If you’ve ever built a house or been a part of a team that developed a commercial building, then you know that mandatory red tape is one of the most stressful parts of the entire process. Acquiring the necessary building certificates for your project is key in it even beginning construction and ultimately, occupied. Most first-time homeowners aren’t aware of the importance of building certificates and unfortunately, don’t direct enough attention to it until the very last minute.
So what’s our #1 secret?
The lack of awareness around the need for building certificates is due to an absence of knowledge of the industry. To ensure that you aren’t a victim of this and to make the overall process of acquiring building certificates much simpler, we highly recommend hiring a building design consultant.
A building design consultant is your secret to efficiency
What does a building design consultant do? A building design consultant helps with:
- Determining what you need in the design of your home/building
- Designing and drawing out plans for your home/building
- Determining what building certificates your specific project needs
- Organising the necessary materials needed for a comprehensive application
Briefly, the above are some of the responsibilities of a building design consultant. As you can see, they offer major help with acquiring building certificates which is why they are our #1 secret for simplifying the process.
How do building design consultants make acquiring building certification easier?
Their professional expertise and industry knowledge inform the process
Building certificates and approvals include development consent, Complying Development Certificate, Occupation Certificate and Construction Certificate. In order to acquire either of these, different pieces of information, documentation and specifications are needed. They also need to be submitted at specific times to meet deadlines for your construction commencement.
Building design consultants are very familiar with the requirements for different certifications as well as their timelines and will be able to compile an application that has a high chance of approval.
They will stay on top of new legislation/council requirements as it relates to your project
To get certain building certifications, you will need to prove that your building will comply with construction legislation and council requirements. These requirements change all the time, often unknown to many people outside of the industry.
However, as building design consultants are in this field, they stay on top of legislative and council changes and will be able to amend your application accordingly. This helps you avoid any surprise rejections and will ensure that your project and application comply with new requirements.
A team will organise the submission of your documents
Organising all of these documents can be a nightmare, especially if your project requires multiple specifications. A building design consultant will have a team who can liaise with contractors and compile all of the necessary documents needed for your application. They will also submit your application according to the agreed-upon timeline when your application is complete.
Remember those small slip-ups such as forgetting a document or including an outdated plan can cause your application to be rejected. Having a team preparing your application is the best fool-proof way of acquiring certification.
They track the progression of your application
Never have to worry about being notified of your application’s approval or request for more information. A building design consultant team will keep up with your application’s progress, submit new information when necessary and apply for your Construction Certificate (needs to be done after development consent is given) promptly.
While building design consultants cannot ensure that you acquire the necessary building certificates, they will certainly increase your chances. Acquiring building certificates can be extremely stressful and overwhelming, leading to poorly organised applications and sometimes, rejection.
To ensure that your project begins without any obstacles and to rid the process of unnecessary stress, we recommend that you hire a building design consultant. Fortunately, in Sydney, many competent consultants can make the process much easier for you.