Start with your site and everyday needs rather than a catalogue image. Prefabrication can move some work from the site to a workshop, but it does not remove the need to coordinate permissions, foundations, utilities and design. Your first task is to establish who will do each part of the work and which documents will define it.
Begin with the site file
Parcel records, planning conditions, access and ground belong in the same site file. The first objective is to confirm with the responsible sources that the proposed building can be delivered on that specific plot.
Read the technical explanation
Title documents, parcel identification, planning information and access details answer different questions. Ownership alone does not establish that your proposed building can be installed on the parcel. Ask the responsible authority about permitted use, development conditions, permissions and any special-area restrictions. Online planning maps are useful for initial research, but a screenshot should not be the sole basis of a land purchase or production decision.
PATTERN
Develop the brief from daily life
Occupancy, frequency of use, rooms needed at the same time and likely future changes should form a concise brief. The area decision follows from this living pattern.
Read the technical explanation
A full-time home and a weekend retreat have different kitchen, storage, heating and care requirements. Record occupancy, rooms used at the same time, guests and likely future changes. Discuss usable internal space, gross area and veranda area separately. The same quoted floor area may describe different scopes. Establishing essential relationships between spaces first helps avoid squeezing important functions into an unsuitable layout.
System selection and technical design
The brief becomes a technical whole through layout, structural arrangement, envelope and services. A schematic view does not replace this coordination.
Read the technical explanation
Prefabrication describes a method of production rather than one structural material. Consider the architectural layout, structure, walls and roof together. Establish with the authorised design team which ground investigations, foundation design, structural calculations and service designs are needed and who will supply them. A model image or schematic 3D preview does not replace these documents. Changes to openings, storeys or roofs need design review before production.
Coordinate the site, production and handover
Production, site readiness, transport, lifting, assembly and connections share one coordinated programme. Handover conditions should also identify prerequisites and checks.
Read the technical explanation
Access, foundation readiness, transport, lifting, assembly and utility connections depend on one another. A building can be ready for dispatch while its site is not ready for installation. A schedule should address prerequisites and possible hold points as well as workshop time. Agree in advance how transport damage, outstanding work, service checks, user documents and handover will be recorded and resolved.
05Compare scope rather than photographs
A comparable proposal separates inclusions, exclusions, product descriptions, responsibilities and the change procedure.
Read the technical explanation
Request an itemised list of inclusions and exclusions. Distinguish foundations, levelling, drainage, transport, crane hire, assembly, interior equipment, design services and connection charges. Record material descriptions and the procedure for approving changes. Discuss the written warranty scope, care requirements and aftercare contact. Furniture or landscaping shown in a presentation is not automatically part of the supplied building.
Checklist for your first discussion
- Identify the parcel and authority; list remaining unknowns.
- Write down intended use, occupancy and essential spaces.
- Separate usable, gross and veranda areas.
- Identify responsibility for technical design and foundations.
- Discuss site access, utilities and delivery constraints.
- Request written inclusions, exclusions and handover criteria.
SOURCES & SCOPE
The basis and limits of this guidance.
The following sources support the topics noted. This text is not a product specification, quotation, engineering approval or legal opinion. Permissions, current technical requirements and construction details require project-specific confirmation.
- Ministry — e-Plan planning information (new tab)
Scope of access to planning and permit data; not a substitute for confirmation from the local authority.
Bring the guidance to your project.
Bring your site information, requirements and unresolved questions to your first discussion.
Discuss your scope with MEVA