1. ARE YOU REGISTERED?
- Leon Angell-Schau is a Registered Architectural Technologist both with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) as well as the South African Institute of Building Design (SAIBD). Leon Angell-Schau, owner and founder of Architectural Design Studio ADS the architectural firm, is registered with both in a personal capacity.
2. DO YOU ONLY DESIGN MODERN BUILDINGS?
- We design buildings according to the client’s requirements. Our style is from contemporary to classical. Our promise is “YOU DREAM IT WE DRAW IT”
3. DO YOU ONLY DESIGN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS?
- Leon Angell-Schau has a background in commercial and industrial buildings, from residential to cluster housing, to a simple bathroom addition, we do it all. Refer to our portfolio for further information.
4. WHAT IS THE HALLMARK OF YOUR TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS?
- Most designs are firstly practical, with an open plan feel to them and secondly we incorporate nature/landscaping ensuring that indoor/outdoor living areas seamlessly flow together with an energy compliant design.
5. DO YOU DO ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS?
- Yes, we do many additions and alterations. Our fee structure for Additions and Alterations is obtainable from our administration department.
6. WHY DO YOU CHARGE A DEPOSIT TO START DESIGN WORK?
- We charge a deposit fee to keep the more serious people involved with Leon as he spends a lot of time with the client, giving invaluable expert advice and design ideas with the 3D virtual walk through presentation.
7. IS YOUR FEE STRUCTURE BASED ON A PERCENTAGE, PER SQUARE METER OF THE BUILDING COST OR PER CLIENTS NEEDS?
- To simplify the fees, we charge a fee per client’s individual needs, however could also charge per square meter. For more information on our fees please contact us.
8. HOW LONG DOES THE PROCESS TAKE?
- For a new house design it takes roughly six weeks, depending on the size of the building and the clients’ input/ response time. Council approval depends on the different councils, however could vary between two weeks and several months. Factors such as estate approvals, building line relaxations, sub-divisions, etc could result in further delay’s. The approval period is used to get our building department to cost materials, enabling construction to start as soon as the plans are approved.
9. DO YOU DO BUILDING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
- Yes we have our own building department that assists you on all aspects in your construction phase in the KwaZulu Natal region. We visit all of our internal building projects at no extra cost, to monitor quality and resolve any design issues that may arise. The frequency of site meetings depends on the speed at which the work is proceeding, and there are usually 6 site visits that we attend, however this does vary from project to project. If the site is located outside of the KwaZulu Natal region we are more than happy to become the principal agent and attend site meetings once a month. We charge an hourly rate for this, as set out in our fee structure.
10. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONTRACTOR AND A PROJECT MANAGER?
- A contractor enters into a contract with you to build the property for an agreed fee, usually entering into the JBBC contract, which is an industry’s standard contract. A project manager operates as either your representative (principal agent) or building contractor, enabling the build. He also acts as your agent by appointing and supervising subcontractors, and ordering materials. There are also project managers who act as principal agents, overseeing the work done by the contractor, they are usually employed on bigger contracts.
11. DO YOU DO SITE INSPECTIONS?
- Once we have been engaged to design a house we always do a site inspection whether it’s an empty lot - to get a feeling for the surroundings, or an addition - to measure as built structures, our fees include an initial site inspection. Once the plans have been approved and the client wishes to engage further to do site inspections we have a per site visit fee that varies from area to area.
12. DO YOU ONLY DESIGN FOR CLIENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA?
- No, our offices are based in South Africa, but we are an international design practice. We have projects all over the world and deal with many international clients.
