What design + build means to us

When I'm asked what design and build means, I can only say what it means for Happy Haus, which is that we're a multidisciplinary team, all under one roof working towards great outcomes for our clients.

An example of this is that Rick, our Director of Construction, is going to be on-site working with our design team to explore opportunities and pitfalls in construction methodology to ensure that we're choosing the right approach to a site right from the very beginning.

Because we work it out as a design and build team at the start, there's no finger-pointing available for Happy Haus, if we make a recommendation, then that's what's going to be built, and if there are things that don't go to plan, then it's our responsibility to make sure that they're fixed.

As experts in residential design and build, our job is to guide our clients through the entire process. This includes the actual design of the home but also planning and construction approvals, interior design fixtures and finishes selection, cost estimation, project management, and of course, the construction of each and every Happy Haus.

Of course, designing and building a home is a partnership, and we do work in partnership with our clients; however, we do all the heavy lifting to ensure there are no gaps in the service that we deliver.

Our approach has elements similar to an architectural process, but we’re all about built outcomes. We achieve this through our design and build process and how we structure our fees for the design work. The design process is a cost-recovery exercise for the business.

We believe the process should have performance hurdles and be geared towards beautiful buildings, not just beautiful packages of drawings. We see this as our commitment to every Happy Haus project, and we are rewarded as a business when the drawing package that reflects the client brief can be built and turned into a beautiful home.