If you are handling the task yourself, here is what you commonly have to face.
The Building Design
This is the first step that you probably want to begin the process with. To meet the requirements of most municipalities, floor plans have to be drawn to scale along with all exterior views, electrical plans, slab or foundation plan, framing plan, HVAC plans, plumbing plan and isometrics, full sectional details and partial, roof plans, and the site plan. Then there are special drawings like fastener and handicap accessibility details that have to be drawn. You will have to hire a designer or if the job is larger than five thousand square feet and three stories high, most states require that you hire an architect and engineer.
The Bank
Your lending institution will want to see a presentation of the proposed building. This is where you would take a set of presentation drawings from your designer or architect to make you pitch on what you are needing the money for. Make sure it is drawn so that there is no question what you are wanting. A good isometric of the exterior and a floor plan are usually sufficient.
The Planning Commissions
Once your drawings are complete and ready for submission, in some cases you will have to go before a planning commission for approval before the building inspectors can even start on your plan. This is a special board at your local government office that reviews all new construction in your area. They will probably spend some time making sure your plan blends into the plan of the municipality. Some of their concerns will possibly be your buildings impact on the local environment.
The Building Inspections Office and Fire Marshal
These guys are fun to deal with. Each one has his or her special interest that will have to be addressed like American Disabilities Act compliance and sufficient electrical designed into the structure. The fire marshal will be especially interested in fire exits, extinguisher locations, and sprinklers. If something is missed or their requirements are somewhat above international code, they will have to be added into the plan.
The Contractor
If you are not planning to oversee the construction yourself, a contractor will need to be hired. The plans that you had drawn will be very instrumental if choosing one of these. Make sure that each and ever contractor who bids on your plans has an exact copy of the plans. I would not recommend having a contractor redesign the structure so make sure that they are bidding on the building as it is drawn.
Once a contractor is chosen, you can get the ball rolling. If he or she has bid on a complete package, all you need to do then is write the checks from your construction account and meet with the contractor for any special questions they may have during the construction process. Make sure that any changes made during construction are marked on a master set of plans so that when the job is done, there will not be any question on extra charges incurred.
About the Author
Tim Davis is a fully trained Architectural Designer with over twenty years experience who would be more than happy to help you with your plans. His website is at http://buildingdrawings.8m.com
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( 3 / 73 )There are quite a few details involved in designing a new house and it is very easy to overlook certain aspects of what will make that house a home. I have been a home designer for almost three decades now and have come up with a list of things that are often forgotten in the layout. Maybe that list can be of some help to you.
Number one on my list is storage space! Are you allowing for this? Chances are that if your home is cluttered now, you either have too much stuff accumulated or there isn’t enough storage space to store this stuff. If you overlook this in the design of your new home, you may be transferring one problem from your old dwelling to the new one.
The common lack of storage in homes are:
- Pantries for extra food stuffs like canned goods that would be overflowing from the kitchen cabinets.
- Clothes closets that are too small to handle the wardrobe of a family member for at least one season. Make sure they are large enough.
- Coat closets in the entryway of the home. When this omitted, the living room, kitchen or dining room starts becoming a catch all for winter coats.
- Linen closets are often overlooked also. This space is for sheets, pillow cases, washcloths, and towels. All too often, if a home does not have a linen closet, extra shelves have to be added to handle these.
- Attic or basement storage that is easily accessible to store Christmas lights and family keepsakes. When attic or basement storage is unavailable the garage fills up with all this stuff.
If the home is in an area that experiences more than usual rain or snow fall, is there a mud room for taking off those muddy boots so you don’t track up the house? I have seen mud rooms equipped with a sink to wash up before coming into the main house. This is also a good aspect of a well designed home if someone in the house likes to do auto mechanics in the garage. They can wash the grease off before it gets to far into the home.
One other thing to consider would be allowing enough natural light into the home. Too often there are too few windows pointed in the right direction to capture natural light in the mornings and evenings.
About the Author
Tim Davis is a fully trained home designer with around thirty years experience as a designer and drafter. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com.
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( 3 / 61 )How many of us stand and gawk in fascination when we come across an old Victorian or Queen Anne home that has stood the test of time and remained standing since the middle nineteenth or early twentieth centuries? And with good reason, these home are works of art and were built by true craftsmen.
You look at all the scroll and millwork and are amazed at all the intricate patterns that are normally seen in natures snow flakes or ivy vines that seem to go everywhere on the building.. You look at the stained glass windows that remind you of great cathedrals and the lattice around the porches that seem like a never ending woven pattern and wonder how long such a building took to build with the hand tools of the day. Sort of reminds you of the story of Pollyanna, does it not?
Or how about the grand colonial homes of the old south? With their large ancient Greek type columns and facades that seem full of nothing but grand windows and one huge door opening as a portal into a party full of southern belles and finely dressed gentlemen. When you enter these homes, you would see a grand stair case that seems to dominate the entire home. And there is an openness to such a house that you have never seen in any other type home. You almost expect Scarlet Ohara to greet you as you enter.
Inside of both of these examples are finely made fireplaces and mantels, elaborate moldings, and hardwood or ceramic floors. Doors were finely crafted, many with beautiful carvings and hardware. Kitchens were decked with marble or granite and tile. The indoor bathrooms had fine porcelain tubs, toilets, and sinks. It was a sight to behold.
These homes and many other design types like this offer a warm and secure feeling unlike any of the more modern house types. They give you that feeling of more pleasant and innocent times that can be recaptured today if you want to.
Modern building materials and methods can be used to duplicate this same look to a new home. I’ve seen a few and they do a wonderful job of recreating that look on the exterior of a modern home. Even more beautiful are those new homes that have taken not only the exterior look but also the interior layout of these homes and added the modern conveniences to them.
Some people believe that in order to move forward into the future we need to forget about the past designs. I am not one of those. I believe that in order to move forward we need to remember the past and not discard the warmth and comfort these types of homes offered.
About the Author
The author, Tim Davis is a fully trained architectural designer who have been designing home plans for the past thirty years. He also has been trained in historical reconstruction and remodeling and is willing and able to help you design your own period home. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com
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( 2.9 / 69 )You are going to build a new home, your first house. For years you have dreamed, scrimped and saved with the vision of your ideal home stirring you on. Finally you have accumulated enough money to make a down payment on a piece of land and your goal is finally within your reach. So how do you intend to finalize your dream? You cant just blindly go ahead and start building.
You probably have looked through hundreds of pre drawn plans in catalogs and even though you see elements in different plans that you like but have not quite found a plan that has all that you envisioned. You have also probably seen certain elements of your friends and neighbors homes you liked but still, the overall lay out just did not seem to fit what you wanted.
It is also probably a fair assumption that you can not rely on your own technical skill in either design or construction unless you are trained in that area of expertise. So now you have two choices.
Hire an Architect
This is a common choice and all well and good. The architect was trained with this sort of thing in mind. These are professionals who are trained to design projects ranging from homes to skyscrapers. The biggest problem with this is more times than not, you are going to pay a premium amount to hire them.
But hey, if you are building a mansion, the best professional to have is the architect because of the enormity of the project and the greater amount of skills and resources needed to complete such a home. And more times than not, your ideas can be used by him or her to create a very original design. I was told by the architect that trained me that many people did not really know what they wanted and that the architect was there to enlighten them.
Hire a Designer
However, if you “do” know what you want, a designer is your better choice. This professional is also trained to design and draw homes within technical specs. If I know my colleagues well enough, are also willing to bend over backwards to give you the home that “you” want at a lower cost, the way “you” want it as long as it meets code and it is within the budget you have set for the construction of your new home.
About the Author
Tim Davis is an Architectural Designer with 30 years experience. And he does not believe you should spend a fortune designing your home. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com
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( 3 / 62 )When designing a new home, it is always a good idea to spend some time carefully considering the kitchen and its layout. After all, this is where the family meal is usually prepared and there is nothing more important than the family meal to keep the family as a unit.
The most popular layout today includes either a bar built into the counter space or a breakfast nook directly connected to the kitchen for the morning meals. That bar or the table in the nook is a great place for the kids to do home work or school projects not to mention a place for mom or dad to balance the check book or some other task.
A properly designed kitchen also should not be hard to work in. For instance, it should be layed out so that there is no more than a twelve to fourteen foot triangle between the stove, sink, and refrigerator. This method allows for less steps and more cooking.
Natural light should also be a major consideration. A good sized window should be placed directly over the sink if possible. If it isn’t possible, then there should be large windows in the nook area to reflect light back into the cooking area.
There should be plenty of storage space whenever possible that would include a pantry integrated into a closet in easy reach from the cabinets. In corner cabinets, A Lazy Susan should be installed. A Lazy Susan is a rotating set of shelves installed so that everything can be reached by turning a carousel of shelves.
Drawers are very important for storing silverware and a good planner will make sure there are some deep drawers for those catch all things that always seem to show up in the kitchen. Actually, junk drawers aren’t a bad idea for keeping the kitchen tidy. Some cabinet companies have racks built into special cabinets that pull out like drawers for storing pots and pans that are hung on special runners for saving space.
Time and labor savers like a dishwasher should always be installed near the sink. Other appliances to be considered would be a built in microwave for quick snacks and warming meals.
About the Author
Tim Davis is an Architectural Designer with 30 years experience. And he does not believe you should spend a fortune designing your home. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com
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