BUILD It

Yes, the BUILD IT pack comes with copyright approval. You can make whatever changes you wish - we encourage making it your own!

The usual process is to take the Booken House concept plan and copyright agreement letter to a draftsperson, building designer or builder/designer to create your site plan. This is also a good time to make any adjustments to the floor plan you wish to include.

You can choose your own designer to do this, or if you have the skills you can do it yourself. Alternatively, you can make contact with the building designer who drew up Booken House (details in the Design Packs).

At a minimum, the concept plans need to be adjusted for your site’s unique features, such as climate, soil type, local government regulations and zone recommendations (you can read about these at yourhome.gov.au).

This will be the best option for people who want to create a whole new design or layout.

However, a ‘from scratch’ design process with a designer is a lengthy process that involves hundreds (if not thousands) of design decisions, and there are no guarantees about the end product.

The advantage of starting with the Booken House concept plan is that you have the certainty of knowing exactly what you are getting. Way back in the beginning, when we did our first sustainable build, we had to throw our house plans in the bin because the designer at the time didn’t follow our brief; it was a very stressful and costly exercise.

The beauty of the BUILD IT pack is it allows you to skip a large portion of decision-making; this is important as decision-making and revisions (indecision!) can be the most costly and time-consuming part of a build. We also found out the hard way that the quoted cost of plans can quickly double (if not more!) throughout this process.

If you do decide to start from scratch, the Australian Government Copyright Council advises not showing a concept plan (such as ours) to your designer or builder as there is a risk there may be an inference that, consciously or subconsciously, original elements of the concept design are copied.

The best indication we can give you is that, back in 2016, it cost $400,000 to build Booken House. This was house only, and did not include shedding, land, septic, landscaping or off-grid system.

It’s no secret the cost of materials and building has increased since. However, this makes the cost-saving strategies that are baked into the Booken House design more important than ever - that is, the only way to keep build costs (and future running costs) down is to use simple, resourceful design techniques that incorporate inexpensive, sustainable design principles. You can check out our free Sustainable Build Checklist for more info on this, and we also teach how to apply these principles in our Booken Workshops.

We also owner-built our home, which means we managed the project and engaged local builders and trades. If you wish to use a builder or building company to manage this process (which is a less stressful option for many people) then the price will reflect this.

Please note, any changes you make to the Booken House concept design will also impact cost.

No.

Every iteration we have seen of Booken House thus far has taken on a life of its own. Everyone’s site, tastes and needs are unique, and therefore every version of Booken House is a wonderful reflection of this.

Specifications, layout and facades have all varied dramatically - it’s a wonderful thing!

Our design packs are also limited. There is a set quota, and once they are gone, they are gone.

Our copyright approval pack has been purchased worldwide. If it is of concern to you that there may be another Booken House in your immediate area, we are happy to let you know.

If you have the skills to use CAD software, then you are welcome to use the file. Otherwise, your designer will use it to make the adjustments for your local requirements.

No, in fact, there can be many benefits of connecting to the grid (read our journal entry ‘All the Benefits of Off-grid Without the Hassle’ for more info).

Booken House is designed to use far less energy than other designs of the same size and specifications, thereby reducing grid-connected utility bills.

No, our design packs contain concept plans that are designed to:

• up-skill you on how to apply sustainable design principles to any build

• provide ideas and see the detail behind a sustainably designed home

• use as a substantial base for a designer to adjust according to your unique site and zone

• shortcut the design process saving both time and money

No, this process will be done with your chosen designer during the tweaking phase.

When someone buys our pack containing copyright agreement the next step is to take the concept plan to a draftsperson, building designer, or builder/designer to have adjusted according to local requirements.

Every site has unique characteristics such as soil type and climate, and the plans will need to satisfy your local government’s requirements (every LGA is slightly different). This is also the stage where people give the plan their own unique touch if they wish.

No.

You can take the BUILD IT plans to a builder who will manage the build for you.

The degree to which you adjust or modify the plans will determine how much the process will cost, as will the charge rate of the draftsperson or building designer you choose.

The Australian Government Copyright Council states house plans are protected under copyright law contained in the Copyright Act 1968.

This means someone who is not the copyright owner of a house plan must seek permission to use the copyrighted material in any way.

If copyright infringement occurs then the copyright owner may take legal action to stop further infringement and seek compensation.

All our design packs are copyright protected except for the BUILD IT pack which contains copyright approval to use the plan as you wish on your nominated site.