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.

 

[flusher]

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.

Like Paddy said, pay the $800 or so and buy the house plans from whereever you got that rendering you attached to your initial post. My advice is to get the reproducible set that allows you to make 10-12 copies, assuming the vendor has such a set available. If not, you'll need a minimum of 8 copies. The building dept will keep 2 copies for their files and your general contractor and his subs will need at least 4 copies.

If your new house is a conventional stick frame construction, you won't need any special engineering analysis done to get your building permit. Just make sure that you call out the plywood corner bracing details on your drawings. Plans checkers in the building dept are looking for code violations and non-compliant bracing is a common problem with house plans.

Also in CA you need to be sure that the plans are suitable for your seismic zone. You have to call out the number and size of steel rebar in the foundation and slab that's appropriate for your zone. You also may have to call out suitable Simpson connectors for the building frame to meet seismic requirements. The plans checker will tell you how to modify your drawings to meet code. Most of these mods can be made right on the drawing using the appropriate callouts.

 

[Lumberjack_jeff]

Like Paddy said, pay the $800 or so and buy the house plans from whereever you got that rendering you attached to your initial post. My advice is to get the reproducible set that allows you to make 10-12 copies, assuming the vendor has such a set available. If not, you'll need a minimum of 8 copies. The building dept will keep 2 copies for their files and your general contractor and his subs will need at least 4 copies.

If your new house is a conventional stick frame construction, you won't need any special engineering analysis done to get your building permit. Just make sure that you call out the plywood corner bracing details on your drawings. Plans checkers in the building dept are looking for code violations and non-compliant bracing is a common problem with house plans.

Also in CA you need to be sure that the plans are suitable for your seismic zone. You have to call out the number and size of steel rebar in the foundation and slab that's appropriate for your zone. You also may have to call out suitable Simpson connectors for the building frame to meet seismic requirements. The plans checker will tell you how to modify your drawings to meet code. Most of these mods can be made right on the drawing using the appropriate callouts.

I bought a stock plan on disk ($700 - if memory serves) but there were many things about it that were not compliant with current codes - in fact they specificially disclaimed a guarantee on code compliance.

I had to have engineering done because there was insufficient corners for bracing, a too-large open foyer as well as a stairwell that was too steep.

YMMV, but buying a stock plan is no guarantee that they'll work without mods.

 

[saltman]

Thanks again for all the help. I did some work today and found two engineers who are willing to work off of plans that I purchase off the Internet. I got their names from a draftsman off of Craigs list. The bottom line is that unless you have no windows within 4 feet of a wall or have a slab foundation then an engineer is needed here in San Diego County. The drafsman was very helpful and will help with the plan check process for a reasonable amount even though I am not going to use him for the plans since HE WANTS 10% OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS!!! Basicly he told me that's what he can get else where so why work for me for less. Oh well.




Nice house Lumberjack!!

 

[flusher]

Thanks again for all the help. I did some work today and found two engineers who are willing to work off of plans that I purchase off the Internet. I got their names from a draftsman off of Craigs list. The bottom line is that unless you have no windows within 4 feet of a wall or have a slab foundation then an engineer is needed here in San Diego County. The drafsman was very helpful and will help with the plan check process for a reasonable amount even though I am not going to use him for the plans since HE WANTS 10% OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS!!! Basicly he told me that's what he can get else where so why work for me for less. Oh well.




Nice house Lumberjack!!

I assume you mean that SD County requires windows to be located more than 4 feet from an exterior corner. That's so you can get enough plywood bracing in the corner (typically a 4x8 ft piece of OSB nailed to the studs per the building code).

My 1800 sf 3BR/2BA manufactured home (double wide) has two 3'W x 6'H windows in one corner of the master BR. These windows are 12" from the exterior corner.

Manufactured homes are built to federal gov't (HUD) standards which supercede local building codes for the most part.

My house is built like most stick frame, site-built homes (2x6 frame, 1/2" OSB sheathing, Tyvek house wrap and Hardipanel/Hardiplank siding). The exterior corners have stress panels to keep the frame from squirming around.

 

[Joe1]

Saltman:

Are you going to do the construction yourself?

When I guilt in San Luis Obispo, also in the Peoples Republic of California, starting in late 2001 and finishing in 01/03 I prepared the plans in a rough form on the back of one of those desktop calenders. I found a "Builder/Designer" that I hired to build the house. He finalized the plans and hired an architect to do the necessary structural drawings. I looked thru a half dozen building plans books but couldn't find what I liked.

The builder explained that as the builder as well as the designed he would design something that he could build in a relatively easy manner. I.e. the architect could design something that the architect thought was great but could be an expensive bear to actually build.

I ended up with a 3,350 sq ft custom one story so I didn't get a cheap house just because it was easy to build. I spent nearly every day working with the buiilder on the house and consequently I got what we wanted. Even with plans you're going to want changes as you go so it's important to be onsite.

E-mail me with a private e-mail if you desire and I'll be glad to provide what I learned, for whatever it was worth.

Joe

 

[Joe1]

Saltman:

Whomever you choose for a builder, it is very important that you or your wife are there as much as possible, otherwise it becomes the contractors house and not yours. When we built, I was onsite 90% of the time. I helped with moving lumber, tieing steel for the footings, framing, etc. I reframed a wall in the dining room which was originally going to be a french door but we decided later to make into a window with sidelights. We had one window moved 18 inches in one wall because we realized after it was framed that the bed would be half under the window and half not and would look odd.

We had an EXCELLENT, RELIABLE AND THOROUGHLY HONEST BUILDER with whom we had zero problems.

Some inexpensive things we did was to have the studs behid the refrigerator turned 90 degrees so the standard refrigerator lined up more with standard cabinet depths. We used several pocket doors and used 2 X 6 studs in those walls so the framing on each side of the door was 2X material and not one by's adding rigidity to those walls. In our master bath, we had a "medicine cabinet" framed into an otherwise unused wall and it ended up around 32" wide and 48" high and 3 1/2" deep with double door access to store extra things like deodorant, soap, shaving cream, etc. Stuff you would otherwise lose under the sink. We also had bathroom sinks at kitchen sink height for less bending over. We had framed into the pantry wall that we could also otherwise not use a space 14 1/2" wide by about 42" high. I built a spice rack that would fit into that space so that we could store 40 or so bottles of spices completely accessable and completely out of the way.

When we had the tub installed, I had them drill another hole in the tub and connect a telephone shower head of a flexible hose to be able to wash kids, etc more easily. We also had them install an access panel to reach the jacuzzi pump so we don't have to cut access later.

This stuff is all cheap when building and makes for convenience later on.

I also had installed a recirculating system for hot water which constantly circulates hot water to each kitchen, bath and shower outlet so that when turning the hot water tap on you only have to wait for the hot water to travel a few feet. The miliamp pump uses little electricity and saves us wasting water while it travel some 75' to a faucet.

I also installed a telephone outlet in the master commode area for convenience. Also, we found Bemis brand toilet seats for about $10.00 more than standard seats that do not slam when dropped. They close silently and slowly so no slamming by me or the kids.

Since you're not buying into a tract, you can modify your house plans and house before and as you go. I think it's easier to do this than remodel. I would recommend you go to as many new tracts, particularly at the high end for neat ideas to incorporate in your house. We must have visited well over 100 model homes on both coasts. Also, show the plans to some friends that are into house designs, etc. We did that and one friend pointed out the fact that the Master bedroom seemed small. We made it about 18" longer and it made a big difference.

As I said in the previous posting, I would be happy to take a private E-mail if you want to discuss how our building went and why it went the way it did and discuss options. I'll be back in California on 1/4/07.

Good luck