Q. How much will it cost us to build a new house?
A. New residential construction averages $82 to $118 per square foot for a basic 3 or 4-bedroom, 2-bath, 2-car garage house in the Puget Sound area. This does not include the price of a building lot, permits, plans, getting utilities installed, other site development costs, or state sales taxes on material and services you buy. It also does not include a general contractor’s average markup of 26% to 32% on the total construction cost to pay for his/her business overhead and profit.
Q. How long does it take to have a house built?
A. For an average sized house, 2200 square feet plus 2-car garage, the minimum is about 6 months from pouring the foundation to occupancy. Average time is 9 to 11 months. Owner-builders should expect 12 to 16 months.
Q. We need more room, maybe another bedroom and an extra bath. How much will it cost?
A. Additions run $110 to $160 per square foot on average for the space plus another $15,000 or so to outfit a full bathroom with fixtures, cabinets, countertops, tile tub surrounds, etc.
Q. We’ve purchased a piece of land and want to build a new house. Where do we start?
A. If you’ve already bought property, you must first find out with absolute certainty what you can do with it. Not all land for sale can actually be built on. There’s a big difference between a “lot”, a “buildable lot”, and a "legal lot". Zoning codes, seismic codes or other legal restrictions may substantially affect what or if you can build on your property.
Q. Where do I get information on building a house on land I want to buy?
A. First contact the local Building Authority (usually the City or County where the property is located) and ask what zoning, building, shoreline management, or other codes apply to your use of the property and if it is a "Legal Lot". If sewers are not available, your next questions should be to the local Health Department (County) about the land’s “perc-ability” to find out if, and what type of, a septic system (on-site waste disposal system) can be installed at that location.
Q. What permits do I need to add a bathroom?
A. At minimum, you will need a building permit (for the structure), plumbing (for the piping and fixtures), mechanical (for the exhaust fans, venting and heating) and electrical (for the wiring and lighting) permits. You may also need a septic system alteration permit if your home is not on sewer.
Q. How big of an addition can I get for $50,000?
A. At a median cost of $134 per square foot, that’s 373 square feet. Think of one room 24 feet by 16 feet, or 2 bedrooms about 12 feet by 16 feet each.
Q. Do I need to have my property surveyed before I can build on it?
A. Possibly. If your property lines are fairly well defined and the land is mostly level, a full survey may not be needed. You will need a site plan showing property lines, dimensions, locations of existing structures and utilities including septic systems. If you’re not certain where your property lines are, if your lot is other than flat, is irregularly shaped, or is very large, you likely will need a full survey.
Q. Do I need plans drawn up just to enclose my carport?
A. Yes. You must get at least a building permit anytime you are enclosing a space—for any reason To get a building permit you must submit properly drawn plans.
Q. Who can I get to draw up plans for my new garage?
A. You or anyone you choose can draw up your plans. You can do it yourself. You can hire a building designer. You can hire a full-service architectural/engineering firm. To help you decide, ask your local Building Authority if “structural calculations” must be submitted with your building permit application for a garage. If so, you need to have your plans reviewed and stamped by a licensed architect or engineer.
Q. What do you charge to make drawings for a new house?
A. Design fees average 2-1/2% to 10% of the construction cost of the project for a single-family home with basic details. For example, if you’re planning a 2200 square foot house plus 600 square feet of garage, a total of 2800 square feet and the estimated construction cost is $124 per square foot, that’s a construction cost of $347,200. Plans should cost $8680 to $34,720. It just depends upon how intricate your intended design is and how many detailed drawings are required by your Building Authority.
Q. Why can’t I just go on the internet and buy stock plans from a plan company?
A. You can, but unfortunately you probably won’t be able to turn around and submit those stock plans for your building permit because they don’t come with structural calculations, an architect or engineer stamp, and many won’t comply with the variety of building, zoning, and other codes in effect in your area without substantial modifications. If you do find stock plans you really like on the internet or in a catalog, a good way to proceed is to purchase one plan set for your review, then make necessary revisions and have them re-drawn by a local designer or architect for your specific project.
Q. What’s the difference between a home designer and an architect?
A. Architects are licensed by the state. Designers are not.
Q. Do I need to hire a general contractor to put an addition on my house?
A. No. In the State of Washington, the property owner can legally do all or any part of any work on his/her own property at any time, subject to obtaining the required permits and inspections for the work. This is not so in most other states. The property owner also can be his/her own general contractor in Washington without getting a general contractor’s license.
Q. If I can be my own general contractor, why do I need a building consultant?
A. The role of the building consultant—from the design process through construction completion, is to serve the property owner as a source of information, referrals to reliable contractors/suppliers, accurate cost estimates, cost-cutting and time-saving ideas, and assistance in problem-solving. Even general contractors hire consultants to oversee projects for them. Hiring a conscientious building consultant to assist you throughout your project will save you money and time, and will likely save you from making costly mistakes during the job.
Q. Where do I find a good Electrician, Plumber, Roofer, and Framer?
A. You find good trades-people the same way you would find a good doctor, dentist, lawyer or auto mechanic. Ask your friends and neighbors who they’ve used in the past and what their experience was with the contractor. If you have hired a building consultant, you ask him or her to find and qualify contractors for you. Another good source is to go to a trade-specialty store. If you need a painter, go to a paint store (not the paint department of your big-box home center) and ask for painters they could recommend. If you need a plumber, go to a plumbing supply shop (again, not the big-box home center) and ask for referrals. For a roofer, call a roofing supply outfit. For a framer, call several building contractors in the area and ask who they use for their framing work. You may want to ask for a reference, based on a previously completed job.
Q. We want to do some of the work for our additional/remodel project. How much can we save?
A. If you do interior and exterior painting, 10 to 20%. If you install cabinets, countertops, and flooring, 15% to 25%. If you install siding and trim, light fixtures and plumbing fixtures, another 10% to 15%.
Q. I represent a condominium homeowner association and I don’t know the real condition of the building I live in, but I know the siding is falling off the outside. Can you help with condo problems?
A. Yes. One of our specialties is conducting building condition assessments, followed by managing correction operations. We’ve seen it all! If there’s something wrong with a structure, we will find it! We will determine how to fix it and compute an estimated cost of repairs. We will write job specifications, solicit bids from qualified contractors, and supervise the project on behalf of the property owner, making sure the job is done right. We also can conduct reserve studies and prepare financial reserve plans to make sure homeowner associations have the money on hand when needed to complete anticipated repairs.
Q. How is your company different from other building design firms?
A. There are many answers:
1. We are a small group of independent designers, consultants, architects, engineers and surveyors who offer the client “full service” by working together synchronously from beginning to end of a project. Most architectural or design firms offer only one or two types of service then send their customers elsewhere, for instance, for electrical engineering, landscape design, color consultation, etc.
2. We have no central office and, therefore, no high overhead costs so we can keep our fees low. Many architectural companies have offices located in high-rent districts and have high overhead costs they must pass along to the customer.
3. We often work with owner-builders through an entire project, from concept development, through permitting and construction, to project completion. Many design/architectural companies will not work with owner-builder clients.
4. We do not keep regular working hours of *9 to 5 Monday through Friday* as do most architects. We are usually available by phone or appointment anytime our clients need us!
5. Most architectural companies require that the customer come to their office. We don’t—we come to your home, or building site, or wherever we’re needed, by appointment.
6. We listen to the client—what he/she needs, wants, can afford—and provide a design-build program of services to suit the client’s needs. Most architectural firms only want to hear a customer’s basic ideas and then they design what they think the customer should have.
7. Many consultants get much of their income from “kick-backs” from material suppliers and contractors to whom they refer customers. We do not get a percentage from any suppliers or contractors for referring our clients to them. We never have. We never will.
Q. If have purchased plans from the internet can I get the engineering required by the building department and what is the fee?
A. We certianly provide these types of services and would be happy to provide a proposal for services.
A proposal of this type is dependent on exactly those tasks we need to perform, so of these tasks depend on a variety of issues, some of those are:
Where is the building to be located(permitting jurisdiction)
Complexity of the design you have chosen
Complexity of the site (property information otherwise required by the Building Department, sebacks, easements, grade differentials, existing conditions, height restrictions, etc)
Subgrade conditions (water table, soil bearing capacity, flood plane, etc)
How many drawings or details that may be required
A lot of plans come from Canada and meet Canadian building code requirements but may not meet local city, county, state code or sizemic requrements. Foundations are usually the bigest issue as they are not designed to meet your existing site conditions.
Generally, for a moderately complex structure without significant foundation nuances, or life safety issues resulting from complicated structural conditions, a reasonable estimate would be between $900 and $3,000 with $1,200 to $1,500 being the avarage.
We would need a copy of your documents, a county tax number, your address, enough information regarding your site to judge those issues, and may require a visit to your site before we are able produce a proposal.
Q. Will you talk with me about my project before I hire you, and how can you be reached?
A. We always provide an initial consultation free of charge. We need to get to know you and your project as much as you need to get to know us, before there can be a working relationship. Also, part of our business mission as professional building consultants, designers, architects and engineers is to help educate people about the process of design and construction.
Please go to the Contact Us page, We’d like to hear from you!