How to Hire a Designer
Home plans are not like buying a box of laundry soap. With soap you can shop around from store to store checking prices and finally pick it up from whoever has the lowest price, always knowing you are getting the same product. Unfortunately "Home Plans" mean a lot of different things in the industry and people often simply phone around asking for prices from Draftsmen, Designers, and Architects.
Most people will put a lot of time and research into selecting just the right builder for their project, but often spend little time selecting the designer who will produce the Architectural, Electrical, and often Structural plans that the builder will be following. These plans are used for Tendering or Costing out the construction, getting numerous Permits and Municipal Zoning, foundation sizes and layouts, construction details, designing trusses, kitchen layouts, and interior design. Every aspect of the construction process.
Find out how much experience the company has, how long have they been in the business, do they belong to any professional associations, what equipment do they use? A poorly designed set of plans may have problems with Building Code and may cost more to build with. Do not shop on price alone. Find out what is included in a set of plans. Remember, outside of Stock Plans, "Home Plans" are a service, not a product (this is why we don't charge provincial sales tax on Custom Designs).
Besides the Drafting and Design, how much conceptual work is included, how much presentation to you is done so you understand the home, are calls and questions accepted from your contractor or sub-trades, how much help is offered after the plans leave the office? Remember, some "Home Plan" packages are intended to compete with Stock Plans so may not offer any of the services above. Consequently their pricing will reflect that, as do our Stock Plans.
ProCad Designs offers a range of packages from Stock Plans to full Custom Design. This is why we encourage people to come in and visit us, and tell us about their project with a free initial consultation. From that point we can give you a quotation, based on where you are building and what style of home you are building.
Please contact us for more information or an appointment. Please also feel free to e-mail us with any information you might require.