How to get affordable house plan design
I hear from many clients that affordable house plan design doesn't exist. And many of them have had an experience with not getting a good design or one that became expensive - either at design stage or during the building process. Let's look at those two areas to start with.
Design stage
Often the layperson goes into the process of getting a design completed by an architect or building designer with little to no background experience. Or worse, they talked to their <insert relative here - friend, uncle, cousin, sister> who got a "huge addition" done 8 years ago and it "only" cost them <insert silly low figure here>. That's all well and good. But what's it done? Filled the prospective remodeller's head full of outdated quotes (possibly from an inexperienced designer charging too little) based on the very technical "huge" addition! So Mr and Mrs Wannabe Renovator are shocked to get a realistic up-to-date quote for their project and immediately think they're being ripped off.
Or they get an estimate that the plans "shouldn't be much more than....." from a designer. However, a few redrafts later (did he/she mention there's extra charges for redraws?) and Mr & Mrs are very happy... until they get the account!
Ever since starting in design, I have run the design process as transparently as possible. This means giving a price and sticking to it. Apart from a few items - permit fees, engineering, etc - I clearly state what we're doing, what brief it's based on, and how much that will be. So what if I make a mistake in pricing the job? Tough luck - I should have been better prepared! I wear the mistake, unless I have inadvertently overcharged. Then I will give that reduction to the customer.
Construction
This is the time where it is most likely that cost over-runs will happen. No, it's not unscrupulous contractors (though every profession has it share - building designers included!). It's the nature of construction. New buildings are easier to estimate more accurately as most factors are visible and known at the project commencement. However, renovations are a different kettle of fish. Sometimes, even the professionals are surprised to see what's behind that piece of sheetrock they've just removed, or under that floorboard or covering they lifted. Whole walls may need replacing due to rot which isn't apparent during preliminary inspection. These will be tagged out of a contractor's bid, so the cost falls on the homeowner.
What to do
Shop around, talk to people, ask for references. Make sure you're comfortable with your designer, and also that you fully understand what is in the contract you are signing (if they don't offer a decent contract then walk away - life's too short to get tied up in litigation over "he said, she said"). Be clear on responsibilities and expectations (should all be clearly spelt out in the contract). Look at extra costs, especially any associated with you changing your mind part way through. Check who pays for permit fees, engineering design, Title 24 calcs.
You also need to feel comfortable with the person. Yes, they need competence and skill, but don't discount the human factor. Employing the world's best designer could be a road filled with potholes if you just don't get along! I'm proud to say that, whilst 3-4 jobs during my 15 years drawing in New Zealand ended up going awry and the relationship ending somewhat less than stellar, I had hunders of extremely happy customers. I'd love to make you one too. Give me a call or email today!
