Help with House Plans

[saltman]

Does anyone know of someone who can draw house plans that are compliant with building codes in Southern California??

I have talked with several architetcs here and they want 7,000.00 for a 1,600 square foot home?? Seem outragous to me since I my buddy just paid 1,700.00 for his 6,000.00 square foot home in Washington State.

I am located in San Diego County (home of the ripp offs) Republic of California.

 

[Paddy]

Saltman,

Your sketch looks like a selection from a house plans book. If so, pay the fee and get the complete set of house plans. I have not seen the need for a architech in my new home design. I know what I want.

Are there special requirements for the CA planning dept?

 

[EddieWalker]

Look through www.eplans.com and see if they have what you want.

There are other sites out there too, but allot of them will be this site under a different name. You can also go to a good magazine shop or Barns & Noble type book stores and look through there home design books and magazines. Sometimes you can find what you want there.

I draw my own plans on a program called Broaderban Home Design. I don't have to put any code refrences in them, just the floor plan and elevations. The bank wants a copy for the loan and some of the subs need copies to do there jobs.

I know some places put allot of importance on these things and they can cost allot of money. Then when you start building, your framers will discover mistakes and have to change things around just to make them fit together. I've never seen or heard of a set of plans the got it right yet.

If you have to hire one of those very high priced designers, you can put a clause in there to deduct so much from the payment for mistakes.

Do you have a General Contractor? With some scetches or pictures of what you want, most will draw up the plans for you at no extra cost. He knows the code inside and out from working with the inspectors and knows what needs to be in the plans better than anybody else.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[saltman]

I have already gone the internet and book store route. The problem is that yes San Diego has a lot of special regulations so nothing off the shelf will work. I oredered a plan for a barn from NY and the architect here wanted 2,400.oo to make it comply with our codes.

I'll look into a program. I have a Carpenter that I will use but am not going to use a general contractor. I am going to permit it as Owner Builder which you can still do here.

Thanks

 

[EddieWalker]

I know how dificult some areas can be, but I have no first hand experience with a county that requires code specific plans. Usually it's the bank who makes a big deal about the plans and you can get a permit with just about anything, including computer drawn floorplans.

Are you doing anything creative or non traditional? If it's a standard, stick built home, then I'd talk to the permit office and get exactly what they have to have to issue the permits. Just because they want an archetectual blueprint doesn't mean they won't take anything else.

If you have to get the blueprints to meet there requirments, another option might be to call every architect in your county and see if they will sell you a set they have already drawn for a huge discount. The picture you posted looks like a nomal enough home and at 1,600 sq ft, it's shouldn't be that uncommon of a design. To save $3,000 to $4,000 it might be worth spending a few hours on the phone. I found a survey this way when none was suposed to exist. It saved me thousands of dollars to find it, and when I did, they made me a copy and gave it to me for free. You just have to ask.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[thatguy]

Have you talked with an architect about just modifying the plans? I would think for $7k they are talking about starting from scratch and doing the plans. The house plans we got online (from drummond designs) were very thorough in the details.. I would think the could work of the base plans and modify what is needed to comply with the local code.

just my thoughts

brian

 

[stumpfield]

If you like passive solar home designs, try www.sunplans.com by Debra Rucker Coleman. Some of the plans are features in the latest issue of home power magazine.

 

[3RRL]

I have already gone the internet and book store route. The problem is that yes San Diego has a lot of special regulations so nothing off the shelf will work. I ordered a plan for a barn from NY and the architect here wanted 2,400.oo to make it comply with our codes.

I'll look into a program. I have a Carpenter that I will use but am not going to use a general contractor. I am going to permit it as Owner Builder which you can still do here.

Thanks

saltman,
I'm in California too and just went through what you are about to do. I too found my house plans online and was told that they didn't meet California codes so they needed to be re-drawn. It cost me $9,000 initial bid. This did not include engineering calculations I found out!

Had I done a little research, I might have saved a lot of money. The online place I got the concept from sells complete plans. They can make changes to the plans for "X" dollars per hour. They will give you a quote up front. Now, if you were to call them and ask them what it would cost to make the plans to California (San Diego county) code, including engineering calcs, perhaps they could do that. I don't know since I didn't take that step. But if they can, then you will be money ahead. I'd look into that for the house you posted.

 

[zeuspaul]

Try an experienced draftsman. Craigslist san diego would be a good place to look. I found Agility Design Works in the first 120 +/- posts in *services-skilled trade* which looks like what you want. Put Agility Design Works in the search box and you will get the entire ad.

Also look for general contractors and ask them for a recommendation.

I found my wife on Craigslist!!

Zeuspaul

 

[dtd24]

Do you have the floor plan basically layed out? Is that the elevation you are trying to achieve? I would look in the phone book for a local engineer. Most of the time they will be alot cheaper than the book plans. Not to mention most of the book plans need to be stamped locally anyway. Expect $2.00 a square foot for drawings.