My name is Beau and I'm a 4th year at the University of San Diego pursuing a BBA in Real Estate and a minor in Architecture.

Architectural drawings.

Here is a list of items to consider and most if not all of these items cost money:Land cost, zoning, city planning, due diligence items, civil engineering cost, architectural cost, marketing, attorney fees, construction cost and interest (carrying costs) on the loan.Don't get me wrong, there is a big reward at the end of the day if you do this right, and many people do.

I have a lot of respect for nice architecture and the feel of many art deco homes.

I studied Architecture in school, and always had a passion for real estate and architecture.

Would this be something I should consult with an architectural firm or would a good roofing company suffice?

Pop the top might be a more aggressive strategy than I'd want to take on for my personal residence and first property in Chicago but layout changes are no problem at all, my background and current job is in architecture & development so I'm pretty comfortable with major changes as long as the bank account likes them of course.I really appreciate all of these thoughts on my current rentals as far as making them more systematic... really need to sit down and flowchart it like you just said, great idea!

I went to Clemson for school (both undergrad and grad in architecture) and then took a job in New Orleans for about a year and a half.

My house 3B 1.5B, complete rebuild from the basement,construction company said the architecture will take 2 weeks, I will keep track to see the actual number of day to get this done in order to get permit & have the project moving.

They require bids from your contractor, which basically means that you need to have not only the design (architecture and engineering fees need to be paid upfront), but also foundation/excavation, permitting, utility pole, sewer connection, trenching, etc. all baked into your final number.Keep in mind that after the bid is in, any changes result in change fees which is where a lot of money is made.