FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

PLANNING
BUILDING DESIGN
DRAFTING

HOW LONG DOES THE DESIGN PROCESS TAKE?
From the time you sign a contract with us it will take a couple weeks to begin work on your project.  From there it usually takes a week to two weeks to come up with a preliminary design.  At our first design review meeting we will look over the plans and discuss changes with you.  Within a few days following, we will have a revised plan for you to review.  This preliminary design process can take from two to four weeks or longer, depending on how much time you take to review changes and how fast you get comments back to us.  Once the preliminary design work is completed and you have told us that there are no more changes, it takes about three weeks to complete the construction plans, engineering and site plan.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE WANT TO MAKE CHANGES TO OUR PLANS AFTER YOU'VE BEGUN CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS?
Anything can be done but it becomes much more costly to revise a plan once we have started working on the construction documents.  We recommend you take the necessary time to review your design carefully before we begin the construction drawings.  Taking a bit of extra time early on can save you substantially if you decide to make changes. 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A PERMIT?
This varies greatly depending on the building department you are submitting plans to.  Typically it takes from three to six weeks.  King County, for example, can be substanitally longer if you are submitting plans for a new home.  We will be happy to discuss our experiences with you and make suggestions that can often times speed up the plan review process.

DO WE NEED A SURVEY?
Although it is not always required or needed, we do recommend a survey to anyone planning a new home or major addition.  Depending on the scope of your project you may need a survey or you may be required by the City or County to provide one.  This is often a requirement if you are building close to a property line or trying to maximize your building height.  We also recommend a topographical survey to anyone building on a sloped lot. Our experience has shown that paying for this information up front can also save time and money during construction. 

ARE ELECTRICAL PLANS NEEDED?
Most residential projects do not require full electrical plans in order to get a permit.  Although we have done plans with electrical schematics, we typically include only smoke detectors, exhaust fans and required lighting (such as at stairways).  By providing only this required infomation on the plan we can save you design time and money.  Most of our clients prefer to coordinate the location of lighting and switches with their electrician or general contractor once the home is framed.

More questions and answers to come.