The Process

The ingredients:-
1. Obtain the Land
2. Obtain Finance
3. Make some big Decisions 
4. Engineering & Permits
5. Production & Site Preparation
6. Delivery & Construction

Method:-
1. Information Gathering: After having purchased your land it is your responsibility to obtain the following information.  This information will be required for any building on the site and is not exclusive to Recipe Housing:
• Obtain a site survey including contours, boundaries, mature trees and existing structures on the site requiring removal.
• Obtain some photographs of the site. Include desirable views, waterways, gullies, large visible rocks,  trees or vegetation to be retained or that might have an impact of the houses location.
• Obtain planning department regulations regarding setbacks, rooflines, height restrictions or any other building restrictions imposed on the site.   This can be obtained from the local council. 
• Check any covenants, easements, conditions or restrictions on the site – which will restrict/determine what you can and can’t build there.  For example in some estates you can only build single storey brick veneer houses.
• Confirm sewerage, water, phone and electricity connections – or lack thereof.   Check with the local council for regulations in regards to what you can and can’t use on site. Decide if you want the house to be completely reliant on local services, interactive with them or stand alone.
• Obtain a soils report.  This lets us know what type of foundations will be needed and can have an impact on the overall cost. 
• Problems; Unfortunately in Australia we have a few variables that can strongly impact on the design depending on where the site is located - check if you any of the following currently effecting the property  or  that might in the future effect the property: -  termites, cyclones, bushfires, floods, snow , earthquake,  landslide, drought, high pollution, dust storms, breaking surf within 100m etc, etc, etc.

2. Obtain Finance:  Ensure you have sufficient construction finance.  Please look around, many institutions offer competitive rates/discounts for sustainable housing.

3. The Decision Phase:  what do you want?
• Numbers:-  Decide on the numbers of stories, decks, bedrooms, bathrooms etc. ideally needed.
• Views & Aspects:-
Does the block have any potential views?  Are there trees or anything that ideally could be framed in the view?
Is there anything that should be blocked?
Variations to the modules are not recommended, as they will result in  higher fees, time and costs.  The design team will advise the client at this stage what plan, they think will best suit the budget, site and needs.
• Location will determine the level of insulation required for the Recipe House, dependant on the climatic region.  The climatic region will also have an influence on the foundations required, and the plan that is recommended.
• Now is the time to get serious: To start moving forward, the client must send a signed contract,  along with nominated payment plus all land information. The Recipe Housing team will start cooking!  The length of this phase is dependant on the site information, location and slope of the site.  The design team will organise the selected modules into a workable plan, which we will be forwarded to the client.
• Now is the time for the client to review this and make any changes or modifications, add a room, delete a bathroom, add a deck.
• A meeting is organised with the design team, this can either happen on site or at the Recipe office.  If neither is possible this can be done via email and the telephone.  Obviously a face – to face meeting is preferable and minimises misunderstandings.
• Now is the stage where the client makes selections – interior and exterior finishes, lighting, sanitary, colours, flooring, tiles, tap ware etc.  These selections are made from preferred lists.  These lists are updated regularly to ensure that the RECIPE house is modern and stylish.
• Sustainable will prepare schematic design documents and preliminary pricing for the RECIPE housing. 

4. Working Drawings, Engineering and Permits:
All the details in regards to this stage and the fees involved will be included in the start-up package.
Sustainable RECIPE housing will locate and co-ordinate the civil and structural engineering process, identifying companies in the local area to undertake the work, the fees for these will vary depending on the location and the sites complexity.
Recipe Housing will undertake a site visit at this stage, to determine the delivery process and setting up process.  This will be charged at an hourly rate for time.  If the site is located more than 4 hours outside of Brisbane, a lump sum will be worked out to cover costs including but not exclusive to time travel and accommodation.
Sustainable Recipe Housing will prepare a set of working drawings suitable for submission to the local council for approvals.
SRH will prepare final pricing and scope for the Recipe Housing.   (All approvals, engineering, site works, foundations, landscaping, decks and courtyards are additional cost)

5. Contract: Once permits are approved and all design fees have been paid, Sustainable will provide a contract for the production of the house.
Site construction can begin.