What does the word “Design” bring to mind? To most people it probably means the look of something after it has been built. However, the amount of visual appeal an object has is not caused by some accident during its construction, but rather the result of a creative thinking process beforehand. The conception of something ahead of time, and its graphic representation, is really what design is all about.

When looking at the exterior of a house, or walking through its interior, you may be impressed by some unique feature. On the other hand, a house can project a poor image, and you may not want to spend much time in it or around it. The quality which a house exhibits, whether good or bad, is a result of the amount of thought that went into figuring it out before it was built. Even an old house, which has fallen into disrepair, can still display the quality of having been well designed in the first place.

Often we hear news reports of a construction company being awarded a contract to construct a new building. The focus of media attention is on the actual builders, with little or nothing said about the designers. No doubt the sight of huge machinery hoisting building components in place is more exciting than watching a pencil move along a drafting board, but remember the assembly of materials initially took place in the designer’s mind.

Have you ever listened to a symphony orchestra perform, and wondered how all those people know what notes to play, and when to play them. Just imagine the cacophony that would occur if the musicians had no score to follow and the music had to be improvised on the spot. It would probably sound like the orchestra tuning up before the concert, or worse. Fortunately, there are composers who figure out everything beforehand so the orchestra can produce beautiful music.

With buildings, the designer is the composer. The builders are the performers. Can you imagine what would happen if several million dollars worth of building materials were delivered to a site, with construction workers ready to go, but no blueprints to follow? It would be architectural cacophony with everybody running around trying to improvise something that resembles a building. Who would know what notes to play at just the right time so things would get built in an orderly, efficient manner, and look good afterwards.

A capable conductor is necessary to lead an orchestra through the music originally heard in the composer’s mind. Similarly with buildings, a skilled superintendent is required to direct the construction of something seen initially in the designer’s mind.

When practising, musicians have the opportunity to go over and over a piece and iron out the wrong notes. Builders though, have only one chance to play the piece correctly, and wrong notes are expensive to correct. As well, if wrong notes are not corrected during construction, it can lead to trouble down the road for the homeowner when the foundation or roof leaks.

A well planned house in drawing form prevents the guesswork of site improvisation. Unlike Lego blocks, building materials do not lend themselves to easy reuse if installed incorrectly. A foundation wall installed installed in the wrong place must simply be removed and replaced. If the owner decides to make changes during construction, the cost can escalate very quickly. Rearrangement of permanent items, such as walls or fixtures, is much easier and cheaper at the design stage.

A composer would find it impossible to rewrite the music once the performance has started. Changes to the design during construction are possible, but expensive. Take time in writing the composition so the music will sound to your satisfaction the first time it is played!

BLUEPRINTS

Blueprinting is the traditional process by which a designer’s original drawings were reproduced. The name “blueprint” stems from the earliest form of blueprinting when reproductions would be completely blue, except for the lines which appeared white. Today, modern computer technology has made the process obsolete, but the term blueprint is still used when discussing building plans. Drawings today usually have black lines on a white background.

People often refer to buying a set of blueprints for a house. While the actual cost of the printed drawings is quite cheap, the price charged reflects the amount of thought and skill used by the designer in developing the drawings. This is why the cost of blueprints for a standardized plan, used many times over, is much less than the cost of an original design, such as produced by an architect. The more often a plan is used, the lower the price. The more unique you want your house to be, the more you will expect to pay for design.

Not all blueprints are created equal. Look for quality design represented graphically on the blueprints.