Do I Require Architectural or Engineering Plans To Get A Quote From A Home Builder?

Q:

Do I need a proper set of architectural or engineering drawings to get a quote from a home builder?

A:

Yes and No. The answer is not a simple one.

A well established and organized Custom Home Builder will have a proper system that they use to quote new homes. It's usually a computerized system that they can punch numbers into and then adjust at the end with anything that is special or different then the typical build.

This means that if you have created the drawings yourself and have given the builder as much information pertaining to the interior and exterior finishes as you possibly can then the builder should be able to work up a quote for you. The quote wouldn't be set in stone but it would be a very close estimate to what the actual number would be. The reason that the quote wouldn't be a fixed price is because you created the drawings yourself, there could be flaws in the drawings that the municipality might flag when you apply for a permit or the builder might discover when he is actually building the home that would have to be fixed or adjusted at an additional cost. Everything looks a little different once it's in the real world from what has been drawn on a flat piece of paper.

If the home is a complicated home that has special items in it that will require engineering then the builder will have trouble giving you an accurate quote. There are certain things that can add to the cost of a home and one of them is the engineering of the structure or structures around the home.

For example: If your home is going to have retaining walls or a deeper basement and the concrete walls of the home are going to be essentially used to hold back a large amount of ground then the concrete walls require engineering, this engineering could make the concrete walls significantly more expensive because of the thickness and the amount of re-bar that is to be placed in them.

Other parts of the home like the roof; if they are drawn incorrectly might not be structurally sound and will require engineering to prevent failure when they are under a snow load. This type of engineering could change the entire look, feel and cost of a roof for the you. When you start changing roof lines and roof pitches you can start to affect the inside of the home, ceilings can have height changes along with window placements and it can also affect your ability to have cathedral ceilings.

Basically if your planning on building a simple house then you might be able to get away with simple drawings, but if you are planning to build something unique, large or complicated then you are going to have to spend some money on a proper set of plans. These plans won't be a waste of money, they will probably save you more money in the long run by eliminating a lot of the unknown costs that spring up during building then the actual cost of the drawings.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

The mighty 3 is what you need when you build a custom home

The mighty 3 is what you need when you build a custom home

When you are looking to build a custom home there are 3 professionals that you will require to make your custom home build go smoothly, that it looks like a proper custom home and that it gives you the most bang for your buck.

Those 3 are an Architect, a General Contractor and an Interior Designer.

Those 3 are the most important professionals, they will all cost you money, but they all have the ability to save you money in the long run.

The process of building a home basically goes as follows when you are the homeowner;

1. You find and buy a piece of land.

2. You employ an architect to draw your custom home.

3. You hire a general contractor to price and construct the home. (The hiring of an architect can actually come after your hire your general contractor, especially if you are having trouble finding the right architect)

4. You hire an interior designer to help you with the decisions that you must make for what you want the interior of your home to look and feel like.

What most people don’t realize is that all three of these professionals work together to help bring your dreams of a custom home to life.

The architect and the general contractor will work together when drawing and budgeting your home. This will help get you your custom home within the budget that you require and also reduce the sticker shock when you are handed the initial estimate for the home.

The general contractor and the interior designer work together so that the choices you do make in finishing the house doesn’t affect anything as it pertains to the actual construction, having to move walls, electrical or plumbing because of new visions for spaces can become costly. Since the general contractor is the one that created the detailed budget for your home they will have to communicate with the interior designer into what the different allowances are for the finishing’s. If the interior designer knows the allowances for things such as tile and hardwood then they can direct the homeowner to choices that will fall within the budget.

One of the biggest problems when building a home is when the clients do not make choices quick enough for the general contractor that is constructing the home. This causes delays in the construction of the building and pushes the timeline of the complication date further back. Depending on the size and scope of the home there are literally 100’s of decisions that will have to be made once the building of the home has started. A lot of these decisions will have a tight timeline so as not to slow down construction.

In construction time is money and the slower a build goes the more it ends up costing the homeowner. The cost of hiring professionals like architects, general contractors and interior designers will save you more money as the build commences. Most often than not when the final cost is reviewed it shows that the mighty 3 saved more money for the homeowner then what the fee’s for their services cost.

In every other business people rely on professionals to give them advice and to help them with decisions that they know little to nothing about. This should be the same thinking when it comes to constructing homes, you should rely on professionals to help you make the appropriate decisions in a timely manner.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Should I have an architect help me select my builder?

Q:

Should I have an architect help me select my builder?
A:

If you have already engaged an architect to draw the plans for your house, by all means ask that person to suggest possible candidates and to join you in interviewing potential builders, they most likely have worked with local builders in the past who might be a good match.

However, it's often best to find a builder first, essentially to work with a design professional to help ensure that your budget is considered through the design process.

It can be heartbreaking (and leave a bad taste) to invest time, effort, and money into architectural drawings and then you find out later (from your builder) that what has been designed is too expensive to build with your budget.

It is better to have the whole team together from the start. This way your builder can recommend different things that have worked in other buildings that they built. Doing it in this way allows you to have more than one opinion on all the aspects of your new home.

With residential construction techniques evolving at such a rapid pace these days it is always good to know what your builder feels comfortable doing and what they do not, you don’t want your architect to add things into your home that your builder isn’t comfortable doing or has little to no experience with.

Village Builders Inc.


 This is an excerpt from a newsletter that is distributed to all former, current and future clients of Village Builders Inc. If you would like to receive this newsletter feel free to email me at www.robabbott@villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.