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For a room addition and garage with standard wiring and little or no plumbing, most contractors can provide drawings that will pass the county planning commission. You don't need an architect.
Or you can hire a draftsman to draw basic plans. Try your local college
How'd you get so smart?
My other has drawn up plans before. As he just said, "that's why you hire a General Contractor, to deal with the Building Department"
I am looking to do a house addition, and will need an architect. I want to build a big living room plus a garage, perhaps 1000 sqft in size.
I really have no special requirement for this new addition; I'm happy just to buy an off-the-shelf plan of a design that looks pleasant to me. I have flipped thru plans and many are acceptable. My main use of architect is really to deal with the building department on my behalf.
I looked at a few lists of architecture firms in my area, all advertise how great their style is, which is not what I need. More important, they look VERY expensive. Some outright suggest a starting project value in the millions.
How do I go about finding an architect service that is just barebone and inexpensive, if such a thing exists? If I assume $150-200 per sqft, this is perhaps a $200K project.
Why would you need an architect for such a simple addition? A good carpentry crew or contractor would have plenty of approved and appropriate designs on hand and would know how to carry out the work. Many architects wouldn't know the difference between a nail gun and a paper stapler.
I am looking to do a house addition, and will need an architect. I want to build a big living room plus a garage, perhaps 1000 sqft in size.
I really have no special requirement for this new addition; I'm happy just to buy an off-the-shelf plan of a design that looks pleasant to me. I have flipped thru plans and many are acceptable. My main use of architect is really to deal with the building department on my behalf.
I looked at a few lists of architecture firms in my area, all advertise how great their style is, which is not what I need. More important, they look VERY expensive. Some outright suggest a starting project value in the millions.
How do I go about finding an architect service that is just barebone and inexpensive, if such a thing exists? If I assume $150-200 per sqft, this is perhaps a $200K project.
I asked a friend who had done an addition for a reference. I told the architect to whom I was referred that I only wanted to pay for the bare minimum and he assigned the project to a young kid just out of architecture school; I wound up paying $8000 for the drawings for a roughly $180K project. The kid made a few mistakes but it worked out well, since my builder and I were able to work out the kinks on site. You might try that approach.
around here, some architects advertise they will draw plans "as built," which means they help get your unpermitted house legal. They seem to be the most flexible and affordable option, even for permitted additions.
I didn't know that this type of contractor existed. This is exactly what I need. Thanks so much for posting this link. I really hope I am able to find someone like this in my area.
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