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ü HOW MUCH DOES THE APPOINTMENT COST? ü WHAT DOES THE APPOINTMENT ACCOMPLISH? ü WHAT ABOUT COUNTY / CITY CODE REQUIREMENTS? ü WHAT OTHER TYPE OF CODES DO YOU HAVE TO COMPLY WITH? ü HOW MUCH WILL THE DRAWING COST? ü IF WE ACCEPT YOUR PROPOSAL, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? ü WHAT IF WE DISLIKE YOUR PRELIMINARY? ü
IF
WE ACCEPT THE PRELIMINARY, WHAT IS NEXT? ü AFTER THE FINAL DESIGN APPROVAL, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? ü WHAT IS DONE ONCE THE DRAWINGS AND DOCUMENTS ARE COMPLETE? ü DO YOU HELP US WITH THE SUBMITTAL PROCESS? ü HOW LONG DOES THE PLAN CHECK TAKE? ü WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE, ARE WE DENIED THE PERMIT? ü WHAT ABOUT CONTRACTORS, DO YOU HELP US IN THE SELECTION? ü WHAT IF WE CHOOSE OUR OWN CONTRACTOR…AND HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR PLANS? ü DO YOU VISIT THE SITE TO CHECK THE WORK? ü WHEN DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR PORTION OF THE PROJECT COMPLETE?
First call my office between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule an appointment. Appointments are available 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
ü HOW MUCH DOES THE APPOINTMENT COST? There is no charge, cost or obligation for the appointment. ü WHAT DOES THE APPOINTMENT ACCOMPLISH? This allows me to examine the existing structure, style of architecture, foundation design, roof line design and provides a general review of the home. This also provides us the time, at the site, to discuss your ideas and needs, while allowing me to suggest additional design concepts as well. ü WHAT ABOUT COUNTY / CITY CODE REQUIREMENTS? As a part of the appointment, I review the proposed project with the Planning and Building Departments for project compliance. We research the required property line setbacks, height limitations, lot coverage, easements, and general building requirements for your specific property.
ü WHAT OTHER TYPE OF CODES DO YOU HAVE TO COMPLY WITH? In the State of California and specifically in the Bay Area, the following codes are considered the minimum requirements:
ü HOW MUCH WILL THE DRAWING COST? Once the research and initial appointment is complete, I will develop a proposal based upon your specific project design requirements. As a rule, you will receive the proposal within 4 – 7 days after our appointment. ü IF WE ACCEPT YOUR PROPOSAL, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? We schedule a meeting to allow one of my project designers to dimension the entire house and property. The site dimensioning and evaluation provides us the “as–built” information to start your preliminary design. Depending on the magnitude of your project, you should allow us 8 – 10 hours for this procedure. We schedule your project into our existing work load and start the preliminary design. The preliminary will consist of a floor plan of the existing structure with a proposed new concept. Under normal conditions, we require 10 – 21 working days to prepare the "as–built" plans with the preliminary floor plan. Once the preliminary is complete, we will arrange a meeting in our office or in your home to review and discuss the plan. If you require additional time for review, we will schedule a meeting to return at a later date. (Remember, a well developed plan at this point, is money saved when you are under construction.) ü WHAT IF WE DISLIKE YOUR PRELIMINARY? We simply redesign the preliminary per your comments and concerns. Remember, my primary goal is to provide you with the layout, function and design, within structural limits, you wish to achieve. ü IF WE ACCEPT THE PRELIMINARY, WHAT IS NEXT? We develop the site plan and elevations. The floor plan and elevations are the most important plans to you because they represent the entire appearance of your project. This step will take approximately 7 – 14 working days. A meeting will be scheduled for you to review the drawings. If you have additional design requirements that I may have missed, we will correct the drawings accordingly and return. If the project drawings meet your approval, you will sign the plans off as a FINAL DESIGN APPROVAL. ü AFTER THE FINAL DESIGN APPROVAL, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? Once the preliminary plan has become a final design, this allows us to continue with the full set of working construction drawings required for the building permit. We continue with the foundation plan, floor-framing plans, roof framing plans, cross sections and working details. We also prepare the Title 24 (California Energy Compliance Calculations) and our structural engineer prepares the structural analysis, calculations and sizing of structural members as required. Again, depending on the magnitude of the project, this final step will take approximately 10 – 15 working days. ü WHAT IS DONE ONCE THE DRAWINGS AND DOCUMENTS ARE COMPLETE? When the project is complete we need to submit all drawings and documents to the city / county for plan check. Plan check is a procedure to review our drawings to insure they meet the California Building Codes, city codes & ordinances, local codes and applicable ordinances. ü DO YOU HELP US WITH THE SUBMITTAL PROCESS? Yes. I recommend we meet at the proper agency together to make the application and sign the necessary paper work. First, we need the approval of the Planning Department and then submit to the Building Department for plan check. Our firm provides this service, at no additional charge, for our clients in order to save time and frustration of unfamiliar procedures. ü HOW LONG DOES THE PLAN CHECK TAKE? This process varies from city to city and county to county. Most plan checks take from 2 – 4 weeks depending on the agencies' work load and available staff. ü WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE, ARE WE DENIED THE PERMIT? No. Once the plan check is complete, the city or county will call our office and / or notify you by mail. If there are items that need to be revised, corrected and / or clarified, we prepare the revisions and resubmit for you. Usually, within a week after the resubmittal, your building permit is ready to be issued. ü WHAT ABOUT CONTRACTORS, DO YOU HELP US IN THE SELECTION? As a rule, no. If you want us to become involved in the selection and full construction documentation, we would enter into a separate contract for PROJECT MANAGEMENT. For most home improvement and additions, this could be overkill. We work with a large number of well-qualified contractors and would be willing to refer you to a select group that could offer you a bid package for competitive bidding. A qualified contractor is more than capable of completing the scope of work required in general home improvements and additions. ü WHAT IF WE CHOOSE OUR OWN CONTRACTOR…AND HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR PLANS? I recommend after you have selected your contractor, that we have a meeting in our office or in your home before he starts the project. This allows the contractor to ask questions and clear up any concerns before he starts construction. This is also helpful in creating a dialogue between your contractor and our office or myself. Should he require further information or assistance while he is working on your project, we are usually available the same day to visit the site or talk with him on the telephone. ü DO YOU VISIT THE SITE TO CHECK THE WORK? As a rule, we check the project at three critical points. Once prior to the foundations being poured, once during the rough frame stage and once for mechanical, electrical and plumbing. We will also visit the site when a contractor has a problem or question that needs to be resolved on the site. ü WHEN DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR PORTION OF THE PROJECT COMPLETE? When you invite us to the completion party or open house! |
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