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The development approval process can be really daunting if you haven't gone through it before. There's a lot of different steps to take that you're probably not aware of. So today, I have Luke with me from durackarchitects.com to talk through the complete guide to the development approval process so you guys can get an understanding of it and you guys can stop being overwhelmed and know exactly what to do next.

Ryan: Hey Luke, thanks for coming on today.

Luke: Good day, Ryan. Good to be here.

Ryan: Do you want to first give us an overview of the development approval process for getting a development approved so we can start building it? And then, we'll go into the nitty-gritty and the step-by-step.

Luke: Yeah, sure. It's one of those areas that doesn't need to be as daunting as it probably is for a lay person. Typically, you would employ an architect to start the design of your new house or your alterations and additions to your existing house. They would work with you to get the appropriate documents that you could then submit to council or your private certifier if you're going through a compliant development pathway.

Once you've got that, assuming everything goes well, you get your approval from council then you write to move on to the next stage, which would be an extra level of detail to the drawings that you've supplied for your DA so that a builder can build what has been designed. You will then select a builder, get them to price what you've designed and then you move on to the construction process and pretty much where you go.

That's it in its briefest form, I guess.

Ryan: Yeah. And so, we're going to break this into two parts. The first part we're going to talk about the process up until getting your development approval. And then, in the second part, we're going to go more into the construction drawings and what sort of things you need to do after development approval, but before the construction of the property actually starts.

Let's say that I've just purchased a piece of land and I want to do a development on it. Or, I've purchased a property and I want to do a renovation on it. What's the first sort of step that someone in that position needs to take?

Is it to contact an architect like yourself and just say, "Hey mate, I'd like to build a house. What do we do?"

Luke: It is that basic. I'm a bit biased, but I would say the first step is to contact an architect. The other options are to speak with a building designer or a draughtsman or even a builder. But, from an architect's point of view, the best thing you can do is to contact an architect.

Ryan: I was just going to say, what are the reasons for that and then how do we choose a good architect?

Luke: The reason I'd say that and without sounding up myself, I guess –

Ryan: Well, you're going to be biased, you are an architect. So, we can expect some bias advise here.

Luke: Yeah. But, from a design outcome, if you want a great result, you go with an architect. Now, the great buildings in the world, and I'm not talking about just Opera Houses and Guggenheims and so forth, were build by great builders, but they were designed by great architects. Builders are great at building, but architects are there to design your building.

We're the ones placed to negotiate the various aspects of the whole package. We spent 6 years or more – I probably spent 7 or 8 years at uni learning how to design buildings, learning how to put together what we design. Understanding the various environmental and cost implications of different construction methods. Learning how to guide you through the process of getting approvals, liaising with the consultants, the whole gamut.

We're the ones best placed to have a hand along the whole package. A colleague said to me the other day, I thought was quite accurate is, "If you prioritize design, you prioritize budget.