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Frequently Asked Questions
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Do you have in the field construction experience?
Do you work for homeowners or just builders?
How are your fees determined?
I noticed on my building permit application that a Rescheck report, 110 mph wind zone checklist and floor system / beam reports for all EWP products are required. Will you supply these?
You mentioned that an engineer usually supply's the 110 mph checklist. Is it required to be filled out by a licensed engineer?
Do you use a software program that models the structure in 3D?
Can I work with you long distance?
Are you an architect?
Are you an engineer?
What areas will you work in?
Will you travel to the Islands?
I am an Energy Star builder. Will you fill out my incentive request form and provide all the information Energy Star needs?
I've heard horror stories of home plans that had many mistakes. Why is this?
Are you familiar with engineered wood products (lvl's, I-joists, etc.), steel beams / columns and deck footings?
I've seen near photo-realistic renderings from kitchen and bath designers. Can you do this for the whole house or other interior views?
Are you familiar with projects in historical districts and their requirements?
Why should we choose you over another designer?
Do you have references?
Do you have samples of your work?
Do you have in the field construction experience?
Yes, I have over 30 years of construction experience including work as a framing carpenter, finish carpenter, construction superintendent and kitchen & bath installer.
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Do you work for homeowners or just builders?
I have completed far more designs for builders than homeowners but I work with both enthusiastically. Builders appreciate the accuracy and completeness of my construction documents. Having worked as a builder I know what to supply.
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How are your fees determined?
I usually work on a per square foot price. Some designers work by the hour with only an estimate of how many hours it will take to complete a drawing. I am more familiar with the design process enabling me to quote a fixed price per square foot for new construction or renovation.
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I noticed on my building permit application that a Rescheck report, 110 mph wind zone checklist and floor system / beam reports for all EWP products are required. Will you supply these?
Yes, I will supply all of these reports. Typically the insulation contractor will supply the Rescheck report. Typically the lumberyard will supply all EWP calculations. Typically a structural engineer will complete the 110 mph checklist. I supply all of these enabling you to save time as well as allowing you to proceed without committing to an insulation contractor or lumberyard until you're ready.
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You mentioned that an engineer usually supply's the 110 mph checklist. Is it required to be filled out by a licensed engineer?
No, anyone with enough knowledge of the construction of the house may fill it out.
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Do you use a software program that models the structure in 3D?
Yes, I use a CAD program that builds a 3D model that I extract all of the information from. This is an important design tool for customers that have a hard time visualizing what their home with look like with just 2D plans. Because I create a computerized model of your design I can show you how the entire project looks as well as any individual section or room. All items in the model are viewable in 3D.
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Can I work with you long distance?
Yes, I can work with you as long as you have internet access. I can send you pdf files of the drawings each step of the way for you to review and markup.
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Are you an architect?
No, I have extensive construction experience but I am not an architect. Most residential homes are designed and drafted by designers not licensed architects. I've searched to see if I can find the percentage but was unsuccessful. I would estimate the figure of homes designed by a designer rather than an architect at somewhere in the 90th percentile.
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Are you an engineer?
No, I worked under a licensed structural engineer for a few years giving me an immense amount of structural design experience. This experience shows in my construction documents.
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What areas will you work in?
If I have to view an existing building then I probably would stay within a couple hours of Cape Cod. I could work on new construction plans almost anywhere in the country.
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Will you travel to the Islands?
Yes, I've designed a few homes on both Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
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I am an Energy Star builder. Will you fill out my incentive request form and provide all the information Energy Star needs?
Yes, I have drawn approximately 30 plans for a local Energy Star builder and I fill out their incentive request form as well as supply the Rescheck and all of the fenestration information as well as the heating / cooling information.
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I've heard horror stories of home plans that had many mistakes. Why is this?
You'll find that a large percentage of home designers have never worked in the field so they are not entirely certain exactly how a structure is built. Designing in 2D is also another handicap that easily lends itself to mistakes because a model is built just different 2D pages not connected. With a 3D software program if you can ACCURATELY build a model then it can be built in the field.
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Are you familiar with engineered wood products (lvl's, I-joists, etc.), steel beams / columns and deck footings?
Yes, I worked in the engineered wood products department of two local lumberyards. In one of these I worked under (2) licensed structural engineers. Most lumberyards do not have on staff engineers but the one I worked for did have full time, in house, on staff licensed engineers.
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I've seen near photo-realistic renderings from kitchen and bath designers. Can you do this for the whole house or other interior views?
Yes, the program I use will produce near photo-realistic rendering. In the coming weeks I will post some of these samples on another page.
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Are you familiar with projects in historical districts and their requirements?
Yes, a significant amount of my designs were in historic districts on both Cape Cod and Nantucket.
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Why should we choose you over another designer?
I would say that extensive construction experience, structural design experience and my use of a 3D CAD program are some of the foremost reasons. I am very easy to work with and will try to accommodate any or your design requests. If it can't be done I'll show you in 3D why it can't be done.
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Do you have references?
Yes, any of the builders listed on my "previous clients" pages will give you a great reference if asked. A few have retired but quite a few of them are still around.
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Do you have samples of your work?
Yes, I will post sample plans shortly. If you would like to see my work before that I will gladly send you a few plans in pdf format.
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