We understand that engaging Leanhaus as your project partner comes at a significant expense, but we aim to offset this by using our knowledge and expertise to save costs across the whole process. Here’s how we believe we deliver real value to your project.
The Process: At Leanhaus, we recognise how stressful it can be to build a home, and how important it is to understand everything it involves. So, we’ve worked hard to design a process, from start to finish, that provides the most certainty with minimum stress. To do so, throughout the process we provide more information around costs, inclusions and building methods and will help you allocate funds where they’ll be most valued.
Experience: As Architects at the forefront of the low carbon and Passive House revolution in Australia, we’ve designed and delivered more airtight homes than most. This has given us a head start in sourcing the right materials and products for each job, and finding efficiencies in design and construction to deliver homes to the highest performance benchmark for an attainable price. Leanhaus’ founding Architect, Ben Caine, has worked professionally in commercial architecture, construction and property development. This range of experience helps him bring pragmatic sensibility and innovation to every project.
Knowledge: We’ve developed deep knowledge of specialist building science software that enables us to optimise construction systems and design for performance, cost effectiveness and buildability. We collaborate closely with our delivery teams to continue to learn and evolve our thinking on every job, which makes each home better than the last. For example, we have researched and tested what wall and roof systems that provide the best balance of cost and performance.
Our Team: We’ve hand-picked our team of builders, trades and suppliers so you don’t have to. After working with them for many years, we’ve also developed the relationships, communication and trust that’s vital for efficient teamwork on every project. Early involvement with the builder means that your project can be scheduled to commence and conclude on time.
Materials: Materials make up a home, and for each one we go to great lengths to analyse the benefits for your specific design. We’ll consider everything from its value, durability and installation speed to wastage, embodied carbon, and health effects, so you can be sure each material has been chosen specifically for you and your home.
Considered design: With building costs higher than ever, it’s important to be able to rationalise every one of the thousands of decisions that go into a new home. We make decisions that are well-considered. Every centimetre of the home is optimised for the value it provides you, because ultimately every square metre of space adds significant cost. For example we have redesigned 300sqm homes down to 180sqm, or rationalised a two storey home down to a single storey design. These improvements can save 30-50% of construction cost.
Our design fees are also easily covered by the additional cost savings we can offer you in the detail design and procurement process. On a recent project, we have found the client cost savings of approximately of 8% without any loss of building performance or change in design.
Your time: One factor that’s often overlooked when building a new home is the personal and financial cost of your time. This might be time researching your project; time following ideas and decisions that don’t lead to a viable outcome; time assembling a team of people who can’t deliver; or time during an extended construction period whilst you pay rent and land holding costs. This can all add up surprisingly quickly, which is why Leanhaus offers a shortcut to project design and delivery by providing a team-based approach and construction methodology that’s significantly quicker than a traditional build. Our single storey homes can be built in as little as 6-9 months and our double storey homes in 12-15 months. Compared to traditional builders, this saves you a significant amount of time (and any associated costs) and allows you to live in your ideal home sooner.
Exclusivity: We’re a small practice and can only design and deliver a limited number of homes each year. Unfortunately, this means we need to be selective and typically undertake less than 10% of the projects we’re offered by potential clients. As such, homes designed and delivered with Leanhaus are rare and can’t be easily substituted.