SO, YOU WANT TO REMODEL YOUR HOUSE

Here I shall have a continuing discussion about your house remodel design and permit process.

A very good place to start

Thorough out this discussion I shall mention steps and tips on how and where you can save time and money. Here is the first tip, check your city building and planning department’s web sites. Go to residential construction requirements, they usually have a few pages dedicated to requirements and codes, this usually entails;

• Zoning limits
• Height limits, maximum height your house can reach.
• Covered area and living area ratio. A maximum percentage of the area of your house compared to your lot area, usually up to 40%.
• Set back limits, distance from the outside of your house to the property line
• Easements, areas that even though are within your property you are not allowed to build on.
• Parking requirements, garages, and covered parking areas.

If you are not sure what these terms mean, do not worry, just contact me and I shall explain these for you.

knowledge is power. The more you know about the city planning and building department’s requirements, the more you can understand what your designer and contractors are talking about. After you have read all the information you can find online, find out when “open counter” days and hours are (your city may have a different name for open counter hour) and plan a trip to go there. During open counter time planers are available without making any appointments to answer general questions. Provide them with your address and what you have in mind.
Also ask them if they have any plans of your house in their records chances are that if your house is less than 20 years old they may have the original construction plans. If you can get these plans, then you have struck gold. Get a copy of these plans and keep them.

FIRST STEP

First step before your first step. The first thing you need to do is to set your budget (how much you can afford to spend) and stick to it, now keep in mind that about 90% of projects will go over their budget by at least 5% so allow for this in your estimate. This is very important. Too many times I have had to stop midway on a project because the owner realized he/she did not have enough money.

WHAT SHOULD I BUILD

What should you build?
Now that you have established how much you can spend, decide what you want to do, do you need an extra bedroom? bathroom? Nobody can answer this question except you, so think about this very carefully. It would be helpful to consult with a local real estate agent and see what the effect of your planed addition or remodel will be on the value of your house.

MISTAKE #1

Avoid making the first mistake made by all home remodeling virgins. Do not go to a contractor at this stage for a cost estimate. A good contractor will not give you an answer without a set of approved plans, even a ballpark answer will almost certainly be off by many degrees. This is similar to going to an auto dealer and ask how much would a new car cost. Well anywhere from $16,000. to $300,000.00 it all depends on your needs, taste, budget, and plans.

GETING CONSTRUCTION
PLANS-1
Choosing a Designer

The average homeowner does not have the knowledge, experience, and know how, to prepare their construction documents and plans for their construction project. Having a floor lay out plan does not mean that your architectural plans are ready. You are not even close. So, start asking your family, friends, and neighbors to see if they can recommend a designer. Here is another tip, you can ask your contractor for a referral, chances are that they know someone with whom they have a working relationship and have done some similar work in your city before. 
Or better yet contact me at Sigma Residential Design.

GETING CONSTRUCTION PLANS-2
Choosing a Designer

Here is a rule of thumb get at least 3 bids before you chose a designer. Do not go for the cheapest person.  Saving a few dollars on your plans could mean extra tens of thousands in your construction.

Chose a designer that has adequate experience in the kind of project that you have in mind. 

One of the services I offer is improving and fixing inadequate and unworkable plans that the original designer has given up on and walk off the job.

NEXT

To be continued...