I'm looking a house plans on line. What exactly are they wanting to sell me for "sets" at 5 for $685, up to CAD for $14500?

Contact them directly and ask.

http://www.architecturaldesigns.com/ContactUs.aspx

Or: Architectural Designs :: 57 Danbury Road :: Wilton, CT 06897
USA & Canada 1–800-854–7852 or 1–877-229–2447 :: International 262–521-4596
Fax 1–203-761–8600 :: Email: info@architecturaldesigns.com

I did this, they are the actual blue prints. you will need several sets depending on the local ordinances. Check with the zoning board or the county assessor to see how many you need.

At a bare minimum:
The contractor will need a set, the electrician will need a set, the plumber will need a set, you will need a set, and the zoning board will need a set.

The CAD version lets you print as many as you need, but it isn’t cost effective unless you are putting in a development.

Some places require the blueprints be submitted, others will let you send them a PDF file

CAD stands for Computer Assisted Drafting. The advantage of CAD is that you can take them to an engineer or architect and make changes easily (like editing a photo with Photoshop). With PDF, you can’t make changes, at least not easily. Just to make minor changes, the architect would have to create the finished plans from scratch (like making a reproduction of an oil painting).

Hm. Thanks you guys. I didn’t realize all the different entities would need copies.

I do have a couple of alterations I would like to make…. If you look at the prints, the 3rd bathroom next to the master bath….I want to move that space across the hall to make a bigger utility room.

I don’t care for vaulted ceilings, so I’d want to make that some extra space up stairs, just for the hell of it. It wouldn’t require changing the roof line or anything, but I do want to install a curving, sweeping stair case up to that space….not one that sits in the room, but one that disappears into the wall of the Great Rom or dining room. (It’s a long story…I saw one like that once in another house. The risers were a little shorter, but wider than the norm and the stairs just curved around and disappeared into…the heavens. It just made you want to go up there! So I did. :)

Also, I’d toy with the idea of putting the fireplace on the other side of the great room, by the back patio.

I sent them an email detailing these changes….....now I’m wondering if they’ll come up with alterations to fit my request, in which case I could get away with the PDF’s? What do you suppose it would cost them at their end to make the changes? I would assume their program is CAD,so it should be easy for them?

If you find a basic layout you want, I would strongly suggest you hire a local architect to draw your blueprints. They know the local building codes, and can draw them in a way that will pass your local building department. They also know the standard practices in your local community so you don’t throw your sub contractors for an expensive loop.

You can take 1 copy of blueprints to a Kinko’s type shop and they have oversized copiers to make you as many sets as you’ll need to submit to various places and for a lot less money. Call your local county recorder’s office and ask them who all needs blueprints.

@Neizvestnaya that doesn’t always work. Some jurisdictions require all the blueprints be certified copies. Find out from the local authorities what you need before you order them.

I’ll do that, guys. For the sake of argument, say the blue prints online are just fine (living out in the country we don’t have the same stringent rules as the city) and are acceptable and up to code…is the cost of hiring an architect comparable to getting them on line?

My plans ended up being cheaper online. I went through the same website you did and it was cheaper but I did not have to make any changes to the plans.

If you have a good contractor, he can make any changes to the interior once the exterior walls are up without changing the plans. Just get one that knows how to read a blueprint.