additions and remodeling

My goal is to design an addition and/or rework the spaces in your home that goes beyond your highest expectations while keeping construction costs in mind, a balancing act I perform to make sure you stay within your remodeling budget. I will answer all your questions concerning the construction, design, timing, plan documents, etc.

Estimated Design Costs

Remodeling is always a little difficult to offer a solid estimate. What I mainly do is provide an estimate based on similar projects. Below are a few examples of different remodel projects and additions and their estimated costs. See below for more details, common questions, and the design process.

Remodeling fee: $325/Hour
Measuring fee: $285/Hour

  • A Sunroom addition added to the side of the house: $1500 – $3500
  • An addition that includes a new master suite and reworking of the main floor: $2500 – $5000
  • Adding a second floor over the main floor and remodeling the old spaces: $4000 – $7000
  • Adding an addition to the main floor, an attached garage, and a second floor: $5500 – $10000
  • Adding a major addition to a home in the critical dunes on Lake Michigan: $7500 – $15000

Remodeling Process

  1. Go to the Contact Page and fill out the form. This helps me organize my process.
  2. The first meeting. When I receive the email I will respond with a few dates when we can go over the details of your project.
    * If you are local, within 15 minutes of my office, I will come out to your house to discuss the project and my charges.
    * If you are further away, I will typically set up a zoom call where we can further discuss your project and make sure I am a good fit before we move forward.
  3. The second meeting. I will come out to your house to measure the existing structure. I will scan the floor(s) and take pictures which can take from 15 minutes to several hours depending on the size of your house and the number of floors.
  4. I will then draw up what is called the As-Built plan. This can be very simple because our focus is on a new sunroom out the rear, or more complex to show the existing details, like windows, doors, trim, etc. because we are matching roof pitches or soffits and design characteristics. We need this information to obtain a building permit. The inspector will want to know what is existing and what is proposed.
  5. When I start the drawing I will send out an invoice for about 1/3 to 1/2 of the total based on the estimate I quote you.
  6. When I have the As-Built plan done, I make a copy of the file and rename it Remodel and begin to put the addition together and changes that we discussed.
  7. When the remodel is far enough along as a preliminary plan, I will email you a video to show you what I have drawn and send along any floor plans.
  8. You can mark them up with changes, or request a zoom meeting to go over the details. This process can be one time or many depending on the direction you want to take the plan and how large the project is.
  9. When everything is approved in the modeling stage, I will complete the drawing and make construction documents. These are the final permit and building-ready plans you will use to construct your addition.
  10. Enjoy your new home!

Here is an example of a final Remodel plan as a Construction Document