What does a design freeze mean for a granny flat project?
Treat design freeze as a recorded coordination milestone: the layout, dimensions, openings and selected specifications are agreed for the next stage. List any unresolved selections alongside it. It does not prevent a necessary later change or confer approval; it makes clear which version the consultant, supplier and builder should use and how proposed changes will be reviewed.
Sources for this answer:Preliminary agreements
How do I prevent the builder and designer using different plan versions?
Keep a drawing register with drawing number, revision, date, issue purpose and the superseded version. Send one coordinated set with a written issue note; archive replaced versions separately. When an answer is given in an email, identify the drawing or specification it changes so a useful conversation does not become an undocumented instruction on site.
Sources for this answer:Building contracts checklist
Can I move a window after the concept design has been approved?
Ask the designer to assess the effect before instructing the trade. A small visible change can affect privacy, structural details, energy assessment or the approved documentation. Establish whether permit documentation needs amendment, then record the revised drawing and contract implications. Agreement with the builder alone should not be treated as confirmation that every approval remains valid.
Sources for this answer:Appointing a building surveyorChanging a building contract
What should a design change request contain?
Describe the requested outcome, the affected drawing and specification, and who must review it. Ask for the price and programme effect, including any consultant or permit work, before authorising implementation. Victorian domestic building variations have legal requirements and exceptions; a written change record is also a practical way to keep the whole project team aligned.
Sources for this answer:Changing a building contract
Why do finishes and appliance selections need dates?
Some selections affect dimensions, service rough-in and the order in which work can proceed. Ask for a selection schedule tied to the relevant drawing or procurement milestone. Record the approved model or specification, not just a showroom photograph. Where a selection remains open, make the allowance and decision deadline explicit instead of leaving the team to guess.
Sources for this answer:Building contracts checklist
Does paying for preliminary design mean construction is included?
Only the agreement can establish what you purchased. Read the deliverables, exclusions, revision allowance, drawing-use rights and next-stage conditions before signing. A preliminary document can itself be a contract; its label does not decide its legal treatment. Keep design services, permit coordination and construction obligations clearly identified rather than relying on a package name.
Sources for this answer:Preliminary agreements
Can the same approved design be used unchanged in another state?
Use the layout as a starting point, then reassess it against the destination site and the applicable planning, building and service requirements. A design approval belongs to a particular application and context. Ask which documents can be reused and which need new professional input; do not transfer a Victorian exemption or site conclusion to another jurisdiction.
Sources for this answer:Small second homes
What must be resolved between design sign-off and starting work?
Use a start-readiness checklist covering the applicable permits, issued drawings, contract scope, site arrangements and outstanding conditions. Name the person confirming each item. Design sign-off is one milestone, while permission to commence and practical site readiness are others. Record any hold point that prevents a trade from beginning even if materials have arrived.
Sources for this answer:Appointing a building surveyorBuilding contracts checklist
Before the next decision
- One current drawing register
- An unresolved-selection list with deadlines
- Written review of each change and its effects
- Permit and site-readiness confirmation before starting