Design Brief - Part 3, USES

Design Brief (III)

Usage & Requirements

In keeping with my aspirations for a home that is deserving of an episode of "Grand Designs" one of the key things I would like is to have a home that is as green as possible. I'd like to employ good insulation, good passive cooling and have low-energy appliances.

More importantly, I would also like to have the house powered by solar as much as possible. Based on a couple of conversations I've had, the pay back for solar is ~7 years based on existing electricity tariffs. 

Assuming 1,000 sq ft of roof space, an estimate given to me was the potential installation of a 15.12kWp system. On average , it will produce approximately 1560kWh per month - or 60-70% of my estimated monthly requirements. A good start I reckon.

Below are some of my other requirements, in order of importance:

Kitchen(s)

Ok - so I think that the kitchen should be the heart of the home... but I'd like to be greedy and ask for 3 kitchens:

1) a modern kitchen with all the bells and whistles. It should preferably have an island that is the same height as the dining table. Here I would have 4 chairs where the family can have breakfast. These chairs could also be added to the formal dining table as needed for larger parties.

2) an Asian kitchen - this should be outdoors and fueled by LPG. a simple cooker and sink with plenty of storage are the requirements. 

3) an outdoor BBQ - I would love to have one of those gorgeous built in grills. 

Contemporary Kitchen by Minneapolis Photographers Spacecrafting / Architectural Photography

Dining Area(s)

Dining areas are going to be huge for this build. We see 20+ people every weekend and it would be great to comfortably seat them all. A couple of times a year, we also have massive gatherings where hundreds of extended family come by. (I kid you not). I would therefore like to have 2 dining areas (at least >.<)

1) an indoor dining for formal entertaining

2) an outdoor dining area for those BBQ parties and for the kids when we have those large family gatherings.

Contemporary Patio by Melbourne Architects & Building Designers Bagnato Architects

Contemporary Dining Room by San Diego Architects & Building Designers Matrix Design

Contemporary Patio by London Architects & Building Designers Hill Mitchell Berry Architects

Living Area(s)

As with the dining areas - would be good to have an outdoor living area and an indoor living area that are adjacent to the respective dining areas. 

There should also be one powder room located within these "public areas"

Contemporary Living Room by London Interior Designers & Decorators Elizabeth Bowman

Family Room - Man Cave

On top of my "nice to have" list (everything above are must haves!) is a man cave - or more likely family room where we can watch movies off a 120" projector screen!

<edit> Ideally, to accommodate the kids, there should be plenty of storage for their toys... Or so says the Mrs. 

Contemporary Home Theater by Fort Lauderdale Interior Designers & Decorators b+g design inc.

Home Entertainment

This leads me to home entertainment. I would very much like to have music channeled throughout the "public areas" of my home. ie the kitchen, living & dining areas. All the better if I can integrate them seamlessly.

Balcony

This is a good to have on the upper floors of the house - preferably connected to the Master-suite or Family room

Driveway

I would prefer to have a driveway for 2 cars (not that I have 2 cars)

Utility Area

I would like to be able to dry clothes in the sun (ie likely to be on the top-most floor) and/or with the warm air generated by air-conditioning.

Gym

Ok this is a big "IF". I would love a multi-gym + a cardio machine + a puching bag if there is room!

Contemporary Home Gym by Laguna Beach Photographers Jeri Koegel Photography

Basement

Building a basement can be prohibitively expensive. BUT, it would appear that semi-basements are within reason. if possible, would love to be able to create extra space and place my household shelter there.

Contemporary Basement by London Architects & Building Designers Appleton Weiner Architects

Pool

In all likelihood, this will be a non-starter. Which is also why it's at the bottom of the wish list. Should we manage to accomplish all of the above for under a budget of $850k and we have a few extra dollars to spend, I would very much like to have an "endless pool". These are not prohibitively expensive, but I can imagine that they would make an awesome addition to any home.

Modern Pool by Roswell Kitchen & Bath Remodelers Handcrafted Homes, Inc

Design Brief - Part 2, OCCUPANCY

Design Brief (II)

Occupancy

At any one time, the home will be occupied by 4 adults and 2 children. We would like to cater for the future and provide for an extra kid or house guests with a flexible 5th bedroom. Some styles, features & requirements follow:

Master Bedroom

Style: Tropical Chic meets luxury Americana. (More Westin than Ritz Carlton)
Ensuite requirements: Twin vanity with seperate WC and wetroom
Wardrobe: Walk-in wardrobe, island storage, bench seating 
Bedding:King
Additional requirement: an adjacent living area with TV would be a plus 

Contemporary Bedroom by Pompano Beach Interior Designers & Decorators Interiors by Steven G

Contemporary Living Room by Pompano Beach Interior Designers & Decorators Interiors by Steven G

Wetroom:

Contemporary Bathroom by Portland Architects & Building Designers Howells Architecture + Design, LLC

Senior Suite

Style: Clean lines, functional luxury
Ensuite requirements: Yes - senior friendly
Wardrobe: Built-in full length wardrobe
Additional Carpentry: Attached TV console to wardrobe
Bedding: Queen
Additional Requirement: Must be senior friendly. Access to main road without stairs; possible need for wheelchair in future

Kids Room 1

Style: Functional space for a 9 year old going on 18.
Ensuite requirements: Ensuite if possible, otherwise "Jack and Jill" ensuite preferred
Wardrobe: Built-in full length wardrobe
Additional Carpentry: Platform bed 
Bedding: Super Single - Queen
Additional Requirement:

Kids Room 2

Style: Fun (ctional) space for a 2 year old tyrant
Ensuite requirements: Ensuite if possible, otherwise "Jack and Jill" ensuite preferred
Wardrobe: Built-in full length wardrobe
Additional Carpentry: Built in Bunk bed with slide
Bedding: Super Single - Queen
Additional Requirement: See dream pic

Traditional Kids by New York Photographers Fast Forward Unlimited

Guest Bedroom - Study - Kids Room 3(?)

Style: Functional space for 2 guests 
Ensuite requirements: Functional Ensuite 
Wardrobe: Built-in full length wardrobe + attached study table for 2
Additional Carpentry: Murphy bed or sofa bed as is cost effective/comfortable
Bedding: Twins. Side by side
Additional Requirement: See dream pic

Contemporary Bedroom by London Interior Designers & Decorators Juliette Byrne

Contemporary Bedroom by Clive Design-Build Firms Pure Style by Jerry Bussanmas

Nanny's Room

Style: Functional space  
Ensuite requirements: Adjacent to utility room
Wardrobe: As is viable
Additional Carpentry: n.a.
Bedding: Single

Contemporary Bedroom by London Design-Build Firms Ajax Builders

Warren's Home

People who read this blog - yes all 3 of you, would remember that we introduced you to Warren Liu in an earlier post.

One may even remember that  we found him via the Straits Times in this article.

One month after our initial meeting, Warren was kind enough to show us the house mentioned in the article. His home.

The reason why he showed us the house, was because it was a relatively modest build costing him ~$250 per sq ft.

It was a beautiful home

in hot tropical Singapore, it was a pleasure to sit in his kitchen without the fan on, and enjoy the breeze.

I wasn't a fan of the eclectic furniture choice, but only because I'm quite conservative about furniture and furnishings... but really, everything was gorgeous, given the costs.

I think I would look for alternatives in some areas... instead of aluminium shutters, maybe I would go with wooden plantation shutters... but of course the point at which we delve into the details on architectural finishing is still miles away.

The couple of things I did love:

• The use of space - from a land area of ~1400 sq feet, he cleverly built a >3300 sq ft house
• He managed 3 bedrooms + 2 studies (1 convertible into a guest room) + 1 utility room + a gorgeous multi-tiered open plan living area
• a GREEN roof! like grass... on a roof!
• Gadgets galore (thank you Sonos)
• I was ambivalent about bringing the outdoors in, but my wife loved all the greenery
• oh and check out the pièce de résistance... a TV in the dining table.

View professional pics of his home here.

Light-Gauge Steel Construction

So there's a slight (30-50% if we're counting) disconnect between how much money we can potentially spare and how much it would cost to build our dream house. As a consequence, we had 2 options. 1) scale back on our dream, or 2)kick the can down the road and dream a little dream at a later time.

With the latter approach, there is no guarantee we'll ever get to it... :(

So we got to thinking... and researching.

One way to get over >3000sq feet of space at under $300 per sq ft in Singapore is to find ways to cut costs. Why construction is so expensive in Singapore is because of labour.

So how do we save time & money? Alternative construction methods. Brick and mortar construction can take up to a year to complete a 3,500 sq ft home. Using light-gauge steel construction however, means that we can cut costs by over 30%... what is it?

https://www.bca.gov.sg/publications/BuildabilitySeries/others/bsl_cp9.pdf

Steel is widely used in the construction of multi-storey buildings. However, steel construction is seldom used and is traditionally considered uneconomical for landed properties. In many parts of the world, timber or structural brickwork is preferred whereas in Singapore, reinforced concrete construction is usually preferred for landed properties. Over the years, various improved systems have been developed for use in landed properties. An economical light gauge steel frame system is increasingly being used in America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. This light gauge steel frame is developed through a cold-formed process without the use of heat. This process enables steel manufacturers to produce light-weight but high tensile steel sheets. The sheet surface is coated with a zinc alloy that completely covers the steel surface and seals it from the corrosive action of its environment. This results in buildings that are more solid, rigid, stronger, durable and easier to build. As such, the light gauge steel frame system is an attractive alternative for use in landed properties. This is particularly in view of concerns on the depletion of timber resources and low productivities associated with reinforced concrete construction. 

Over the weekend, we visited a 3 storey building that was erected in 1 month. That's right folk - an entire school block. Time being money, is finally playing in our favour.

Reservations

One of the key reservations we have about this form of construction is that impact noise is very perceptible. if you knock on the walls (made of chip board), or jump on the floor, you can hear the reverberation. This gives one the impression that it is not as sturdy as your typical reinforced concrete construction.

Also, I was asked by someone I spoke to: "if there was a riot, could someone hack into your home with an axe?" my immediate reaction was that if someone had an axe, chances are they'd be able to breach any door or window in a conventional home... but I understand where he was coming from. There is a certain disconcerting feeling around chip-board or even concrete-fibre walls when you've lived your life around concrete... maybe it's time for a change. 


light gauge steel construction in action

THE COST OF BUILDING A HOME IN SINGAPORE

It's all about the money

Building Costs (Buildings Cost!)

According to all the architects that we have spoken to, including our top 3, mentioned here, here and here, the costs for building a bespoke home average $320-400 per square foot. So a property that has 3,500 sq feet built in (325 sq m) would cost S$1.1 mil to $1.4 mil. Someone we know, is paying upwards of $500 per sq m for an extremely luxe build.

If you want gross construction figures and statistics, you may refer to Langdon & Seah's Construction Cost Handbook. For other countries in Asia, you may download other handbooks from here. The costs here, based on Construction Floor Area (CFA) put a 325 sq m semi-detached house at $877k to $1.02 mil.

CFA of course excludes all the bits and bobs outside of the actual house (eg. garden, car porch etc.)

Of particular interest, is the breakdown of costs. turns out the bulk of the costs are in architectural finishes. So ultimately, the cost of the home is tied to the quality of the finishes and fittings.

What I'm hearing more and more is that glass is expensive. the more light you want to let in, the more it's gonna cost.

Architectural & Other Professional Fees

According to the Singapore Institute of Architects, all members (read architects) are free to set their own fees.

So we've had quite a few interesting quotes ranging from fixed fees, to percentage of total estimated build.

A ballpark for a build of our scale, is $70k-$100k in architectural fees alone.

Then there is more.

A structural engineer will likely come in at $20k

A quantity surveyor will come in at $15k (but Architects may be willing to do this for a project of this scale)

Others, including your land surveyors, clerk-of-works & soil testing could likely set you back a further $15k

Of course, you need to set aside a budget of submissions to all the authorities, and that will likely cost you $15-20k

The BIG Total

Building costs: $1mil to $1.4 mil

Professional fees: $120k - $160k

Furniture: (oh gosh! we're going to be sleeping on straw mats at this rate!!!)

S$1.2mil - S$2 mil 

ok let's see what the banks come back with!!!

Meeting #3 - HYLA Architects

HYLA Architects was for us the most mind blowing of meetings. For one, this was the first meeting we had in a plush office in the most chic of wining & dining neighborhoods.

We were greeted in the board room by wooden models of some their more recent works. Light walls highlighted some of the glorious properties they've worked on, some of which are shown below.

If we were choosing an architect based on design alone (read "budgets not a priority") then these would be our guys. 

Also, they were very polished. They had a response for everyone of our requirements. Ventilation important to you? Please have a look at this project (shown on a large flatscreen TV built flush against the boardroom wall). Wow. 

They also shared something that I had never seen before. We got a copy of their portfolio and attached to that, a design questionnaire which sought our inputs on the use of the property and the requirements of each of the members of the household. Nice. I think that this should really be a best practice adopted by all architects. 

Did we mention beautifully bound too?

Han, the principal who spent the hour with us also promised to send across a budget plan for us to work off. This should help us understand the minutiae of costs involved in our rebuild. 

Han Loke Kwang

The principal of HYLA is an industry veteran. The Colombo plan scholar has won multiple architectural awards and most importantly specializes in rebuilds such as ours. 

I don't think that Han has made the job of architect picking an easy one for us. But he has given us plenty to think about. Primarily, if we should rush into this, or wait it out, consolidate our funds and spend the "right amount" only when we can afford it. 

Next stop, our friendly bankers. 

(Photos courtesy of HYLA Architects)

Reasons we want a new home

According to this website, the top reasons to build a new home include:

It's NEW!

No one else has ever lived in it before, so everything is clean and brand new.

Contemporary Floor Plans

Designs evolve. Old, obsolete homes may not address the way people live today. 

Customize Your Home

Build your home to order. You help design your own living environment, just the way you want it. 

  

Safer And Healthier

Wiring systems are up-to-date. Hazardous materials, such as asbestos, formaldehyde and lead, have been eliminated from new home building products. 

Energy Efficient & Technologically Current

Energy efficient windows. Better insulation technologies. Better control of air infiltration, resulting in healthier indoor air quality. Modern heating & cooling system. 

Financial Advantages

Build home equity. Roll the cost of upgrades into your mortgage and pay over time.

etc.etc...

The real reason why we're looking to build a new home now, is simply because our neighbour is doing the same.

woah *insert the squeaky sound of a record being played in reverse if you will*

It is NOT a "keeping up with the Joneses" kind of a thing.

a) they are a really nice chinese family so their last name isn't Jones

b) we do want to enlarge our living space to accommodate the needs of our quickly growing kids; and 

c) here's the story with what's happening with the Joneses neighbours.

Here we are Circa 2015

We live in house 'C'. An intermediate terrace sandwiched between two other houses. It gets a lil' dark, but no big deal so far.

What's happening now tho' is that our neighbours (Joneses "B") have demolished their home and are looking to rebuild it as a semi-detached property.

The issue for us, is that when we rebuild our home, we will no longer be allowed to redevelop it as an intermediate terrace; but rather we are obliged to build a semi-detached home as well. 

Now, having to change to a semi-d means that we loose ~30sq meters of living space because of a setback requirement. To make up for this loss of space, we will, in all likelihood have to add an additional storey (see MAN CAVE) and this means that the build we were dreaming of in the past needed to change.

So there - we don't NEED to rebuild. we just needed an excuse to do it.

Oh and the man cave thing.

Meeting #2 - REGULATE

AD LAB

Anyone remember the 1995 hit "Regulate"? no? HOW DARE YOU!?!? Warren G is the step-brother of Dr. Dre. The Mayor of Long Beach, California dedicated the week of August 1 to 6, 2005 as the "Warren G Week," because of the time he's donated time to the community.

Now go refresh your memory with this. No man with an entire week named after him should ever be forgotten.

Ok where was I? building houses? right. Still reeling from our meeting with Lee May Ann a couple of nights ago, we really were hoping that Warren Liu, Principal of AD LAB wouldn't be right for us. This was afterall a boutique Architectural practice with over 15 people and they do some pretty kick-ass, cutting edge, forward looking kinda design stuff.

AND we found him via the Straits Times in this article. 

BUT, since we started this hunt 2 weeks ago, and we had committed to this meeting since, we went ahead and dragged our feet to this meeting.

DAMMIT! We were once again blown away. This guy is good.

Warren really put us at ease. We thought that we were better prepared than during our first meeting, so we were throwing all the hard questions with our newly acquired architectural vocabulary. He was unfazed and wowed us with solution after solution, option after option. MOST IMPORTANTLY, this guy excited us with the possibility of new building methods and materials rarely seen in Singapore. If we appoint him, we would be pushing quite a few firsts in this country. I like. #granddesigns #KevinMcCloud

PLUS, his designs were quite kick-ass.

Photos all courtesy of  http://www.a-dlab.com/

This design I didn't like because I thought it was too modern & angular for me - but I think that there are still design elements I could gladly incorporate.

http://www.habitusliving.com.sg/projects/house-with-a-spiralling-garden

About Warren Liu

Ok - I couldn't bring myself to stalk the guy, so I haven't yet started to dig up his CV. what I did find is a whole bunch of awards including one from URA pitching him as one of 20 under 45. sounds like an impressive enough title.

Oh and here's a video of him

OUR WISH LIST

WHAT WE WANT IN A HOME

So - we have mentioned that we have been incubating this idea for awhile haven't we? No? Well we have.

Thanks to this GAWESOME (God-awesome... we're truncating everything now aren't we?) online tool called floorplanner  we have been able to sketch out our requirements for the Architects we've been meeting.

We have been reiterating to all these architects that the point of doing these plans is so that we can create a wish list of things that we want to see in our new home. eg. I want a man-cave - that maybe I'll share with my cubs (if they're good). My wife wants her personal space - so yes she's getting that damn wardrobe. etc etc.

So here are some of our plans... wonder how similar they'll be to the finished product!

THE GROUND FLOOR

Our wish list here is simple - we need a room for mum and her own glorious Asian kitchen (yes that's where all hell breaks loose with the propane tanks). For the public space, we envisage a swanky open kitchen with all the mod-cons and a couple of dining areas.

We get 20-30 people in every weekend - so take my word for it, we entertain quite a bit. we'll need the space. Of course, we'll have a formal living area (hereinwith known as the Swiss part of the house). (Swiss because of neutrality - nothing to do with hoarding tons of money that belong to other people). (or watches. really nice watches for that matter). (Note to self. stop using the parentheses too much)()()() 

THE SECOND FLOOR (ok the first floor if you're British)

Up one flight of stairs, and this should be the family sanctuary. We want a luxe bedroom with enough space for her (read wardrobe) and adequate space for me (read sofa in front of bed).

The kids want a room each (actually child #1 wants her own room. Child #2 seems to like the company so far). We think a "jack-n-jill" style bathroom (or in this case "Jill-n-jill") would be adequate for our 2 girls.

A 4th study and/or guest bedroom would also be ideal for visiting friends and family - trust me, we've got a few of those.

THE THIRD FLOOR (fine. Attic)

MAN CAVE. MAN WATCH MOVIE. MAN HAVE GUITAR. MAN HAVE AMPLIFIER TURNED UP TO 11.

I really wish there was room for a BBQ - or any kind of fire making device. will have to settle for the clothes dryer in the utility room up here.

Meeting #1 - Makk Daddy

Makk Architects

Ok - so maybe the title doesn't make any sense. Considering that Makk Architects is run by a wonderful lady - LEE May Ann (& therefore not a "daddy" of any sort). Also the word association that comes with a "Mac-daddy" often involves pink feather boas - not something that we want associated with our new home.

BUT I DIGRESS!

OK - May Ann.

I first learnt about her when scouring the internet looking for the difference between solo-practitioners and boutique architectural firms. This article came up. We quite fancied the idea of working with a solo architect who would be dedicated to one project at a time. there wouldn't be distractions, and there weren't overheads like staff and rentals that she needed to be concerned with...

She was an absolute joy to speak to. She tried to understand what our requirements were, talked about our wish list and then shared her design philosophy. We were floored. WE REALLY LIKE HER! more importantly, we really like her designs.

The words "organic", "tropical" and "comfy" come to mind

My wife asked if I reckoned we could be friends after this build... I wasn't sure if we really needed to see another architect... but oh no - I've learnt better than that. MUST. DO. DUE. DILIGENCE. (damn you public service training)

Courtesy of www.makk-pl.com

Courtesy of www.makk-pl.com

About May Ann

Having completed her formal architectural education in mid 1997 from National University of Singapore (NUS) with Honours, May Anne joined the then Housing and Development Board (HDB) in 1998 after doing almost half a year of back-packing and travelling to various countries. Her two and half years at HDB had built a firm and essential foundation on the reality of the professional practice. Moving from a large public sector architectural experience, she decided to join one of the largest architectural practices in the private sector - DP Architects in the year 2000, where she worked for about a year to gain an insight into how it differs from the public sector.

Argh - she even back-packs! what's not to like about an architect who has back-packed?

Photo courtesy of http://www.indesignlive.sg/articles/people/makk-architects-joys-of-a-solo-journey

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET US NOT LIKE THE OTHER ARCHITECTS!