Homeowner Forum / Construction / December 2006

"Zohrabyan Hrach" wrote...

First thing I would do is make sure who and what needs to be stamped in
order to get permits and proceed with building.  Does the land fall under
the jurisdiction of a city or is it in an unincorporated county.   For
single-family residential units, most municipalities don't require that the
drawings be stamped as long as everything meets code, setbacks, etc. While
others only require that only certain drawings be stamped by a Registered
Architect or Engineer.
The problem with buying those "mail-order" house plans is that they are
generic.  They don't take into account where the structure is going to be
built and all the codes required in that area.  If you want to make any
changes/adjustments to the drawings, then it will cost you extra.
Just because the drawings are available in cad, does not mean they are
useful.
In most cases you are much better off having the drawings done to fit your
needs.  Look around for a general floor plan that you like, make notes of
any changes you'd like, then take that to an architect/engineer (if the
drawings need to be stamped) or to a knowledgeable architectural designer.
Doing. some homework in advance will save you a lot of money and grief in
the long run.

I know they want to

Ill bet when you look for a contractor , they'll probably want to charge too
much too.

kickstart

...

Given what 2+ A in LA County must cost, you're nitpicking over
fractions of $10k?
Also, is poor idea to build anything that is either the most- or
least-expensive in an area, particularly on spec.  The first will be
unlikely to bring a decent return as nobody wants to put excessive
money into something lesser than the area and the latter can be
difficult to sell as people typically also don't like to invest in
low-end properties in upper-scale areas.

Seems to me if you're into doing something, do it right from the get-go
or don't at all.  It would probably have been better to have found and
established the partnerships/working agreements first rather than now
shopping around for on-the-cheap hired labor.

I have never seen a full set of plans from those companies

If they give you more then just a floor plan
and they give you details callouts and spec all the lumber
and other structural items then just take the
plan to a Truss Company that will build your roof
and often they will review your plan and stamp it for you
for FREE if you buy the trusses from them

If all you get is some pretty front and side views
and no specs on beams and lumber
and no Plumbing 3d plan / Isometric view
and no electrical plan
no foundation plan
no specs for earth quake tiedowns and stuff
California is pretty needy when it comes to plans

then the plan you are getting is not one that you can use
it is just a design not a plan

you need to have seperate Plumbing Electrical and Foundation plans
they can be drawn on top of your original
but they need to show what goes where

So I dont know

If you have your plans then go to the building official
ask him if they are good enough and what else is needed

often the county or city will have details about what is required on their
website
you can probably get an idea and they may have samples

If everything is in spec on the plans and they give you a materials list and
everything
then you should not have to pay $10,000 I would expect about $1000

Just shop your a.s around you have the whole state of california to come up
with one licensed architect that may have just lost a job and would be
willing to do your little house just to keep bussy for a couple days.