i don't have much experience with this situation but i wouldn't ever recommend to "hand the dwgs off to the GC". that just reaks of bad idea. i believe that in most states anybody can design a house up to a certain square footage and build it. and i believe you can do so w/o an architect's stamp. i'm not sure about that last part though. however...i don't believe it is that difficult to get a registered architect to stamp the drawings for a certain fee if it is needed. basically, design the house, do aaaaaaallllllllllll those constuction drawings, and get a registeredd architect to check and stamp it. i think the kicker comes when you want to actually build it. getting permits and stuff. where i come from in order to have a permit to build you have to have licensed plumbers, electricians, etc. signatures on the set of construction documents as well.

this is basically my inexperienced take on the situation....but i think i am getting to the right idea.

Thanks a lot for the input, captain.

typically a stamp isn't required for a house unless it exceeds the maximum allowable square footage or height established in your jurisdiction. i doubt you'd have that problem. i suggest that you and your friend interview several GC's, find one that you like and you think you can work with, and who has a good reputation. bring them on-board to work with you and your firend to essentially do a design-build arrangement. it'll give you the ability to control the design while the GC can take responsibility for the constructability issues that i suspect you don't have much experience with. just be aware that sometimes the GC will try to buddy-up with the owner and squeeze the designer out of the loop - particularly during construction - so finding an ethical & responsive GC is critical in your situation.

most of all - be confident that you can do it. don't let anyone tell you otherwise, and don't walk away from it because of what you think you need to get the project done.

design geek-girl,

designing your friend's dream house is probably the quickest way to lose that friendship.

but if you are dead set on going ahead remember to treat it all as pure professional business.

be thorough on all aspects, not just design and drawings, but contracts, and specification.

when talking to your friend about the project, she is a client first, and a friend second.

doing work for friends is usually pretty tricky, as they tend to assume that you're doing them a 'favour' and as such like to forget all about that whole fee issue.

you are going to have to check your local codes/laws with the building dept. I am finishing a house (renovation) and we had to submit presentation drawings to an architectural review board, demo drawings, site survey, a progress set and before they do a final inspection we have to submit structural drawings. All of these had to be signed a sealed by an architect. Hopefully this is not the norm and this county is just a big looney bin because we had to put sprinklers in the house too.

aeaa,
where is that project? why is a stamp required?

about an hour north of NYC in a really well off area. I have no idea why they need a stamp. They require that everything is documented and signed and sealed. Our GC has done a certain amount of work through verbal or sketch and I have had to whip together certain details after the fact and get them signed/sealed so the inspector would approve the work which was already done and not fine us.

it is the only house I have ever worked on so I am hoping this is not the case for all homes. It seems a bit over the top.

Well, this project is going to be built in a strange little beach town in Queens. Just from observing the preexisting architecture, and I use the term loosely, I'm assuming they don't have an architectural review board. I also don't think that it will be hard to stay within the building codes, judging from the spit and glue mcmansions that are popping up out there.

As for GCs, I've had a little experience interviewing and working with them. There is one guy that I am planning on calling, that I don't mind working with.

And, alas, this isn't for the money, this is for the experience and a possible portfolio piece for when I apply for my MArch 1.

if that's in response to my post. i wasn't inferring that you screw you friend for every dollar that she has...

just be professional that's all.

i doubt you fully understand what you're getting into here...but goodluck all the same.

formanaught - When I said that I am not doing it for the money, I merely meant that I am not doing it for the money. It's all about learning the ropes. Not being an architect, and having never designed a house, I am sure there a lot of things that I haven't considered. But that's the reason why I am doing this in the first place. There will be little financial compensation, and that's ok with me. I wasn't suggesting that you would want me to bleed her of her last dime. Thanks for the well wishes all the same.

design geek-girl

You will be mixing business with pleasure which is not the best relationship to undertake on any project. To give yourself the best chance of success you will need somebody to advise and consult. This need not be a registered professional but can be someone with relevant construction experience.

Alternatively you can post your queries and blog on this forum.

I’ll help!

design it so it is buildable within your friend's budget. finalize all the big decisions ie; siting, foundation and construction system, program, coverage, building envelope and local building regulations as applicable.
follow local building dept. for which drawings are required and which information is needed for building permit. keep it simple and clear. think about; there is a freezing cold day for every indoor outdoor day, how you would furnish the space you have designed, don't try to design and detail everything, leave some room for on site adjustments. eliminate a lot of custom detailing. for every design decision, have one back-up. pick your battles well.
altough small, a good house is difficult to design and build. leave room for other people's input. establish what's important and don't comprimise these unless you must (remember back-up).
longer it takes to build, harder to keep your friendship.
for sure, have sombody with experience on your side.
good luck and be ready for heavy duty crash course in house design. consider yourself lucky to get one. a lot of people don't get a project this early.

Thanks BOTS for the offer. Be warned, I'll probably end up taking you up on that. ;)

And thanks OA for your advice, too. I have worked on a store design (gutted interior) that's actually still in progress with another friend... and we're still close. It's probably better for me to work with friends rather than regular clients, because, at least they've had time to get used to the fact that "I make the rules." :)

Besides, I have to grab this opportunity. No one else is going to make this offer to a 24 year old design student. I really lucked out on this one.

Hire someone that knows what they are doing to help you out. Good luck.

Try to talk to someone who has worked within the same municipality and see what their experience has been with whether or not they've needed a stamp.

The people who are telling you to start with your state code are right - to a point. But this is oversimplifying the issue, because while the majority of states do not require a stamp for single family residential projects of a certain square footage, the states also tend to give a lot of latitude to local code officials.
If the town building inspector decides that in his best judgement your project is of a complexity that you need a registered architect's or engineer's involvement then there's not usually much hope of getting around that.

My state building code allows not only single family residential, but multi-family up to 3 stories and 15 units, and commercial and light industrial space up to 15,000 square feet to be built with no stamp. But the reality of it is that some towns allow none of this without a stamp, while others pick and choose based on project type as well as who is designing it (i.e. seasoned developer/builder ok, architecture student designer not ok.)

On to another topic: what exactly do you mean by "I make the rules?" It's unlikely that you'll get much opportunity to design under slogan, except for very good friends and family!

One more comment: it is illegal for an architect to "just check and stamp" your construction drawings. An architect is forbidden from stamping anything on which he was not involved with and supervising the production of the construction documents. Sure, it happens - but occasionally it also gets architects fined and sometimes gets their registrations revoked.

haha, Ormolu. It's only a joke. I do have a strong personality, and was the only one in my current office (not design related) who could "handle" the contractors. But, by no means, am I a brat or a tyrant.

thanks for the warning about the "check and stamp."

Dg-g,
Did you mention you're building in a beach town in Queens, as in the borough of Queens? Or do you mean a beach town on Long Island just outside of Queens? If you're working in Queens, I believe you'd be working under the jurisdiction of the New York City Building Code, not the state code. I think the NYC code supersedes or supplements the state code within the borders of the City, including the boroughs (unless, I think, the project is on state-owned land within the city, such as MTA property).

So, to find out if there is a maximum square footage up to which a non-licensed designer can design a house, I would start by looking in the NYC code.

It sounds like an exciting project for you! I say go for it, but make sure you have a lifeline.

It is in the borough of Queens. And I did figure that it would follow NYC codes. I don't know how closely they monitor things out there though. It's almost like Copland. Thanks for the heads up though!

GET A RETAINER BEFORE YOU START!

Also have a written contract - even for the schematic phase - that has a clause limiting your liability to your professional fees (meaning they can't sue you for any more than they paid you) and another clause requiring mediation before any binding and/or adjudicated dispute resolution.

says formanaught-

"i doubt you fully understand what you're getting into here...but goodluck all the same."

not to offend but to be quite honest...non-architects have been designing houses for centuries...mostly merely functional shelters but houses all the same. who's to say a person involved in the design profession, which actually comcentrates a good bit on spatiality, could not design a house. sure there is a lot more that goes into designing a house than spatiality...but that never stopped anybody else. did it?

Less than 5% of single-family homes in the US are designed by architects.

Ormolu is right... a contract saves you in the early stages from wasting your time...

so many clients have run away once i but out the contract documents

ha ha ha

captain EO,

i did not question design geek-girl's ability to design the house. it was the other 95% of the work required to realise the project I was refering to when i said, "i doubt you fully understand what you're getting into here

design geek-girl

here's a couple things i learned from doing the folks house that may help:

get as honest of a contractor as you can. bring them in as early in the process as possible, and make sure they are comfortable with all the details.

if you can't be at the site often during construction, or do not have a strong knowledge of construction, do not have your friend sign a cost plus contract with the GC, no matter how honest they seem. Have them bid the project, and stick to that bid.

minimize custom details.

unless you have some structural engineer friends that can check things for you, don't try to push the structural limits of materials.

leave a lot of tolerance in your details.

make sure you have a good understanding of framing (window headders, bracing, etc.)

try to convince your friend that if she's not paying you, then don't rush the design process. try to have as much figured out as possible before construction starts.

don't build during the winter. OA is right, the quality of your friendship will be directly proportional to the length of the construction schedule.

its a difficult subject to broach, but if you can get a contract it would be great.

otherwise, keep it simple and have fun. noone is expecting the mobius house on your first go.

Thanks, everyone, for the insights and encouragement.

I do know a little bit more about construction and strength of materials... and physics in general... than the average interiors student, which is the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart with fear. That, and my blissful ignorance, I suppose.

I'm sure I'll be back here begging for more advice as soon as the design process gets under way.

hi design geek-girl

an old teacher once told me that architecture is all about common sense..........just have fun, generate concepts and aesthetics with your friend, the architect will eventually be able to tell you how to build whatever you design.....remember in this day'n'age anything is buildable........just follow your instict.........also is good to make scale models, when you make the model, you will understand some of the behaviours of the materials etc. to me it sounds like such a fun project to do. great luck to you !!!