Need Advice: Drawings for Permit

[Eric Benzenhoefer]

Howdy All,

I have an 11 Plex rehab project near Houston that you can read about here.

We could use some advice.

We are struggling to find an affordable solution to getting the drawings needed for our permit. Here is what I mean.

We can get good rehab-prices on the plumbing and electrical work, but often these contractors are not able or willing to do the drawings needed for the permit.

We have found contractors who will do the drawings, but they are also busy with new construction and retail remodeling. This results in a much higher price tag and we cannot afford to spend $3000-$5000 on drawings for a rehab.

It seems like we are in the middle of two well developed markets. Would someone like to advise us on where you would go from here?

[J Scott]

What is required for the drawings by your jurisdiction? Is it mostly cosmetic work, so the drawings just need to be to scale with the appropriate indications of what is being done (i.e., nothing structural and no engineering needed)? Or do you need engineered drawings that will require a engineering stamp?

If it's the first, you can probably do much of the work yourself and/or find an architectural student at a local college or a freelance draftsman to make it "pretty." When we do non-structural rehabs, we often just map out the space(s) in a cheap room planner application, then overlay the description of the work being done.

Obviously if you need engineering stamps or if your permit office requires detailed electrical or plumbing drawings, that's something you can't do yourself. Without knowing the scope of the project, there's no way to know if $3000-5000 is reasonable or not.