All Forum Posts by: Eric Teran

@Brian Allen, I have a friend who I used to work with when I lived in Sunny Southern California who now has his own Design Firm. His name is Derek Wolf and his website is  Wolf Design Studio. I'm sure he would be happy to speak to you about your project.  

I, on the other hand, think they are a little high. If it is only for Architecture. Does it include MEP or Title 24? I never do my fees off the cost of construction. It does not make sense. Finishes can vary greatly on the final cost and sometimes homeowners can't make up their mind until the end. A few times the project keeps growing and what was once a $200k job is now a $500k job. If this was a commercial project that would be different because everything is decided in advance. However, I do consider it a factor but not my main one. I figure out what it will take to get a project approved. 

Are there any Planning Commission hearing, Coastal Review Board, City Council, Neighborhood meetings (are the neighbors receptive to the design), etc.? Will there be a Zoning department submission and then the building department submission? Is the project with a homeowner who will live there forever or a developer looking to flip the property. The same exact property with two different clients can be completely different. One can take 100 hours to complete and the other 250 hours. Additionally, a 500 SF addition can be just as complicated as a 3,000 SF new house depending on where it is located and the client. 

Also, a developer might have a team in place to build so the construction set does not have to be as detailed as they have already done numerous homes in the same style. A newbie with no team in place I have to provide a lot more architectural details so that there are no questions down the line so that I don't get sued. Another factor is how fast do they want the project to get permitted. I am going charge more if the new client wants to jump in front of my other clients. How badly do I need or want the job? 

This is why I don't use the construction budget as my estimate for my fees. It doesn't tell the entire story of what an Architect will do for a client to get a permit. Remember we are taking residential here and not commercial. 

@Curtis Lancaster II don't underestimate site work and foundation. Depending on zoning you might need a lot of parking so you might have to build a basement. If that is the case you will need a lot of site work. If you are adding a lot of units you are adding an increase in the demand for water so you will need to resize the water laterals from the main. Site work is scary when getting into bigger projects. The good thing is that all the site work is done simultaneously with the prefabricated units so no time is wasted. 

@Shadonna N. I built my home from modular construction in 2017 and it only took 4 months to build. In regards to time, you will save at least half. In regards to money it depends. The more you build in the factory the cheaper it will be. However, not all modular companies have attractive finishes. We installed almost all of our finishes on site. I later learned that a lot of those finishes I used on site could have been done in the factory with similar materials. I know some people don't think you save lots of money but you will save some and you will definitely build faster. With that said it only makes sense to do modular if it is big enough. For a small 300 SF addition, you will not save any money and it might even cost more. For your garage modular would be out of the questions. Same goes with panels if you are keeping it as a garage. The panels are great because the insulation comes installed with conduits to pass electrical site. Once again for a small project, it might not make sense to use SIPS. If you want I can forward you the contact of the SIP and Modular company I have used on a few projects. They are both located in Pennsylvania. For what @Curtis Lancaster II what to accomplish modular construction definitely makes sense!

@Russell Brazil is right that in-law suites in Northern Virginia are harder to find than in DC. That is why you hold and maybe with the opportunity for rental income from Amazon or other companies the locals might ask for a zoning change. This would be minor compared to asking for the area to be rezoned for townhomes. What makes it an in-law suite or second unit is the kitchen. You can have a small sink, an under counter refrigerator, microwave and even washer/dryer in a basement unit but once you add a normal size kitchen sink, refrigerator and stove/oven is when it becomes illegal. That is when it becomes an official second unit and then there are many other concerns like fire separation and access. 

@Sergio Santos you can definitely do an extension (depending on lot size, setbacks, FAR and so on) to maximize the floor area. Perhaps you rent out rooms rather than the entire house. No idea if it would make you more money but it might be more of a pain. If you want PM the address and I can look into it a little. At least tell you exactly what you can build. Arlington has a good website that has all that information online. From there you would want to hire an Architect or maybe land attorney. If you have time go to the Department of Zoning in Arlington and just ask. Most cities are very nice to homeowners, especially if you are a rookie. The only problem is that you have to ask the right questions to get the right answers. Here is a  blog post I wrote on Bigger Pockets a year ago with a bunch of questions to ask the various city departments before starting a project.

@Curtis Lancaster II you can build shipping container projects in DC as long as you follow the building code. Here is an  example of a project in DC. If you want a really cool example check out this  apartment complex they just build South Africa. It can be done. The question is, is it worth it? Once they are placed there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I would rather use SIPS (Structurally Insulated Panels) or modular prefab construction. SIPS will be more expensive but it saves time and has great insulating values. Modular construction saves time and money if done properly. The reason I would go with modular construction over shipping containers is that you can have almost all of it built in a factory. That includes plumbing, electrical, flooring, cabinets and so on. In a shipping container, you would still have to do this on site. Also, in this area, there are more crews used to building modular construction than shipping containers. 

@Sergio Santos I am an architect in the area and you will not be able to build this in the current zone. You have about a .01% chance of getting these properties rezoned. I just went through this with another client in Alexandria near Crystal City. Arlington is just as hard.

For a property to have a chance at being rezoned you have to either show hardship or that the community would benefit from this. You can’t show either one and your neighbors will come out in full force against you.

With that said if you can get both lots then go for it and hold on to them in case the city changes the zoning areas. Perhaps you don’t build a 4-plex but they might allow in-law suites and that would give you essentially 4 units on two lots. It would also be a lot cheaper than trying to build what you showed. To build around here is around $200 SF unless you have a relationship with a GC. Then you might be able to do $150 SF but that depends on finishes.

John Vandivier have you verified that your property is allowed to have a four plex? There are a lot of questions that need to be asked with the zoning department. There might be a design build firm in the area but usually they do smaller residential project. If not you have to go the traditional route of hiring an Architect and then a GC. The GC that helped me build my house in Alexandria is pretty good. I have referenced him to two of my other projects I designed and the clients are happy so far. If the zoning code is online I can do a quick review to see what you can build. Just PM me the address. Good luck.

I built my modular home a year ago and it is worth it. I wrote a BP blog on why modular is great. Here is the link, https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/9522/68289-i-love-modular-construction-and-so-should-you With that said Remember that $50 SF is only for the modular portion of the home. You final cost will be around $100 and maybe more if you hire a GC. Additional expenses 1. Permits 2. Profesional like and engineer or maybe an architect. Surveyor, civil engineer. 3. Site work which is maybe you have to build a sidewalk in front of your lot or a driveway or any landscaping, etc. 4. Utilities. hook up from the water meter to your house, electrical, sewer or septic and gas. This can get expensive. 5. Do you want a basement? 6. All the foundation and footings. 7. Temp equipment like a dumpster or toilet or tools from Home Depot. 8. Will your lot fit a stock modular plan or are there customized portion that an architect has to get involved? If you read the modular blog post I linked above you can find another post I did regarding zoning and everything you should ask for a lot or new building. 9. What level of finishes are you choosing? 10. Are you going act as the GC or will you hire a GC. This adds a lot. Usually 10%. So $50 SF becomes more like $100 SF. Don’t let all of this scare you but there is a lot that goes into building a new house on a vacant lot. The key to building in lots is finding a cheap piece of land in a good neighborhood. Hope that helps.

Hi Loretta Gray I would be interested as well. Thanks.