Residential Drafting/Design business

[joey_martin]

I generally "market" the permitting side of things as a added bonus. Proper design and planning will eliminate most, if not all hold ups at the permit office. I have always sold myself as a designer that will more than pay for myself, if given the opportunity. Many times a client will come in with a sketch from their builder, or a floor plan printed off the internet with some notes they have talked over with their builder.

 

In the past 20 years, there have been 5 specific occasions where I explained to the client, sometimes with the builder present, why their ideas wouldn't work as they had them sketched. On these occasions, the builder swayed and threw around phrases like "oh, I can overcome that", or "you are trying to scare them into buying plans." These 5 specific occasions, I had to be asked to come in and rescue the project, for the very reasons I pointed out. 

 

My pitch has been that you can pay me $8K-$10K for proper design and planning, or you can pay $20K in change orders and re-ordering cabinets and doors, and structural headers, that I told you wouldn't work in the first place. The top home builders in my area will send clients my way, and those that I have had to rescue will send them now, but there's a whole directory full of "contractors" that have no use for design and planning, especially if the building department don't require it.

[dskogg]

On 2/8/2019 at 2:41 PM, DRAWZILLA said:

I find it hard to believe that  Canada is more invasive than California., I really don't think so ,.but I have never drawn a job in Canada ,and if so I would never want to..

Perry, in Alberta, Canada it is not too difficult to get a permit.  All that was recently added was a new energy code that requires that all assemblies

have the energy rating listed. 

 

I have heard though like others mention that BC and Vancouver all have additional requirements over the standard code and can be quite a lot of work, but then this should weed out the part timers or incompetent. 

[lbuttery]

a builder we had just started working with dropped off a set of plans

 

as we modeled the basement/foundation and floor 1 we noticed a discrepancy with a corner jot out 

He walked in the door just as I was ready to call him 

 

one look at the plans and he quickly called his foreman to stop the pouring of the foundation

 

the 3D model showed the issue where paper plans didn't

 

he saved a lot of $$$ and aggravation that day

 

another client insisted he didn't need 3D renderings for his $1.6 M house

 

I produced a set of renderings anyways to highlight the beautiful entry and staircase and massive three story Palladian window etc

it was a mansion and I wanted to highlight it on my website

 

at a meeting I showed him the renderings and he was amazed and asked if he could have a copy

as his wife couldn't understand 2D drawings and they brought the project ALIVE

 

Lew  

[DRAWZILLA]

5 minutes ago, dskogg said:

Perry, in Alberta, Canada it is not too difficult to get a permit.  All that was recently added was a new energy code that requires that all assemblies

have the energy rating listed. 

 

I have heard though like others mention that BC and Vancouver all have additional requirements over the standard code and can be quite a lot of work, but then this should weed out the part timers or incompetent. 

here in California we have had to do the energy thing since the 1070s and it gets more complicated every couple years.  in 2020 every new home must have solar