NDIS Building Designer
Find a list of NDIS Building Designer . There are currently some Building Designer providers offering a range of services.
If an NDIS participant needs large scale home modifications so that their disability is better accommodated, it might be necessary to hire a building designer. Provided that the building designer’s services are directly related to your disability, and that the modifications represent value for money, the NDIS will fund the associated costs.
The NDIS breaks home modifications down into three categories:
- Simple, low cost modifications such as the installation of grab rails or mounted shower chairs.
- Minor modifications that do not alter the structure of a home, but require experienced professional support. An example would be non-structural door widening.
- Complex home modifications (CHM) that involve structural changes. These modifications generally have a high cost and require help from a specialist. They take more time to complete and might affect more than one area of the home.
When it comes to CHM, building designers focus on eight key areas:
- Dwelling access/entrance
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Kitchen
- Internal dwelling access
- Home automation
- New building modifications
- Maintenance and upgrades
Each area involves different types of work and requires specific skills. That’s why it is important to make sure that your building designer has proven experience working with Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) and a good understanding of the rules and regulations enforced by the NDIS.
The NDIS now has something called the SDA Design Standard. The idea is to provide a clear set of guidelines to both participants and workers so that SDA projects result in consistent, high-quality outcomes.
As the NDIS website states, the SDA Design Standard “leads the way that architects, builders and the community view how housing for people with a disability should be built.”