Hi Annette,
Getting the soil test is a good start. Spending money on design is never a waste. At least you might refine what you don't want in a house that way!
We contacted a designer who wrote articles for Owner Builder magazine and asked if he ever did work in the city. He did, and he talked to us for a couple of hours during a visit eliciting our likes and dislikes. The first draft was exciting and innovative, including all the solar orientation stuff, double glazed windows, curved roofs, meandering passageway, disabled access and rammed earth load bearing construction we'd requested. We vetoed the composting toilet but basically went with the rest and it has worked really well.
We built as owner builders employing tradies who grew to love working on something really different from their usual fare of boring brick veneers. We had the occasional dodgy tradie but it was rare and could be worked around eventually.
We are planning a small addition at the rear and employed a local designer (located through the Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV)). We looked at another local design place also with the BDAV and went through the interview process (works both ways!) and decided against them because they were too expensive for our small albeit complicated job.
I went on to obtain my Builders Registration after this, using our build as my case study during the intensive preregistration interview process. I did this for other reasons related to my work as well.
My point is you are quite correct about the cookie cutter approach to volume home builders. Limited design solutions enable them to cover their target market and add value fairly easily for little market risk. They also suit developers and keep costs down by at times screwing their subbies. This is a market reality and they won't change unless forced to by market changes and/or increased regulation. Their primary customers will ask minimal questions about sustainability features and are reassured by the sales people pointing at the water tank, LED lights and being offered PV "at a great discount".
If you want a house that performs to the site's strengths and incorporates high performing insulation, breeze control and minimum electricity and gas use then I would look for a BADV member in your area as a start. Then get a quantity surveyor to cost the house build and tender out the work yourself. The designer should have some contacts within the industry to get you started.
Good luck.
Posted Thursday 14 Jan 2016 @ 9:39:46 am from IP
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