Question
What is the difference between a draftsman and an architect?

Answer
An architect is usually a graduate from a school, licensed and has studied architectural components. A draftsman is usually self taught in the trade and is specific to what you want. So while a draftsman usually can not call himself or herself an architect, they have more than enough skills set to design your home, addition or small office. At the same time, most architects have never picked up a hammer. So what they put on paper may look good on paper, but it can cost you extra funds to build. Imagine, our draftsman is a top consultant who has physically constructed homes for years. So in summary both architect and draftsman can do the job, but a draftsman can save you at least 50% compared to an architect. Plus, in our case you get the experience of a builder designing your home.

Question
What is the construction process?

Answer
The overall process is:

1. Get home or office plans designed- this we can do for you.
   
2. These designed plans now need to be engineered. We can do this too for you using our contacts
3. Then your plans are submitted to the city or county building department where they review. The reviewer is an expert that makes sure the plans are correct. If they find an issue, they send the plans back to us for corrections.
4. We process all corrections. A correction, for example could be a smoke detector missing, or another item that should be added.
5. From here you then get approval or may require other permits.
6. You start construction (we can refer you to many contractors).

Note you may need other permits such as a grading permit if you need to grade the land, a soil report, etc.

Question
What is an engineered plan and why is it needed?

Answer
After your plans are designed, whether from an architect or a draftsman, almost all county and city building departments require an engineer to engineer the plans. Essentially, an engineer assumes responsibility for these plans. They will determine holddowns, beam sizes, shear walls, etc.

Question
Do you charge for corrections from the building department?

Answer
No, corrections are included free of charge.

Question
How long does the process take from start to finish?

Answer
You will receive an immediate design when you come to our office while you wait. Once you approve the layout, it can take us from 4-6 weeks to complete the full set of plans.

Question
What consists of a full set of plans?

Answer
A full set of plans will include engineering, truss calculations, title 24, and the appropriate sets ready for submittal to the building department.

Question
How much do you charge?

Answer
Our rates are very competitive.
Give us a call and we'll discuss your specific needs.