I recently purchased an A-frame house at a nearby lake as a vacation property. The home was built in 1972 and is in need of a major remodel (add a master suite over an attached flat-roof garage, square out the walls, raise the garage ceiling height, add exterior decking, re-design the interior, new plumbing, electrical, etc.). I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do but I am looking for some help finalizing the interior and exterior design and with drafting plans. Of course, I am willing to pay for design help and a set of plans. It would be okay if the plans weren't stamped provided I can take them to an architect or engineer for final review/stamp (I will need to file them with my permit application).

I'm looking for some fresh design ideas and thought this might be an interesting project for one or more people to undertake and have the ability to see through from concept to completion. I'm hoping to begin construction in mid-late fall of 2014 and have the house completed by summer of 2015. I intend to hire out the construction work. PM me your qualifications/experience and contact information and we can talk.

6/18/2014 12:01:32 AM

check the homey mitch
http://www.mitch-in-a-box.com/

6/18/2014 10:34:29 AM

would an architect/engineer stamp something that was done completely without their oversight? Seems to me that you could take them preliminary plans, but they would develop their own, with design, in order to stamp.

6/18/2014 10:58:38 AM

I'm certain that an engineer or architect would review the plans thoroughly before putting their stamp on them. If they didn't, I would find a different engineer.

6/18/2014 6:24:43 PM

Location? Nearby the Triangle?

6/18/2014 7:09:58 PM

Lake Gaston....about an hour north of Wake Forest.

6/19/2014 5:38:06 AM

So you're saying you'd find a dishonest, unethical engineer? Sounds like a good plan.

6/19/2014 10:40:22 AM

it is misconduct to seal (stamp) something that was not done under the "responsible charge" of a PE per 21 NCAC 56 .1101, so it's more involved involved than "take them to an architect or engineer for final review/stamp"

really the only thing you can do is draft documents that the A/E can use to guide their own design, even if everything is right and their design is the same, which means you would be paying for duplicate design work.

not all work requires a sealed drawings, but what you are describing probably would

disclaimer: i'm in an industrial field and know very little about residential construction

[Edited on June 19, 2014 at 4:14 PM. Reason : .]

6/19/2014 4:14:22 PM

wdprice3 - Read my post again. I said that if an engineer didn't review the plans carefully before putting his/her stamp on them, I would find another engineer....meaning I would want an engineer who would review the plans carefully before stamping them.

This is my house. My family, friends and I will be spending a lot of time in it. I want everything done correctly and according to code.

[Edited on June 19, 2014 at 4:17 PM. Reason : directing to wdprice3]

6/19/2014 4:15:10 PM

dtownral - I don't think I will be paying for duplicate design work. My thought is that it will be much quicker and less expensive for a PE to start with a written design plan than for him/her to try and create something from ideas bouncing around in my head.

6/19/2014 4:26:29 PM

^^ they can only review and stamp something if the design was done under their charge, they can't review and stamp something done by a random person

6/19/2014 4:27:37 PM

dtownral - I think you made your point but you are missing the point. I am not expecting an engineer to stamp plans without reviewing and approving them; however, you are over-reading the regulation you cite. If I bring a set of plans to an engineer and ask him/her to review/approve/stamp them, he/she will take the plans, review them, and make any necessary changes before approving and stamping them. The engineer will not discard the plans and start over from scratch. The regulation does not prohibit an engineer from reviewing and approving plans created by someone else provided the engineer performs his/her professional duty to confirm that the structure reflected in the plans will be structurally sound and meet required building/safety codes. The regulation you cite intends to address the situation where an engineer "rubber stamps" his/her approval on plans without performing due diligence and exercising professional judgement.

Moving on.......anyone interested in my proposal?

6/19/2014 8:25:34 PM

You might want to look at the definition of responsible charge found in NCGS § 89C-3 (10).

6/19/2014 11:25:12 PM

^Will do. Thanks. There seem to be a lot of wannabe lawyers here. Any architecture or design students/grads?

6/20/2014 8:11:07 AM

We're not lawyers, we're engineers, most of whom have their PE (including me), and while we don't have a lawyer's full understanding of the law, we have an understanding of how the law works and what it means to our licenses. A LICENSED ENGINEER OR ARCHITECT, FOLLOWING THE LAW, WILL NOT STAMP ANY PLANS OR DOCUMENTS CREATED OUTSIDE OF THEIR CHARGE. I've told you this, dtownral has told you this. It is not as simple as an engineer reviewing plans. If an engineer didn't oversee the design, they won't stamp it. Unless you get an engineer who is unethical and breaking the law.

You can ask for students all you want, BUT YOU HAVE ACTUAL, LICENSED PROFESSIONALS TELLING YOU HOW THIS WORKS.

Take your preliminary ideas/drawings/documentation to a licensed professional and have them do the design and drawings, if your project requires a licensed professional's design.

[Edited on June 20, 2014 at 10:23 AM. Reason : .]

6/20/2014 10:23:36 AM

You may be able to find a design major to draw you some pretty pictures that you can take to an engineer, that they can base their work off of.

6/20/2014 4:19:34 PM

^^I have already consulted with a licensed architect and a PE. Each of them told me to bring design to the PE that he can start with to create structural stamped plans. Note, I said design plans.....not blueprints or structural drawings. I am not expecting or asking someone here to deliver stamped plans to me (I think I made that pretty clear).

I am not at the point to take preliminary ideas/drawings/documentation to a licensed professional. I thought I would start here for help in formalizing my ideas. Thanks for all of the advice and concern you've provided but I don't need it.....I've already gotten advice from actual, licensed professionals that I personally know and trust which I am following.

6/22/2014 8:38:22 PM

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6/23/2014 1:36:45 PM

This smells like one of those business majors posting in tech talk trying to find a software developer to implement his crazy ideas...for nothing.

6/24/2014 1:29:09 AM

^wrong on multiple accounts including the fact that I'm looking for something for nothing. If you took the time to read my original post, you would know that I am willing and expecting to pay for this work.

6/24/2014 8:10:55 AM

ok, so this is where the confusion came in 90Tiger:

Quote :

" It would be okay if the plans weren't stamped provided I can take them to an architect or engineer for final review/stamp (I will need to file them with my permit application)."

based on your first post, it did kind of appear a lot like you were developing the actual design or construction documents yourself and only looking for an engineer to essentially look over them and stamping.

Your clarification now of mainly taking rough concept floor plans to someone and having them physically develop the construction documents is an entirely different animal compared to the gist I got in your first post (and I think others as well).

I think that's where the confusion arose and that is what other posters here were trying to warn you of to avoid potential headaches.

6/24/2014 3:45:39 PM

^, hence:

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6/24/2014 5:07:36 PM

^what does your post mean?

[Edited on June 24, 2014 at 6:19 PM. Reason : .]

6/24/2014 6:19:03 PM

no, not this:

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this:

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6/24/2014 6:20:13 PM

^^My intent was that if someone here had the ability to provide me with stamped plans, I would certainly consider hiring them; however, since I am more focused on getting design help, I realized that I would likely not walk away with stamped plans but would more likely end up with plans that I could ultimately get stamped/approved.

6/24/2014 6:23:37 PM

^^whatever. You know what I am asking even though it didn't cut/paste correctly. It wasn't a difficult question.

6/24/2014 6:25:01 PM

LOL.
It means you're moving the goalposts. You went from taking plans to a PE for stamping, to getting some preliminary plans drawn up to take to a PE to do the work, and now apparently back to your original idea with your latest statement of:

Quote :

"My intent was that if someone here had the ability to provide me with stamped plans, I would certainly consider hiring them; however, since I am more focused on getting design help, I realized that I would likely not walk away with stamped plans but would more likely end up with plans that I could ultimately get stamped/approved."

I don't see any situation where you hand and engineer plans and he/she stamps them. They will take your plans as your stated intentions and develop their own. If the work, meaning the design and drawings, were not completed under their direct supervision, it is illegal for a PE to stamp them.

6/24/2014 6:47:18 PM

6/24/2014 6:54:32 PM

^^I think you've made that point already (at least 2 or 3 times). Just because I didn't provide you with the complete detail of my plan and you made assumptions doesn't mean I am moving the goalposts. Maybe I should have copied my notes from my meeting with my structural engineer into this message board? Would you feel better then? Do I need to set up a conference call between the three of us so you have a complete understanding of my discussion with him and my approach?

6/24/2014 8:57:22 PM