Just wow... Very sad.

[SgtHawkUSMC]

I contacted my local building department to file for a building permit. In the email I asked if I would need an architect to draw the plans. I got a phone call back from a girl asking what an "Arch e tect" was. I asked, "Architect?" "Ya, what is that?"

Sooo… I think it would be helpful to have good architectural drawings anyway. What do you guys do, just cold call architects and hope for the best or is there a better method?
I have what I've been doing with on-line software, but I'd like something a little more polished and official for the warm and fuzzy and to stop anymore delays.
Nothing too fancy. 40'Wx50'L Gambrel with 1/2 the upstairs for storage/whatever and the other 1/2 open from the ground to the roof. Three 10'x10' doors and one 36"x80" standard side door centered on the left side. Regular foundation w/ frost walls and 8" above the floor all the way around. Frost walls aren't necessary here in S.VA, but I have a little bit of a grade that I'm dealing with.


Thanks.

 

[930dreamer]

Wow, good help is hard to find.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Architectural drawings maynot be a necessity for the AHJ (based on your phone call); however, I would definitely have a polished set of "building plans" for the contractor you hire to do the actual building. Why? That is your backup/firewall if things go south.

The drawings are your protection with an agreed upon price- if something isn't done according to plan, the plan(s) are your backup.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Architectural drawings maynot be a necessity for the AHJ (based on your phone call); however, I would definitely have a polished set of "building plans" for the contractor you hire to do the actual building. Why? That is your backup/firewall if things go south.

The drawings are your protection with an agreed upon price- if something isn't done according to plan, the plan(s) are your backup.

Definitely agree with you if I was going the builder route. I should have mentioned that I'm building it myself. I'm only having the foundation poured.

 

[DwightS]

I would look for a design-build contractor. Most of them have the knowledge and the contacts to get your build up. Assuming that you wanted someone else to build it.

With grading and the open spans, a structural engineer is probably going to be needed.

 

[58Yeoman]

She's probably a real cutie. Or, the bosses daughter?

 

[vavet]

If this is for a project in VA, I can give you the name and number of the guy who drew the plans for our house a few years ago. He's in the Richmond area. No idea as to the cost because the contractor covered it with the cost of the house.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

I would look for a design-build contractor. Most of them have the knowledge and the contacts to get your build up. Assuming that you wanted someone else to build it.

With grading and the open spans, a structural engineer is probably going to be needed.

Sorry, I wasn't clear initially. I'm building it.

She's probably a real cutie. Or, the bosses daughter?

Sure didn't sound it. Hopefully you're right because all I could think of is how much of an idiot the person was that hired her.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

If this is for a project in VA, I can give you the name and number of the guy who drew the plans for our house a few years ago. He's in the Richmond area. No idea as to the cost because the contractor covered it with the cost of the house.

That would be great if you were happy with how it turned out. I'm 45 min east of Richmond. Please PM me.

 

[ford33]

A set of drawings would save you from the contractor building it the way he wants and not your way.

You should call the building department manager and let them know you received that phone call from a staff member asking about an architect. They need to know the level of competence of their staff. You don't need to be rude. A friendly statement and "just thought you should know".

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

A set of drawings would save you from the contractor building it the way he wants and not your way.

You should call the building department manager and let them know you received that phone call from a staff member asking about an architect. They need to know the level of competence of their staff. You don't need to be rude. A friendly statement and "just thought you should know".

Thanks, but I'm the builder. Yes, I plan on going directly to the Building Inspector himself going forward. I don't deal well with "dumb".

 

[kj_mustang]

My house plans were drawn by a experienced draftsman. No issues getting them approved by my VA county officials and having it built by contractor of my choice.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Are you using attic trusses or stick framing it? The inclusion of a trusses usually includes drawings which would be pretty revealing to an inquisitive inspector as the rest sounds very straight forward.

FWIW, I submitted my shed application and they only wanted to know the construction cost (to establish the permit fee) and a rough description, that it won't be heated, plumbed, insulated, wired or finished probably made things a bit easier.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Are you using attic trusses or stick framing it? The inclusion of a trusses usually includes drawings which would be pretty revealing to an inquisitive inspector as the rest sounds very straight forward.

I was going back and forth on that. I think I've settled on stick framing.

 

[laser3kw]

I contacted my local building department to file for a building permit. In the email I asked if I would need an architect to draw the plans. I got a phone call back from a girl asking what an "Arch e tect" was. I asked, "Architect?" "Ya, what is that?"

Was her smart phone off? normally, they "just Google it"

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Was her smart phone off? normally, they "just Google it"

Probably forgot how to work it...

 

[Innovate1]

Sorry, I wasn't clear initially. I'm building it.

If you are doing the work then I would think your own plans/notes would suffice. If you are hiring subs for even parts of it then real plans would help. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "I'm building it."

Finding someone that can do plans with the right amount of detail can be a real **** shoot. And good ones are often expensive at least in my experience. Nothing beats the recommendation of someone that has used them.

 

[Innovate1]

I did my own with LibreCAD, a free cad package but they are really simple - just a simple floor plan and single wall cross section. Not really plans by most standards but enough for the local AHJ. You could do real plans in it but guessing you don't want to do that yourself.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Lot's of questions just answered. Thankfully the inspector just got back to me. Good guy and easy to talk to. The girl was new of course... So an architect isn't necessary, but some details of how the walls and roof will be built will need to be written up. No problem. And away we go... I still might have an architect draw something up for me to go by if it's not too outrageous in cost.
I have "Chief Architect" that I'm playing with. I might just finish what I've been doing with that and see how it turns out first.

 

[matt_i]

I had an experience not worth detailing with my bldg department causing me a couple days of frustration but my takeaway was that there was a soundproof drywall separating the reception/front desk from the inspectors because they didn't like each other and avoided all face-to-face conversations.

 

[Samh]

She's probably a real cutie. Or, the bosses daughter?

Sure didn't sound it. Hopefully you're right because all I could think of is how much of an idiot the person was that hired her.

Take my advice. Never go off of sound. Was talking to a girl one time over the phone. Had a great voice, agreed to meet her when she came in town. Told her to meet at the McDonalds, she tells me what she'll be wearing. I walk in and see her, and she looks just like Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture show. I just walk up to the counter, and order my food.....To go..... Unfortunately, someone I know happens to walk in and yells my name.......Anyway, never go off of their voice.

 

[slackdaddy1]

I built my house (in MD) 15 years ago.
Over a course of a year, I developed a rough drawings of what I wanted.
Spent a few evenings drawing them out better (all on 8.5 x 11 paper) to take to an Architect to get "real drawings" made up.
I was an accomplished framer and handing with a drafting pencil.
The "Architect" was slightly clueless on the structural concepts of complex residential wood framing, and wanted 3-5K to draw my plans up,, I already had detailed floor plan, framing and roof plans.
I ended up drawing them up myself on 8.5 x 11 graph paper, took about 40 hours of my time, building dept had no problem with them.

 

[joe--h]

Something like this?

Barnplans.com

 

[yeldogt]

The reason for an architect is for value added design ... Often, people have an idea what they want -- but, you don't know what you don't know.

There is nothing like working with a great architect .. and then building/ living in the space.

An out building or utility building is somewhat different .. the goal is to get the utility you want w/o impacting the property. Plopping a big pole barn 300 yards from the main house is not the same as doing so 25 feet away and not complementing the main structure.


When I built my log cabin years ago -- I happened on one that was perfect and had a copy built. That was the only project w/o an architect ....

 

[NUTTSGT]

Lot's of questions just answered. Thankfully the inspector just got back to me. Good guy and easy to talk to. The girl was new of course... So an architect isn't necessary, but some details of how the walls and roof will be built will need to be written up. No problem. And away we go... I still might have an architect draw something up for me to go by if it's not too outrageous in cost.
I have "Chief Architect" that I'm playing with. I might just finish what I've been doing with that and see how it turns out first.

She was probably hired as office help. Hopefully she can do the regular office tasks and learn on the fly with the rest.

On the bright side, give her the credit of at least calling you back and asking the question rather than just deleting the email. Maybe you could be the nice guy, find her one of the books from Time Life about renovations/home improvements and give it to her. Tell her to put it on her desk and use it as a reference for the future.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Don't mean to be snarky, but working in the building permits department, if you don't know what an architect is...

Well, anyway, hope she learns fast. If it was her first or second day I could understand not knowing (I guess), tho if not...

 

[andyvh1959]

Proof that these days you don't have to know the market to operate in the market? Sad.

Menards.com has a garage design plan feature on the webpage to assist in planning and designing a garage. In my case, I loaded all the parameters like square footage, wall height, door openings, roof pitch, etc, etc and the program developed the design drawing and bill of materials. I presented that ten page file to the city of Green Bay for my permit, and a week later I was approved and told the fees for the permits, construction and electrical. I never even had to go to city hall to get the permits, did it all on line while I was out of state for work. Paid the permit fees via Paypal, I got home a week later and the permit was in the mail.

 

[James-W]

The lumberyard where I purchased the building materials for my garage had an architect that drew up the plans for free. Well, for free as long as you buy the building materials from them. The city building department was well pleased with the plans and it was relatively simple to get them approved. I would check around to see if a local lumberyard has someone on staff who can draw up the plans for you.

 

[James-W]

Don't mean to be snarky, but working in the building permits department, if you don't know what an architect is...

Well, anyway, hope she learns fast. If it was her first or second day I could understand not knowing (I guess), tho if not...

Like you, I don't mean to be a jerk to the young woman, but I am going to say this anyway. Even if it were her first day at this job, or even her 10 minutes of her first day on the job, knowing what an architect is would not be something only a person working in the building department should know. I would think that anyone with a 6th grade education would know what an architect does. It does make you wonder how she got the job.

 

[MushCreek]

This thread is useless without pictures of the girl.

+1 on barnplans.com. Very affordable plans. I think the widest they offer is 36', but you can make it as long as you want. I built a 28X48 to their plans.

 

[laser3kw]

This thread is useless without pictures of the girl.

+1 on barnplans.com. Very affordable plans. I think the widest they offer is 36', but you can make it as long as you want. I built a 28X48 to their plans.

LOL - I'm surprised it took this long to get there! Maybe we are maturing....

 

[TinyGarage]

Location: Virginia

Checks out

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Some great comments guys. Thanks for the responses. No, you can't pin looks on a voice. There are plenty of women who have an amazing and **** voice, but a body for ********* lines...
I wasn't mean to her in any way, but I also wasn't going to waste my time talking to her. I agree with the sixth grade education knowing what an architect is. My 8 yo 2nd grader knows what it is as well as how to pronounce and spell it...
I've scoured the web for premade plans, but there aren't any for a stick built, close to 40'x50' Gambrell that I could find. Most are 30' wide or less. I shot off a couple of messages and we'll see what comes back.
The below pics are of our house in Mass. before we sold it last year. This is the garage that I want, but bigger. I think it will go well with our new/old home. This one is 26'x30'. I'm going for 40'x50'. It's a relatively easy structure to build.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Started a new thread for the on-line architect question...

 

[gearhead1]

When I built mine, I bought a code book. You can hand draw the plans. They just want it to meet code. The code says how many anchors in the bottom plate you need, blocking must be used for the edge of sheathing if it’s over 8’, etc. The code book will have most of what you need in terms of the basic mandatory specifications.

I paid a civil engineering firm to have the concrete plan engineered, the LVLs above the big doors, and the walls. Since I have 12’ tall walls, they specified 2x6 studs. The truss company engineered the trusses. Code says things like the sheathing has to be nailed every 6” on the perimeter and every 12” within the sheet. So on that part, just put ‘per code’. I had no problems.

 

[cvairwerks]

Check the ag extension websites for rural type universities. The often have lots of ag type building plans available. I looked at one that had gambrel trusses to 60’. Will see if I can find it again when I get home from work this morning.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Thanks guys. The code book is a great idea. I'm going with 12' walls also for a lift etc. I was planning on going with 2x6 studs and engineered floor joists for the second floor.
I decided I'm going with an on-line architect. For $750 he's going to design the whole thing out for me and send me all the blueprints etc. It's a little overkill for what I'm doing, but it will help.

 

[yeldogt]

Some great comments guys. Thanks for the responses. No, you can't pin looks on a voice. There are plenty of women who have an amazing and **** voice, but a body for ********* lines...
I wasn't mean to her in any way, but I also wasn't going to waste my time talking to her. I agree with the sixth grade education knowing what an architect is. My 8 yo 2nd grader knows what it is as well as how to pronounce and spell it...
I've scoured the web for premade plans, but there aren't any for a stick built, close to 40'x50' Gambrell that I could find. Most are 30' wide or less. I shot off a couple of messages and we'll see what comes back.
The below pics are of our house in Mass. before we sold it last year. This is the garage that I want, but bigger. I think it will go well with our new/old home. This one is 26'x30'. I'm going for 40'x50'. It's a relatively easy structure to build.

Not to be overly critical .. but, that garage does not go with the house. It's a distraction ....

People use the word "architect" .... but off times what they want are plans.

 

[SgtHawkUSMC]

Not to be overly critical .. but, that garage does not go with the house. It's a distraction ....

People use the word "architect" .... but off times what they want are plans.

I appreciate your opinion, but that's the first time I've heard that in the 37 years that we owned it. I always liked the look and think it will go well with our new house. Built in 1730.

 

[Showkey]

You might consider the permit clerks are just as sarcastic as us in the GJ.

There’s likely a permit check list ( on line and hanging on the wall) of all the requirements for the applicant to provide.

She might get this architect question 30 time per day from every “country bumpkin puttin up his garage” on the cheap.
Submit your paper work..........you might just get a BIG RED reject stamp with copy of the requirements.........from the know nothing clerk ???????

Just saying.........