Construction Drawings

When you meet with a builder (or an architect or designer)
and that person is going to draw house plans for you
we recommend that you discuss the following:

1. Cost of the drawings
2. What is included in the cost - what level of service (the plans
must be code compliant)
3. What drawings are you going to get. In order to obtain a
building permit you will typically need the following:

a. Foundation Plan
b. Main Floor Plan
c. 2nd Floor Plan
d. Exterior Elevations (views) - all four sides of house
e. Section View - this is essentially a view of house as if
you could look right through the walls and see what was inside the house.
This view will list many of the features of the home.

4. You should discuss who OWNS the plan. What I mean by this is who has the rights to use the plan. Why is this important?

a. If the plans are drawn and you decide not to use the builder that drew them do you have the right to give them to another builder. You want the answer to be yes. If you are paying for the drawings you should have this right.
b. Also if you work with the builder/architect/designer to design the home you should find out if the builder/architect/designer reserves the right to re-use the plan with another customer. This might not matter to you, but some folks care. They want their house to be one of a kind.

5. Can the person drawing the plans provide you with a 3D view of your home? This is tremendously helpful. It should cost little more.

6. This should all be in writing. Do it with a contract. The person drawing the plan should have a contract. Be certain that it states your desires.

7. It happens to us frequently where a prospective client will come to us with a house plan already drawn yet the client cannot afford the house. The "professional" that drew the house plan prepared a drawing of a home that the customer cannot afford. Frustration! Don't let this happen to you. One, work with a builder throughout the design process; someone that understands how to estimate construction costs. Two, don't finalize the plans until you know you can afford the house. Third, this one is up to you, be upfront and clear with what your budget is; not your "oh, I wish budget", but a realistic budget that you do not want to exceed. The client is sometimes at fault for the position they find themselves in (dreaming big and drawing big). Don't let this happen to you.

That is all I can think of for now. Start drawing, start building!

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Have a good day.