House designers

Unless you are planning a very simple house it's a fair bet you wont be designing it yourself.
To get professional help in the design phase you could engage an architect, a house designer, a building company or a building broker.

 The general advice with an architect is that they are for the top end of the market, by top end we're talking projects over $500k. An architect typically works for a fee related to the final cost of the house, the commission can be as high as 25% of the build price.

 More affordable is a house designer who will generate plans and elevations (side views of the house) for a flat fee. In Australia this would come to around $5k - $7k depending on the complexity of the project. On completion of the plans you should own the copyright - an important consideration as you can then engage any builder you wish. One issue with a house designer is that their grasp of costs may be rather loose. You'll give them a budget for the house and they'll design something they "think" can be built for that much. Ask before hand how many of their designs have been built and were they to budget, better yet get an assurance/guarantee that their plans will fit your budget.

Moving down the list we then come to building companies. Now a building company will have their own house designer and will probably offer the plans for free if you build with them. If you don't build with them then check how much the plans will cost and whether you will own copy right. One trap here is that if they generate the plans and you like them you wont be able to second quote from another builder as you don't own the plans!

Building brokers may offer a design service again check out the cost if you do not want to build through them and whether you will hold copyright on the plans.

Lastly, it is very beneficial to have a designer who can visit your site. Believe it or not I've seen several houses where the best view, or the best winter sun, is from the toilet and bathroom!