Need Advice

[Zohrabyan Hrach]

I am in the progress of purchasing a lot in Los Angeles County, right on the border line between LA and Kern County. I have over 2 acres to work with and i am interested in building one house and selling it.

My question is does anyone have experience with the blueprints and plans which are available online for example from houseplans.com

I spoke with a few structural engineers and they all said something different. Some said that they will be able to work with the plan but will need to redo the entire plan to meet spec. I know they want to make a sale or charge as much as they can. The house is only 2500 sq ft which is not that big for the area and some of these guys want almost 10,000 to just prepare the plans before i can submit to the county and wait for the city to respond.

I know that there will be some charges from the engineer and the architect but i do not believe that the amount of work they will do on the plans will be a great amount. I do respect them for what they do and who they are, i do not want them to work for free, i just want them

to be honest.

What the engineer will need to do to my plans is go over it and have it

sealed as the city requires that.

Also the plans are available in cad files so the architect or engineer can get the job done with much ease.

please advise and all your time and help is appreciated.

Hrach

[hawgeye]

First thing I would do is make sure who and what needs to be stamped in order to get permits and proceed with building. Does the land fall under the jurisdiction of a city or is it in an unincorporated county. For single-family residential units, most municipalities don't require that the drawings be stamped as long as everything meets code, setbacks, etc. While others only require that only certain drawings be stamped by a Registered Architect or Engineer. The problem with buying those "mail-order" house plans is that they are generic. They don't take into account where the structure is going to be built and all the codes required in that area. If you want to make any changes/adjustments to the drawings, then it will cost you extra. Just because the drawings are available in cad, does not mean they are useful. In most cases you are much better off having the drawings done to fit your needs. Look around for a general floor plan that you like, make notes of any changes you'd like, then take that to an architect/engineer (if the drawings need to be stamped) or to a knowledgeable architectural designer. Doing. some homework in advance will save you a lot of money and grief in the long run.

[Kickstart]

I know they want to

Ill bet when you look for a contractor , they'll probably want to charge too much too.

kickstart

[dpb]

...

Given what 2+ A in LA County must cost, you're nitpicking over fractions of $10k? Also, is poor idea to build anything that is either the most- or least-expensive in an area, particularly on spec. The first will be unlikely to bring a decent return as nobody wants to put excessive money into something lesser than the area and the latter can be difficult to sell as people typically also don't like to invest in low-end properties in upper-scale areas.

Seems to me if you're into doing something, do it right from the get-go or don't at all. It would probably have been better to have found and established the partnerships/working agreements first rather than now shopping around for on-the-cheap hired labor.

[John Reddy]

Your logic seems to be that because they are charging more than you would like to pay, they are not honest?

You are exactly the kind of client I wouldn't want. As a matter of fact, I have gotten to the point where I won't take on a client who wants to quibble over a fee. I have learned from experience that if the quibbling starts before the contract is signed, it only gets worse afterward.

[<moo]

I have never seen a full set of plans from those companies

If they give you more then just a floor plan and they give you details callouts and spec all the lumber and other structural items then just take the plan to a Truss Company that will build your roof and often they will review your plan and stamp it for you for FREE if you buy the trusses from them

If all you get is some pretty front and side views and no specs on beams and lumber and no Plumbing 3d plan / Isometric view and no electrical plan no foundation plan no specs for earth quake tiedowns and stuff California is pretty needy when it comes to plans

then the plan you are getting is not one that you can use it is just a design not a plan

you need to have seperate Plumbing Electrical and Foundation plans they can be drawn on top of your original but they need to show what goes where

So I dont know

If you have your plans then go to the building official ask him if they are good enough and what else is needed

often the county or city will have details about what is required on their website you can probably get an idea and they may have samples

If everything is in spec on the plans and they give you a materials list and everything then you should not have to pay $10,000 I would expect about $1000

Just shop your ass around you have the whole state of california to come up with one licensed architect that may have just lost a job and would be willing to do your little house just to keep bussy for a couple days.

[Kickstart]

Ill bet you watch Flip this House