I own a small (1000 sq foot) house in Venice California. There is a separate 200 square foot garage which has been turned into a TV room. I want to build a guest house, ideally incorporating the TV room.
What's the best, most cost efficient way to do this? Do I go to an architect, or just fish for contractors and tell them what I want?
How much does an architect add costwise? How much value does he add?
Does anyone have an idea of what the cost per sq ft would be in Venice?
Is permitting a hassle here? Any experiences would be helpful, particularly if they come from my neck of the woods.
Check locally about what they require for a permit. I am going to guess they will require an architect to make up the plans. Some contractors could do it and do a good job and many contractors will say they can.
With Kalifornia you had better check with the zoning folks first. You might be violating the law here. Visit the building inspection department and ask questions use a address down the street and just your first name. They keep track of inquires here and do follow-ups when they have the time.
Try posting on < alt.architecture > for more chatter - some of it more useful than the < alt.home.repair > thread.
I would suggest that you will be more satisfied with an architect designed job. Zoning and the Building Permit will take some research and drawings.
Look at recently built work in the area for work you like. Try to make the difference between quality of design and quality of construction. Ask the owner or builder who designed the project.
In my biased but humble opinion, an architect can add value to a project in several ways. Of course, not all architects, or builders, or clients are "good". A carefully prepared submittal can make permitting quicker and easier. A clear working drawings can save change orders and misunderstandings during construction. A careful exploration of a client's needs and wants can lead to a better solution. A carefully worked out arrangement can add to the ease of use. With the cooperation of client and architect, the finished building can add to the pleasure of use.
In Charleston South Carolina, architect's fees run from about 3% to
Well, our neighborhood is zoned R3, meaning it's already zoned for 3 units. My concern is simply how difficult it is to get stuff approved as it's being built. How much more difficult/expensive is it to have an inspector coming around to check the wiring/foundation etc?
I work on a reality show that redoes houses in a week and we always get 24 hour access to an inspector, who writes permits whenever we need them. While I don't expect that level of service it would be nice not to have it slow down the process interminably.
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Relaxification) wrote on 15 Apr 2004:
That means it's zoned for three dwelling units per acre. Assuming that you have an empty lot of roughly 1/3 acre, you can build a dwelling unit on it - if you meet the requirements for setback, minimum front, rear, and side yards, percentage of the lot the house will cover, and probably a host of other things.
You get it approved BEFORE it's built. In the real world (not the unreal world of "reality TV") if you start to build something that has no permit, you are given a "Stop Work" order and told to get one if you're caught. If you've violated building or zoning provisions, you could be ordered to tear down what you've built.
The cost of the inspections should be covered in the price of the permit - unless you need reinspections, for which you may or may not be charged. It's not difficult at all if local inspectors come when scheduled - assuming you know at what stages of construction you must stop and call for an appointment.
In my reality, no inspector writes a permit. You visit the building and zoning departments with your plans. You fill out some forms and pay fees. They review your plans and either approve them or demand revisions - or if you're not in compliance with zoning regulations, disapprove them.
In your TV show, do pigs fly by as the inspectors happily write permits when you call them at 2:00 in the morning?
I haven't noticed any flying pigs. The inspectors are pretty cool about it, especially considering we've essentially torn down 12 houses and rebuilt them, each in under 7 days. I'm talking about major work here - adding a second story, redoing roofs, etc. I'm not expecting it to be as easy in real life, or to have 100 workmen working in shifts, 24 hours a day, either.
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