are home alone or with your family, it’s the ideal time to think about how you want to live. Not what other people do or what’s expected, but what you love doing at home. How do you like spending time with your partner and family? What do your children enjoy doing at home? For example, do you love to cook outdoors, host large family dinners, crank up the stereo or read quietly in the garden?” says Khoo.
“Each and every renovation and build is important and a major project for us. We love houses,” says Khoo. “As COVID-19 impacts all of us, take advantage of the extra time you have and you could really get your home right.”
Thinking of using this time to plan your renovation? Find a local architect on Houzz to discuss your options
“Each and every renovation and build is important and a major project for us. We love houses,” says Khoo. “As COVID-19 impacts all of us, take advantage of the extra time you have and you could really get your home right.”
Thinking of using this time to plan your renovation? Find a local architect on Houzz to discuss your options
These personal, qualitative questions form a valuable part of your brief and will help your architect conceive a design that reflects and supports the way you want to live.
“It takes fresh eyes, creative thinking and experience to identify the problems and see the opportunities in your house,” says Khoo. “Getting the spaces right – before all the finishes and fittings – will ensure the success of your home.” Khoo also recommends thinking about indoor and outdoor spaces and the relationship between them. “There are inside rooms and outside rooms and they should be conceived as part of a whole,” he says.
“It takes fresh eyes, creative thinking and experience to identify the problems and see the opportunities in your house,” says Khoo. “Getting the spaces right – before all the finishes and fittings – will ensure the success of your home.” Khoo also recommends thinking about indoor and outdoor spaces and the relationship between them. “There are inside rooms and outside rooms and they should be conceived as part of a whole,” he says.
Altereco Design
“Now is the time to set the wheels in motion for a home renovation or build,” says James Goodlet, director of Altereco Design in Yarraville, Victoria. “If you have extra time on your hands, it’s a great place to pour your energy.”
Goodlet advises developing the brief to consider all members of a household and how the design could support their personality traits, likes, talents and habits.
“A brief should tell a story about a person and family: who lives in the house, their ages, personalities, likes and habits,” he says. “Think about where, when and how they like to spend their time – when you’re together and apart – as this helps us talk about social arrangements within the house. For example, if your 10-year-old daughter loves to read books in the evening, then maybe there is a reading nook for her.”
While it will feel more natural to write a brief focused on how you live in the house today, it should be based on how you want to live in the house in two years (when it is built) and even further down the track. “We hope that people live in their house for at least 10 years, so they need to plot their journey over time,” says Goodlet. “This helps us incorporate flexibility in the design so your house can adapt to family and lifestyle changes.”
“Now is the time to set the wheels in motion for a home renovation or build,” says James Goodlet, director of Altereco Design in Yarraville, Victoria. “If you have extra time on your hands, it’s a great place to pour your energy.”
Goodlet advises developing the brief to consider all members of a household and how the design could support their personality traits, likes, talents and habits.
“A brief should tell a story about a person and family: who lives in the house, their ages, personalities, likes and habits,” he says. “Think about where, when and how they like to spend their time – when you’re together and apart – as this helps us talk about social arrangements within the house. For example, if your 10-year-old daughter loves to read books in the evening, then maybe there is a reading nook for her.”
While it will feel more natural to write a brief focused on how you live in the house today, it should be based on how you want to live in the house in two years (when it is built) and even further down the track. “We hope that people live in their house for at least 10 years, so they need to plot their journey over time,” says Goodlet. “This helps us incorporate flexibility in the design so your house can adapt to family and lifestyle changes.”
If you’re looking to renovate a house you are living in, or build a new house on your current site, this time spent at home is a good opportunity to observe what does and doesn’t function well.
“Identify the poor performing parts of the house; where it is too hot in summer and freezing in winter; and what spaces you avoid and why,” says Goodlet, and he suggests thinking about these types of questions on both a practical and emotional level. “Analysing the feelings you have in different spaces can help us identify and resolve these issues. If you don’t use a bedroom because it’s dark and dingy, it might be better as an ensuite.”
“Identify the poor performing parts of the house; where it is too hot in summer and freezing in winter; and what spaces you avoid and why,” says Goodlet, and he suggests thinking about these types of questions on both a practical and emotional level. “Analysing the feelings you have in different spaces can help us identify and resolve these issues. If you don’t use a bedroom because it’s dark and dingy, it might be better as an ensuite.”
The more you think about your home and the more you put into your brief, the better. “It might be pages long, but that shows you’ve really thought about it. You want to work with an architect you have a connection with and a long brief can help us feel like we already know you,” says Goodlet.
Buck & Simple Architects
“Building a house takes a long time and it’s paramount to have a good relationship with your architect,” says Peter Ahern, co-director of Buck & Simple Architects in Manly, NSW. “This is the time to begin preparing a brief, find an architect and start developing the concept and design.”
Ahern recommends that your brief include a “shopping list” of ideal rooms and features, such as three bedrooms, a large kitchen and walk-in pantry; but it should also describe how you want to live. “The more you can elaborate about and express the emotional impact, the better we can design a house for the life you want to live,” says Ahern.
“Building a house takes a long time and it’s paramount to have a good relationship with your architect,” says Peter Ahern, co-director of Buck & Simple Architects in Manly, NSW. “This is the time to begin preparing a brief, find an architect and start developing the concept and design.”
Ahern recommends that your brief include a “shopping list” of ideal rooms and features, such as three bedrooms, a large kitchen and walk-in pantry; but it should also describe how you want to live. “The more you can elaborate about and express the emotional impact, the better we can design a house for the life you want to live,” says Ahern.
He suggests focusing on the esoteric and emotive qualities. “Do you enjoy your morning coffee sitting in the sunlight? Do you want to access the garden from your laundry? Do you enjoy a beer on the deck in the afternoon? These types of questions and descriptions will help determine the location and relationship of spaces,” says Ahern.
If you and your family members are all now working and schooling from home, consider where in the house that is happening now and how it could be better. It’s an opportunity to start a discussion and table everyone’s ideas of how the house could help them live better.
“It is important to discuss the brief with all members of the household to ensure you are on the same page,” says Ahern. “It is also important to be excited about the project and spaces you want to create and the way you want to live.”
“It is important to discuss the brief with all members of the household to ensure you are on the same page,” says Ahern. “It is also important to be excited about the project and spaces you want to create and the way you want to live.”
Your turn
Have you written a brief for your home? Share your tips and experience in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Curious why now might be the right time to build? Find out here with Why Now is the Time to Start a Home Renovation or New Build
Have you written a brief for your home? Share your tips and experience in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Curious why now might be the right time to build? Find out here with Why Now is the Time to Start a Home Renovation or New Build
“The upside of social distancing is people are spending more time in their homes and have an opportunity to really think about their house,” says Fooi-Ling Khoo, director of OOF! Architecture in St Kilda, Victoria. “If you have time on your hands, it’s valuable to sit down, slow down, and think about what you want from your home and what would make you happy at home.”
Houses are often described in numerical terms: for example four bedrooms, three bathrooms, 250 square metres. However, a home is more personal, and so too should be your brief. Think qualitative and subjective, rather than quantitative and objective.