AboutRichard Taylor, AIA Expertise Ask me about all aspects of house, remodeling. , and room addition design and construction. Ask me about historic homes, renovation, and restoration. Ask me about materials and techniques, and about how you can get the best value for your design and construction dollar. Ask me how you can make your home a very special place. I can't, however, answer specific structural engineering questions in this forum - that's something you'll need on-site observation for.
Experience I own a five-person residential architectural firm, and have been designing custom homes, remodelings, and room additions across the country since 1983. Check us out at Richard Taylor Architects and RTA Plans. I have written and been published extensively on the subject of residential architecture. .
Organizations American Institute of Architects, City of Dublin Architectural Review Board, Past Editor of SPLASH (a CAD program), Past Editor of Open Directory Project, Boy Scouts of America
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Environmental Design (Architecture) Miami University 1983
For more about home design, check out my blog at Richard Taylor Architects Looking for great Luxury Home House Plans? Try ours at RTA Plans.
Question We want to add a 1st and 2nd floor to our exisiting older home we have lived in for 10 years. We found a contractor who will do the job but he needs the work drawn up by a draftsmen to get an approximate price before he starts the work. We don't know who to contact to do this and what it will cost us. We live in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Can you help us find someone that does this residential type work and an estimate of what it may cost? Our home is 1200Sq. Ft. , we are adding on an additional approximate 600 sq.ft.
Answer Hi Christine - thanks for your question!
If you know exactly what you want and don't need much advice in the way of design, then a draftsman is probably a good choice for you in this situation.
The quality of the work he/she does has a direct impact on the success of your project, so choose carefully. A draftsman will probably be much cheaper to hire than an Architect or residential designer, but a draftsman generally has a much more limited set of skills.
Generally, a draftsman (or "drafter", as is more PC these days) is someone who executes drawing work at the direction of an Architect or Engineer; any design or engineering skills they have are usually learned by osmosis, so to speak. When drafters freelance they sometimes find themselves in a little over their head.
I mention this because it's all too easy to mess up a good house with a badly designed addition (which can reduce the value) or underestimate the work needed to execute the project - and end up with more work in the field than you thought. Experience with remodeling is VERY important.
So you need to find a drafter with experience in house construction, especially in remodeling work. If you have to pay a little more to get someone with experience, it's worth it. Usually the best source for such folks is contractors - I'm surprised yours didn't have a recommendation. Try your local Building Industry Association (BIA) for references - you can find them at www.nahb.org. Another good source is local building supply companies (not Lowe's or HomeDepot, I mean lumberyards). They work with architectural drawings every day and know who does good work and who doesn't.
The American Institute of Building Designers (www.aibd.org) is also a source of lower-cost drafters and designers.
Be sure you and your drafter clearly spell out what he/she will do, how much it will cost, and what their responsibility/liability will be. A written contract is imperative.
Should you decide that you'd rather invest in an Architect, you can find them at www.aia.org. Be sure you ask for experience in remodeling - there are many that specialize in residential work.
Hope this helps!
Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtaplans.com
