Before: Before I meet with you, you will need to have an idea of what you would like in your house, and what you want it to look like. The more you know what you want, the easier the design process will be. You can have a hand sketch of where you want your rooms and areas. Or you can have example plans that you like, or parts of plans, and we can discuss the changes that you would like to make. (Note: If you find plans online we will need to change the plans substantially so we don't infringe on copy write.) You will also need to know what you want the exterior to look like. Pictures of what you like are great, or a hand sketch of the style you like. If you have it, I will also need an official plat map of your lot to make sure your house will fit on the lot. Before our first meeting I will send you a document of questions that you can go through to help you to decide what you want, and to know what we will discuss during our meeting.
During: We will have a meeting to discuss what you want. I will then draft up your house layout including rooms, areas, square footage and rough details and send it to you for approval. I will also check to make sure your house will fit on the lot. Once you have made any changes and approved the layout I will add the finer details including doors, windows, dimensions, appliances etc. and send it to you again for approval. Once you have approved the final floor plans I will draft up the elevations. (Side views) When you have approved the elevations your architectural plans will be complete. After that I can do a site plan for you which shows your lot and where your house sits on the lot with appropriate setbacks and other details. I can also do a ResCheck (Energy Effeciency Check) to make sure your house is within the code limits for energy use. You will need both a site plan and a ResCheck to get a building permit. I can also provide you with a 3D rendering, which shows what your house will actually look like. I can also take you through a virtual walk through to see your house as you would actually see it before it is actually built.
After: You will need to take the Architectural plans that I have provided you to a Structural Engineer. I will provide you with the AutoCAD file that I have designed your house on and they will use that to make you a set of stamped structural plans. Structural plans include beam sizes, foundation sizes, floor joist layouts, truss layouts, building details etc. Depending on the county regulations you may also need a geotechnical report (soils report of your property). Then you will take the architectural plans, structural plans, site plan, ResCheck, building permit application and other needed items to the county to receive your building permit. You can find the needed items on your county website.