CUSTOM DESIGN FREQEUNTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Building a home is often one of the most important financial decisions in a lifetime. Having a drawing which outlines a specific scope of work is an instrument which you can show a contractor to get an idea of the price to determine whether it fits within your budget before proceeding to further steps.
No project is too small! Whether it be a kitchen/bath remodel, an addition or a new home, we value each our customers by listening to their specific needs and providing them with a detailed design service! Regardless of the project size, the Design drawings are beneficial to the owner so they have a detailed written scope of work to get rough estimates from.
There are various phases of drawings required depending on how far you decide to continue in the design process. The Schematic Design drawing is the first phase and typically takes a few weeks to complete. If during Price Discovery you determine that the drawing does falls within your budget and you are ready to approve the drawings, the Design Development phase and Construction Drawings/Engineering phase commences which can take several months to complete. Eventually, the Construction drawings are submitted for a building permit to your local municipality which can take a few weeks to a few months for them to review depending on their availability.
Yes! We love to be involved in our projects and see your dreams come to life! We provide bid and construction administration services with decades of experience that can be very beneficial to the owner during construction. We can review proposals for completeness and work with you or your contractor during construction. We provide virtual meetings / screen sharing sessions with your contractor to review the changes and make any revisions to the plans if necessary.
There is no such thing as a cost per square foot as each project has a unique set of parameters and is dependent on the level of finishes selected. It is only to be used as a guide but a new construction single family home in SE Florida usually averages around $200 per square foot and can be much higher. To assist you with collecting cost estimates, we have developed software which can get multiple quotes from specific trades that are relevant to your projects and provides you a cost average summary. When you sign up for our services you will get a plan room and access to this service at www.PrismBid.com. The link for your plan room account is located at the top portion of our website.
Yes! We love working with you on your finishes and can make great finish suggestions depending on your particular style including floors, cabinets and more! The more specific the information in the plans will yield you more accurate price from your contractor and less surprises later. You can purchase this service under our website located at (www.prismarch.com). Additionally, each our plans in our plan collection contains a full set of specifications already completed and if you wish to make changes, you can do so after purchasing the CAD version by clicking on the mentioned link.
Due to our licensing limitations, we are a licensed architectural firm only in the state of Florida and can provide a seal for projects only located in Florida. We do partner with other architects in other states and may be able to assist you. We do NOT sign and seal any work that is not physically created by us and is an illegal practice.
Lots of people will have an opinion on how to do something and attempt to deviate from the plans without our knowledge. This makes the project extremely cumbersome to manage as sometimes even a small change can affect many trades. Although we are definitely open to listening and working with your contractor in order to save money, you do not want to do ANYTHING unless you run it by us as we need to coordinate the information on the plans accurately. The plans are guide to the project and are the detailed written set of instructions of which construction contracts are based on! Deviating from the plans can cost excessive time delays and change orders. It is important to note that we are fully independent firm only working in your best interest to make your project successful and our decisions are not monetarily rewarded.
By federal law, the plans are an instrument of service, and the designs are copyrighted as a work of art and which fully owned by us. A link to the federal copyright code can be found here.
The schematic design services are the building block for the entire project that outlines the basic scope of work. The drawings consist of a existing/demolition plan if application, a proposed floor plan and an elevation designed by a professional architectural firm with decades of experience! Other online design services often lack any experience at all with real world applications and just provide a picture that usually doesn’t work.
STOCK PLANS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We would be happy to modify one of our plans to meet your specific needs! We ask that you print the floor plan and mark it up with your requested changes and email it to info@prismarch.com. Please include your name, telephone number, email address and location of where you will be building the house.
To pay for these modifications please select the Schematic Design services section on our website here (www.prismarch.com/product-category/services/) and enter the number of rooms. You must purchase the CAD version of the plan the plan first before any changes are made.
If you prefer to work with someone local, you can purchase the CAD file and have a local architect or engineer make minor modifications, however, Prism Architecture, LLC cannot be held responsible for any these changes.
Please note that changes made to any home plan are legally considered to be derivative works of the plan. As the owner of the copyright of the home plan, only the original designer is entitled to copyright the derivative works. Any attempt by others to claim copyright in derivative works would be a violation of federal copyright law.
The designs displayed on this website are intended to assist you in purchasing the right home and are not to be used as design ideas for others from which to work! All home plans are copyright protected just like movies and songs. These federal laws exist to protect the intellectual property of the original designer. The copyright protection covers the design of the home as well as the plan itself. Either the builder or the home owner must purchase the design if they wish to legally build that home or make any changes to the design. Penalties for violating a copyright can be severe.
Other than a study or marketing set, when you order a Construction Set for a selected house plan, the following drawings are included:
Floor Plan(s) (All floors dimensioned and noted, with plumbing fixture locations, cabinet locations, stairs, ceiling treatment profile, window and door sizes, locations of hose bibs, and special features outlined). Product approvals/engineered design pressures not included. For engineering services inquire here.
Exterior Elevations (exterior wall elevations noting materials, roof pitch/height, floor to floor heights, window/door header heights and molding/trim profiles if any).
Interior Elevations (interior elevations / sizes of cabinetry or other special features). Countertop selection, door hardware, flooring material, paint colors or furnishings not included but is available as a service on our website here (www.prismarch.com)
Roof/Floor Framing Plan (schematic geometric layout of roof in plan view with chimney locations, hips, gables, valleys, and ridges, noted roof material and pitch, dimensioned and noted location of floor assembly). Shop drawings or engineering drawings not included. Inquire for services here: www.prismarch.com/contact-us
Building and Wall Sections (detailed wall section(s) of typical walls with construction of floor types, wall assemble and roof projection notes)
Details (including but not limited to window and door anchorage details, truss bracing, stair section, and any other typical details but not including interior detailing details)
Foundation Plan (exterior geometry of foundation with rough plumbing locations, size and location of footings, dimensioned and noted). Note: These are NOT engineering drawings. Inquire for services here: www.prismarch.com/contact-us)
Electrical Plans (schematic layout of lighting fixtures with switching, duplex outlets, smoke detectors, cable, TV and data outlets). Because we are not familiar with your surroundings, electrical engineering is not included. Inquire for services here: www.prismarch.com/contact-us
Plumbing (plumbing riser showing location and size of all plumbing fixtures and size of drains)
HVAC Plan (size and location of all diffusers and returns. Energy calculations or unit specifications not included. Inquire for services here (www.prismarch.com/contact-us). Please include the model name/number of the plan.
Structural Engineering Note: We do provide a plan, however, the final structural foundation plan, walls and roof is to be provided by the structural engineer selected by your builder or yourself. This is done because our slab plan cannot anticipate the variations in soil, footings and other conditions per your specific site. We provide the design of the roof as well, however, the truss layouts need to be provided by a truss engineer or your lumber company. Your builder can provide these contacts for you. Please keep in mind that these are additional expenses outside of the cost of the original plan that you purchase from us.
CAD files are .dwg files from the AutoCAD program in which the house plan is created and are importable into professional CAD software programs. Purchasing the CAD files will allow your builder or engineer to make changes to the house plan. PDF files are viewable without special software and can be sent to your local printer to have hard copies of the blueprints made to distribute to your subcontractors, engineers, and permitting department. With the purchase of a set of CAD files from us, we include a complimentary set of PDF files as well
Because our house plans are copyrighted, they cannot be returned for credit or refund under any circumstances. We recommend you consult with your local builder and determine what you will need to build the home and to meet local building codes. Please make sure of your order before placing it. It is VERY important that you check the dimensions and building setbacks of your lot or land before selecting a home plan.
No. Whether you purchase a reproducible set or a CAD file, you can only build the plan one time at one location. If you are planning to build the home multiple times, you need to re-purchase a CAD file for each particular address.
No but they contain enough information that you hand to local architect or engineer to get sealed. Due to licensing restrictions in the state of Florida, we are only able to provide that service here, but we may be able to help and do occasionally partner with other engineers in various states. If you are interested, please inquire at info@prismarch.com.
