Garage addition, ways to save money....

[doyle4281]

Hello all, I am beginning the process of doing doing an attached 2 car garage addition as well as some exterior renovations to bring the curb appeal up. I am no stranger to renovations, as my family is mostly retired contractors, however those resources are limited now that they have been out of the industry. My question to you is, what are the best ways to approach an addition/renovation for those that don't necessarily need the services of a GC. I have resources for all the trades needed, framers, masons, electricians, rockers, esc, however the design and architecture portion is something I am not able to invest enough time and energy into. Am I looking for a designer, an architect, a combination of both? My main concern is that an architect will try to charge me based on the cost of the job, however, being that so much of the work will be done by family or family friends, I anticipate an issue with the architect. What I am essentially looking for is someone who I can sit down with, cosmetically design the job, and get legitimate drawings to submit to the township. I don't need long term assistance until the end of the job. If I come up with the design will a framer be able to draft plans to submit to the township, or is this solely the role of an architect? Will an architect be able proficiently design cosmetically or will they reserve that for a "designer". Thanks guys, I am trying to make my money go a long way, as its harder to come by these days. Thanks

Central New Jersey (Somerset)

 

[tjdux]

I imagine it depends upon what your local county/city requires. If you need plans stamped by an architect then you have to find one that will work reasonably with you.

For example my local city planning office will take simple plans drawn with crayons on a napkin for a super simple project. Other more complex things need more. I would recomend a call to your planning office and see what they require then that may answer everything you need to know.

You asked if a framer can do the design plans...Heck you could do the plans if they dont need stamped. But that probably depends much more on how picky your town hall is.

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[6768rogues]

In NY, the law says that for any residential construction up to 1500 square feet it is up to the jurisdiction whether to require stamped drawings. I don't know what NJ requires. When I was a building official, if it was simple construction and the owner provided enough detail that I could determine that it complied with the code, I issued a permit. If there was no detail and the applicant was not able to answer questions, or if it was a structure hanging off the side of a cliff, I wanted stamped professional drawings.
If stamped drawings are required, an architect familiar with residential construction can do the job. Usually for small jobs they charge a flat fee. You can buy the level of service you want. For example, the architect can develop drawings or you can add his/her monitoring of construction through C of O. If permitting is difficult, the architect can facilitate that. It depends on what is required and what you can do.

 

[Skiff Builder]

Doyle, I raised my house in Ocean County after storm Sandy. At the same time I added 33% addition and overframed the existing roof trusses, large deck and 16 riser stairs. Submitted hand drawn plans. All approved no stamp.
Hopefully you can do same. Your framer will probably know the required beams/ headers etc if he works your town/ county. Ask bldg Dept what code they use. Easy to look up specs that apply to your build.
Good luck with your build!

 

[doyle4281]

I imagine it depends upon what your local county/city requires. If you need plans stamped by an architect then you have to find one that will work reasonably with you.

For example my local city planning office will take simple plans drawn with crayons on a napkin for a super simple project. Other more complex things need more. I would recomend a call to your planning office and see what they require then that may answer everything you need to know.

You asked if a framer can do the design plans...Heck you could do the plans if they dont need stamped. But that probably depends much more on how picky your town hall is.

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Thanks guys, I do not intend on drafting up the plans myself, as I dont think I could invest enough time in it. My question more relates to the role of an architect vs a designer, and how to deal with an architect when you are not hiring a GC. How do they charge when they cant ask for a percentage of the job cost, being that there will be no bidding by contractors for the job.

 

[Wooden Skye]

Thanks guys, I do not intend on drafting up the plans myself, as I dont think I could invest enough time in it. My question more relates to the role of an architect vs a designer, and how to deal with an architect when you are not hiring a GC. How do they charge when they cant ask for a percentage of the job cost, being that there will be no bidding by contractors for the job.

In NJ any homeowner may act as there own general contractor. As for the architect/engineer, they will bill you based on hours they work to do the design and stamp the drawings. With that said, you will probably be shocked at the price, usually really high. I would see if one of the universities that have architecture as a course of study has a message board and see if a student will do. If you find a guy, make sure he gives you the file, that way if you need to get it stamped you can send to a firm.

 

[doyle4281]

In NJ any homeowner may act as there own general contractor. As for the architect/engineer, they will bill you based on hours they work to do the design and stamp the drawings. With that said, you will probably be shocked at the price, usually really high. I would see if one of the universities that have architecture as a course of study has a message board and see if a student will do. If you find a guy, make sure he gives you the file, that way if you need to get it stamped you can send to a firm.

That is actually a good idea to look for architecture students in the area. The job is not all that complex, just framing, no plumbing, no electrical. My concern is exactly as you stated, that I will get killed by an architect getting charged hourly or an inflated flat fee.

 

[doyle4281]

Doyle, I raised my house in Ocean County after storm Sandy. At the same time I added 33% addition and overframed the existing roof trusses, large deck and 16 riser stairs. Submitted hand drawn plans. All approved no stamp.
Hopefully you can do same. Your framer will probably know the required beams/ headers etc if he works your town/ county. Ask bldg Dept what code they use. Easy to look up specs that apply to your build.
Good luck with your build!

I think im going to schedule a free consultation with a local architect to see what the rates and service are. If its out of control as many say it is, I may just take a stab and drafting them up myself or see if the framers will do it. Thanks for the response

 

[jdsac]

Why would you need an architect? If it's just a single story garage without a complicated roof- it can't be that complicated. If you don't want to draw it yourself, have a drafting service do it- they probably have a cad program that can crank it out quickly.
The critical things are find out what the specs are for footings/ foundation etc. If you are using trusses, the truss co has designers that can handle that. The trades can tell you what the standards are in your area & when you submit the plan, they should mark everything that isn't right. The big thing is to do a plot plan with lot coverage, setbacks overall height etc. Avoid high priced people like engineers / architects unless absolutely necessary they act like cost is no object

 

[doyle4281]

Why would you need an architect? If it's just a single story garage without a complicated roof- it can't be that complicated. If you don't want to draw it yourself, have a drafting service do it- they probably have a cad program that can crank it out quickly.
The critical things are find out what the specs are for footings/ foundation etc. If you are using trusses, the truss co has designers that can handle that. The trades can tell you what the standards are in your area & when you submit the plan, they should mark everything that isn't right. The big thing is to do a plot plan with lot coverage, setbacks overall height etc. Avoid high priced people like engineers / architects unless absolutely necessary they act like cost is no object

I am on the same train of thought as you are, as I don't think this project is complicated enough to necessitate an engineer/architect. The roof will have some dormers, and I want some dormers constructed on the house side *** well, but that is the extent of the complexity. A friend of the family owns a great company for the concrete work, which will be able to take care of all details of the foundation. I was intending on doing the roof just as my current garage has, a structural ridge beam and rafters. This maximizes the ceiling height for a lift.

 

[DblDog]

As an architect, it is interesting to read this post. With all due respect, this garage addition will mostly not win a place for the architect in Architectural Digest. Ask a potential architect/designer to give you a fixed fee for everything you want to address. Get two or three bids, then at least you'll be informed. Keep in mind that if you hire a 'registered professional', that person takes responsibility, should any thing wrong, for a number of years after completion. It's really a little more complicated than this, but there's a level of CYA in this process.

Alternatively, consider first contacting a general contractor. Have them meet you and tell them about your project...they should be able to give a guesstimate of costs. Ask for references and where you could see some of his completed projects After all, why hire a 'registered professional', until you have an idea of the costs and if they meet your budget. And you might ask the contractor if he knows of anyone who can prepare the plans. Most remodeling/addition contractors know people like architects and designers that are familiar with local codes and specialize in smaller projects. Let him hire that person and it will be a line item in his estimate.

Or, hire me. I would be happy to fly out from California and take care of your project! Good luck with your garage...wish I had space for a two car garage addition...

 

[jdsac]

With respect to your trade, he doesn't need an architect. Unless there is more to it such as earthquake stuff, it's a simple stick built garage. In the original post he indicated he knew people in the trades and was going to act as his own gc. Studs on 16" centers, rafters on 24" centers and plenty of span charts to size them off of. Depending on the siding used he may have to shear all/ part of it, but they would tell him what's needed on the plan review.
Get good framers that do it for a living & it should turn out fine, hold back some money until their part of the job has been inspected and signed off.

 

[jetnow1]

Unless your siding/exterior details are really funky, your general contractor should be able
to draw up something to meet the needs of the building dept. A list of sizes for the structural lumber and the footing details and most building depts. will sign off. I built my
garage 24 by 30 with nothing but the above and the building dept was fine with it, took longer to get the town engineer to sign off on the drainage plan as the lot was small and
I was only 6 feet from the side line. Most building dept's are reasonable, there are some that are not. Years age I had to install a window in a bathroom, took 4 days going to the
building dept to even get in to it as the building dept was fighting with the mayor over his budget and using complaints to justify his request.

 

[ideaprone]

We are looking at doing a home addition and a friend referred us to someone who draws up designs for a living but is not an architect. We anticipate paying around $400 instead of the potential $4,000 or more an architect would demand. We will take these plans to general contractors for bids. Maybe someone in your area provides the same type of service. (We are in the St. Louis, MO area.)

 

[johnnyradiant]

I would set-up a meeting at your local municipal jurisdiction and see what they require. Go in with a 'napkin' sketch and rough size of addition, and scope of other work and see what they require to make it work. Then you will have a better idea of what 'designers' or architects you should be looking for and what questions you need to ask of them. You should be able to find somebody that doesn't take you to the cleaners and gets your legal check boxes covered. If your fortunate just an accurate drafted set of plans will suffice.

 

[doyle4281]

Hello all, I ended up meeting with 2 architects about this job, and it seems like the rate is going to be $4-5K. This is for the garage and a front porch. This of course includes design, renditions, drawings, and on site support if needed. Now that I have this rate, I now think I should contact someone to get an estimate on the actual construction. My whole motivation behind hiring an architect was in effort to take the mental load off me and to save money from not hiring a GC. I could get a set a plans from the architect, hire the masons and framers, and avoid the cost of a GC.

When hiring a typical contractor/remodeler/GC, will they generally still want to use an architect or will they draft up plans?

 

[ez-duzit]

...my family is mostly retired contractors...the design and architecture portion is something I am not able to invest enough time and energy...

It seems as if you would greatly benefit from the services of both an architect and a general contractor. A man has to know his limitations.