I was the money, designer, contractor.

My husband and I recently received an escrow refund from our primary residence and after paying off some debt, we have a small amount left ($1700...I know, not a lot) that I want to designate as our first step towards purchasing a rental property.

Since I don't list/sell (I do property management and formerly designed RE technology systems) there are times I regret having a license.

If they don't require the drawings to be Certified by a Licensed Architect, you can find someone with drafting/design knowledge to draw the plans for you for your submittal; however, when the Building Department reviews the drawings they will still want to ensure the proposal meets local Building Codes & Ordinances, or if they are the type of department that doesn't do thorough reviews, they could be leaving the liability to You in order to ensure the construction is safe & complies with codes.As a Licensed Architect myself, I recommend you consider the benefits of hiring a licensed professional, even if the building department doesn't require Stamped drawings; however, I realize that depending on how minimal the scope of work is, it may not provide you much additional benefit compared to finding a decent drafter at a lower cost...You may want to check out Upwork.com as well, theres a lot of posts on there for various architectural & drafting gigs all around the world.

We spent a lot of time trudging through the mud to learn work/life balance, how to handle and coordinate contractors, design decisions, etc.

Before my husbands death I owned a computer consulting  business that sold and supported Computer Aided Design Systems for Architects and engineers.   

I use contractors with the designation as a Certified 203k Contractor - 203kContractors.com Looks like there's one in your area. 

The house was poorly though expensively designed. 

So once I get the contract, this graphic designer is now going to start his first rehab...

There is a month to month tenant on the property which I will keep to offset holding costs while I design the home and I close on my bank loan for new construction.