Review of Services: Bob Shofner rmsdesigngroup@gmail.com

[LLaramore]

I hired Bob to fix some issues I was not able to navigate in Chief Architect. Bob assured me he was able to help as he said he had vast experience working with this program.  In the end he fixed none of the issues and returned the first floor out of scale. I would not use him as he can not deliver on what all his marketing says he can do. 

 

• The porch roof blocked windows on the second floor, which was one of the issues we were struggling with correcting in Chief Architect and one of the reasons we hired him, but this still had to be addressed mid-build as he did nothing to fix it.

• We asked him to design a hip roof as we could not get it to work with our small amount of knowledge in the program. This was an  issue he said he could handle. .The second-floor roof was not properly supported, as some of the walls were out of alignment and would not support the roof, which required us to make changes to the roof framing during construction.

• We had to remove a planned window, move walls, and adjust our material orders — all of which added to delays and extra costs.  Again an issue we asked him to address. 

I understand that no plan is ever perfect, but these particular issues had a real impact on our timeline and budget.

[basketballman]

Hmmm,

clients from “ you know where .”

We’ve all had them. 

  One of my employees years ago coined the term “ home moaners “ and some people sure fit the description.

  If you look carefully you will see the keyword “ fix “ referring to a plan and design that was originally done by someone else and given to me to try to fix the mistakes and create a set of layout sheets

  My scope of work was, in fact, completed, reviewed and approved by this client well over a year ago.

 The building dept also approved and issued a permit.

  It is my guess that after construction costs for the project came in higher than they anticipated it was decided to try to do a “ money grab “ to offset this.

  Everyone knows that CAD drafters are very wealthy people and therefore a great target..

 

If a problem was discovered with the plans during the build why was I never contacted at that time.? 

  

  

 

[ChiefJeLo]

I had a very similar experience.

[ChiefJeLo]

In April 2026, I hired Robert Shofner, doing business as RMS Design Build Services, after finding his advertisements on the ChiefTalk Professional forums, where he posts under the username “basketballman.” During our initial discussions, he presented himself as experienced in residential design, drafting, stair framing, constructability, and permit documentation. Based on those conversations, I retained him to redraw a Home Designer concept in Chief Architect and produce a permit-ready drawing set, renderings, and working files for approximately $3,200 within an aggressive schedule.

After engagement, several issues arose that prospective clients should evaluate carefully before hiring:

• Required a substantial upfront payment ($1,200) before beginning work and repeatedly requested additional prepayments before continuing progress.

• Refused digital payment methods to avoid processing fees, requiring mailed payments to maintain workflow.

• Limited progress visibility to brief screen-share sessions while withholding PDFs and working files until approximately 85% of the fee had been paid.

• Communication was minimal; many project questions and revision requests received little or no response.

• Multiple requested corrections and redlines were only partially addressed or ignored entirely, including technical coordination issues.

• Several sections and construction details appeared generic or unrelated to the project scope and documented requirements.

• The drawing set contained numerous inconsistencies between plans, sections, details, materials, and construction information.

• Instead of resolving coordination issues directly, some client redlines were inserted into the plans as notes without underlying corrections being made.

• Two pages of standard details unrelated to the project were included in the final set.

• Requests for consistent renderings, sections, and construction details were often met with resistance rather than collaboration.

• Some requested revisions were declined on the basis that Chief Architect was “not a great tool,” that certain roof conditions were difficult to model, or that requested changes would require too much effort.

• A significant portion of project discussions focused on payment disputes and prior client issues rather than design coordination, constructability, or drawing quality.

My recommendation to prospective clients is to establish detailed written agreements covering deliverables, drawing standards, revision procedures, file-release terms, payment milestones, and deadlines before work begins. I would also recommend caution regarding substantial upfront payments before meaningful deliverables are produced and released for review.