HillsideDB Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Hey guys and gal I am trying to plan a possible move to Colorado Springs this Summer and would love to start a drafting/design business when I get there. In a meeting with my current bosses today, they mentioned that only licensed architects are allowed to design and draw houses and plans in Colorado. Is this true?? I found it hard to believe because I just finished some changes to one of our plans for a guy building in Lakewood. I made changes to the plans, then he took them to an engineer and I coordinated with the engineer on structural changes and he would add his sheets into the set at the end. Plans were submitted to city and everything was ok. So I'm curious. If I move to Co Springs could I still plan on doing design and drafting work for myself? I didn't really want to have to work for anyone beside this and maybe some general contracting. Can anyone give me some info? thanks! -Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 Thats disheartening to hear. I figured with the amount of building that is going on out there, there would be plenty of need for people to work on plans. I'll probably still give it a try. Plan on moving out there either way, even if I have to frame to get out there. thanks for your input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRAWZILLA Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 That's funny b/c in the previous downfall( around the early 90's) all the California guys re-located to Colorado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 From what I hear, they still are. I checked Fort Collins and Co Springs and talked to people on forums and both towns need a lot more housing. Seemed to be the story for most of the front range. But my boss at work said that only licensed architects could do plan work out there. He said he had tried to do some work for a family member and they wouldn't allow it. But then I got to thinking that i just finished a plan for a guy in Lakewood. It had to be engineered but as a business owner out there I'd be fine with that . Hell, I prefer it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 That's great to hear. I've heard from some others that I can still draw plans in CO but just have to have them stamped by a structural engineer. And the. If you think the area needs good carpenters then I should be good to go on a design/build firm. Thanks for the input guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dssharp Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 On 3/6/2017 at 8:50 PM, HillsideDB said: Hey guys and gal I am trying to plan a possible move to Colorado Springs this Summer and would love to start a drafting/design business when I get there. In a meeting with my current bosses today, they mentioned that only licensed architects are allowed to design and draw houses and plans in Colorado. Is this true?? I found it hard to believe because I just finished some changes to one of our plans for a guy building in Lakewood. I made changes to the plans, then he took them to an engineer and I coordinated with the engineer on structural changes and he would add his sheets into the set at the end. Plans were submitted to city and everything was ok. So I'm curious. If I move to Co Springs could I still plan on doing design and drafting work for myself? I didn't really want to have to work for anyone beside this and maybe some general contracting. Can anyone give me some info? thanks! -Tony Interesting tony. We are considering moving to the Denver area. We looked in the springs and there wasn't much going on there from what we could tell. However i know the Denver area is starting to boom. It was ranked 19th on scale when i last looked. There doesn't seem to be a'lot of chief users in the area from what i can gather. Mainly Revit and auto cad users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 I've got a friend who lives in Longmont and he says there are always stuff going up around him. I know that area and the Fort Collins area is building. But the costs to live up there are quite a bit more. I can't justify 320k on a 1200 sq. ft. ranch. CO Springs is really affordable. You get a lot more home for the money and the mountains are a lot closer and tons of trails around and right in town. That's what attracted me most to that area. I've looked around a little and have seen some new construction but wasn't sure about how busy it was. I would like to work the whole front range though. I don't mind traveling a couple hours if I need to so I can stay busy. I would still reach out to builders and home owners in the Denver area and maybe even up to Fort Collins. Its only 2 hours from the Springs to Fort Collins and there are a ton of town in between. Monument and Castle Rock are gaining attention and would be a real easy commute. I also talked to a Chief user on the Chief user Facebook page and he said he is in the Denver area and designs/draws bath and kitchen remodels and then goes and does the work too. Has his contracting license. He said there is more work than he can get to. I think I will do a bit of both. I framed houses for about 10 years and have a lot of experience with siding and windows and doors, decks, roofs, and am working on my own kitchen now, so I might try to get into some of that too. With prices as high as they are out there I would think most would rather remodel their homes as opposed to buying or building new. Where ya moving from? I'm coming from Council Bluffs, iA. I work in Omaha, NE right now. Ready to get out of the midwest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 Another thing I like about COSprings is its smaller than Denver. I'm not crazy about big city. Denver gets pretty crazy on the interstate. I hate the traffic in Omaha and I think its probably twice as bad in Denver. I like the idea of the public transit but from what I read its pretty expensive (light rail) and not very reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dssharp Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Tony, I will be relocating from silicon valley .... the armpit of the world lol. I spent 10 yrs in the Durango area as builder. I done a'lot of travailing in my career thus far. Cali, Arizona, Utah , and co . Out of all the places , I will always call Colorado home. Guess its the dam farm boy in me. Peace , quiet, good fishing and a killer sunset. I,m also an avid snowboarder and miss real snow. Ill probably set up shop in the Denver area though. More people , opportunity. Then ill settle down and buy some property and build off grid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dssharp Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 20 minutes ago, HillsideDB said: Another thing I like about COSprings is its smaller than Denver. I'm not crazy about big city. Denver gets pretty crazy on the interstate. I hate the traffic in Omaha and I think its probably twice as bad in Denver. I like the idea of the public transit but from what I read its pretty expensive (light rail) and not very reliable. If your a framer and know trick or to ... u should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 Heck yeah! I haven't tried snowboarding or skiing yet but I plan on it. I love mountain biking though. I rode in Fruita and Moab last year and had a blast. Like to get into rock climbing too. CO is definitely the right place for us. My friend that lives in Longmont has an aunt that is the head of the builders association in CO Springs, so I'm trying to talk to her to get a feel for that area. I'm not trying to make a killing. Just be comfortable and enjoy the mountains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dssharp Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Silver ton is awesome. Mountains that never melt. Unfortunately I am beginning to suspect Colorado is trying to become like California. New laws ect. It's a tragedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 I think the reason it's turning into Cali is so many Californians have moved there and it's becoming yuppy-ville in a lot of areas. I was talking to a couple guys in Fruita about the weather and the area and they wanted to make sure I wasn't from Denver or the front range basically. Lol. That was one problem I was seeing in Fort Collins, that it was trying to be like Boulder. Ive got to get to Telluride and Ouray area. It looks amazing. I honeymooned in Crested Butte. Love it up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 man, I don't like to think of the housing market taking a tumble like that again. I know the head of the building trades association for Colorado Springs and she is saying permit numbers are up and getting into the market in CO right now is pretty good. That sucks to hear about the state government. I'm surprised they allow so much fracking when a large population of the citizens are for the environment. With the outdoor scene there it'd be nice to see that stuff get controlled a bit more. Tough to go against big money though. Those are the kinds of stories you want to have! Although that might be a little too close to death for me. LOL. I had some fun with my old xterra on some off road trails near Avon. I love that state. We're looking at Woodland Park. Smaller town outside CO Springs. Trying to be out there this summer. Pretty excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRAWZILLA Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 It really is all about the money isn't it. sad but true. learned that many many years ago and everything is about the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 It really is sad. Big money controls a lot of things and you can see it in state and local city governments. For me, honestly, I really enjoy using Chief and the problem solving that comes in this field. How to build certain things. And figuring it out is the fun part. If I didn't have to charge people, I don't think I would. Or I would be really cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRAWZILLA Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Some of the cities around here will tell you plan check is 3 months, unless you want to pay a ridicules expedite fee, usually double the plan check fee. The plan checker then takes it home that night and does it and gets to pocket the extra fee. My contractor clients always pay it, b/c time is money. I think they shouldn't be allowed to do it and just do their job. I really believe they are not as backed up as you might think. Extra cash is what it has come to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 Thanks! We're heading out there at the end of April to check out the area and decide where we might want to be. We're playing the back and forth game of do we move away from family and take a chance on CO or stay in Iowa and live cheaper where we already know people and have good jobs and such. We'd really like to raise our boys out there but then we're paying more for childcare and all that. This adult stuff is no fun. Ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejmarsh Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Recently looked it up because I have a project in the Boulder Area that I designed. From what I could find the laws about design in colorado are as follows: - No limit on square footage for residential construction. you could design a million square foot house if somebody wanted it, no stamp required - commercial buildings 1 story tall, no stamp req - can do up to a 4-family home (so a condo or apartment), no stamp req. There are other things you can do too. It's pretty awesome. Legal - Colorado+ Architects Practice Act.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejmarsh Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 12-25-303. Exemptions. (1) Nothing in this part 3 shall prevent any person, firm, corporation, or association from preparing plans and specifications for, designing, planning, or administering the construction contracts for construction, alterations, remodeling, additions to, or repair of, any of the following: (a) One-, two-, three-, and four-family dwellings, including accessory buildings commonly associated with such dwellings; (b) Garages, industrial buildings, offices, farm buildings, and buildings for the marketing, storage, or processing of farm products, and warehouses, that do not exceed one story in height, exclusive of a one-story basement, and, under applicable building codes, are not designed for occupancy by more than ten persons; (c) Additions, alterations, or repairs to the buildings referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection (1) that do not cause the completed buildings to exceed the applicable limitations set forth in this subsection (1); (d) Nonstructural alterations of any nature to any building if such alterations do not affect the life safety of the occupants of the building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejmarsh Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Until you read the exemptions, it all sounds pretty scary. But then you look at the exemptions and it sounds pretty reasonable - basically the same as here in Michigan. I was wrong about the commercial building though, but looks like you can do commercial (nonstructural) interiors based on item d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRAWZILLA Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Maybe we should all move there, sounds like easy work. No California Green crap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideDB Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 It's probably even easier here in Iowa. Thanks for all the help guys. Recent events would have me believe that we're probably going to be staying in Iowa. It will probably be easier and less risky with two little ones. We can build a house on an acreage for around 200k here. And as of yesterday, I've got about 5 side jobs lined up. Im pretty torn. But I think it makes more sense to stay where we know for certain where we'll be and know we can provide well for our kids and will then have plenty disposable income for traveling and such. Maybe I'll just build a cabin in CO for visiting instead. Making adult decisions isn't always very fun. LOL! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejmarsh Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 200k?? THAT is amazing. I like the cabin idea though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northriver Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 200 K here will not even buy a 4500 SF lot. We have not quite caught up with California but 2500 SF homes start at 750k where I live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now