Writing a holiday-home brief: include the days you are away

Put the likely visits on paper

Use your actual work, school and travel commitments. Note when you would arrive, how long you would stay and which seasons you expect to use the place. Keep hoped-for future use separate from the pattern you can reasonably describe now.

Then write one sentence about what would make each visit worthwhile. A quick walking weekend might need very little preparation. A long summer stay might involve cooking most meals and keeping equipment ready for daily use. Those are different briefs, even for the same people.

• Which kind of visit will happen most often?
• What would put you off going for a short stay?
• Could the home become a longer-term base, and is that an agreed aim or simply a possibility?

Decide what goes back in the car

Make a packing list for one ordinary trip. Beside each item, write whether it returns home, stays at the bach or needs attention before the next visit. This makes storage a specific conversation: spare bedding, wet walking gear and unopened groceries each need a different decision.

For a hypothetical example, imagine arriving late on Friday and leaving on Sunday with damp towels. If the plan assumes those towels will be washed and dried there, who stays to finish? Taking them home may suit you perfectly. If it does not, the brief needs to explain how laundry will be handled, rather than merely requesting a washing machine.

• List the bulky things you would prefer to leave behind.
• Identify anything that must be cleaned, dried or packed before leaving.
• Allow space for belongings in their stored state, not just while being used.

Give the empty weeks an owner

I would ask who can attend the property between visits. Write down which jobs you expect to do yourselves and which need local help. If nobody can realistically pop over, say so now.

Ask the design team to explain the proposed approach to ventilation, heating and other services during an absence, including any checks or actions it relies on. This is a request for a coordinated operating plan, not an assumption that everything should be switched off. Keep the eventual instructions with the house information.

• Who can let a tradesperson in?
• Where can maintenance equipment be reached?
• Which tasks would otherwise consume the first morning of every visit?

Check each pattern against the proposed plan

Orui Home's published brief combines everyday retirement living with larger family visits. Its private, central and flexible spaces respond to that change in occupation. The useful lesson is to describe the different uses clearly; your own house need not share its size or arrangement.

For your design, trace a short stay from arrival to departure. Then repeat the exercise for a longer holiday. Identify any room that needs substantial rearranging each time, and decide whether you are happy doing that work.

Bring a brief you can test

Bring your visit calendar, packing decisions and between-visit responsibilities to the first design conversation. Ask which decisions affect the layout now and which can be resolved later. You should be able to explain how the house will be left ready for its next occupants, even if those occupants are you.

If you are planning a bach, I am happy to talk through those practical details alongside the places and experiences you want to enjoy.