house plan permit

Conventional wisdom suggests that good design is a frivolity, not unlike a home theater or in-ground swimming pool. Not so, says
Connecticut-based architect and author Duo Dickinson, who argues that smart design has a big payoff.
And that's the premise of his book "The House You Build" (now published in paperback as "House on a Budget"), which embraces
the quality-over-quantity philosophy and uses several case studies to demonstrate that idea.
Q "The House You Build" is described as the book that "helps you get the house that is right for you." What does that mean?
A "The House You Build" directly links design with dollars -- no
t only for the construction budget of 18 out of the 19 projects that are depicted in the book, but also site development costs and, in
most cases, the design fees.
What we want and what we can afford are often two different things. "House on a Budget" connects those two dots in a way that
hopefully inspires people to think about what they can build for the money they have.
Q When you are building a house today, isn't the phrase "sensible budget" an oxymoron?
A It's only an oxymoron if you have unrealistic expectations. Every market is different. In Connecticut that phrase is an
oxymoron if your sense is that you can build a house for $100 a square foot. That simply cannot happen on the East Coast.
However, if you are willing to listen to what the cost limitations are and create a design that is cost-conscious, you can "right
size" the house, simplify it into elegance, and creatively resolve the competing budgetary needs to make the house buildable and
fulfill not only the owners' needs but their dreams.
Q Be frank. How much does it cost to work with an architect?
A Just as when you buy a car, a subcompact made in South Korea will have all the components that you need, but not all the
aspects you want. Similarly, when you hire an architect, there is a base level of design and specification that has to be executed if
the architect is to take responsibility for his or her design. This typically translates to a fee somewhere between 6 and 8 percent of
the total construction budget.
On the other hand, a "fully optioned" luxury European automobile will cost a great deal more, although it will still deliver the
same capacity to get you from point A to point B as its far cheaper counterpart. The analogy to the luxury automobile would be a
"full-service" contract with an architect who usually comes in at between 14 and 18 percent of the total construction cost.
Lower fees mean fewer drawings, less detailing, less assurance the project will turn out the way you'd like and fewer -- if any --
site visits by the architect to ensure the project is being built according to the drawings.
Q Is there value there?
A Something that has been built once will always cost more per square foot than something that has been built a million times
before. The raised ranch that's being built 100 times in a subdivision will always cost less per square foot than the one-off
architect design. However, the one-off design can be a fair amount smaller (because it will actually fit you and your needs tightly)
and as noted should cost less year in and year out, saving on maintenance and heating and cooling costs, and because it very well
may be smaller, will cost you less in property taxes over time.
The biggest value any house can have is the value to its occupants, rather than in its resale price tag. The fact is that when you
drive up to an under designed house, you're likely to sigh and think of what you could have had. But if the house is designed for
you and its site, you're likely to smile and realize that what you've built reflects who you are and what you value.
Q What's the first thing you do when you sit down with a client?
A I more or less know how things are built, but I've absolutely zero knowledge as to the hopes and dreams of any given family's
domestic aspirations. So we ask clients to give us a budget, images ripped out of magazines that show what they love and hate, a
prioritized list (or two or three lists if there is disagreement within the family) calling out what they want most in the project --
from mandatory features at the head of the list to those oddball fantasies that they assume to be unimportant (but occasionally we
can sneak in for little or no cost).
Q What's the biggest/most common design (or lack of design) mistake that you see?
A Throwing space and cubic feet at the problem of accommodating a specific owner's needs. Houses today are fully one-third
bigger than a generation ago -- and building lots are fully 20 percent smaller. These bloated homes on smaller and more irregular
building lots are a quick ticket to the ugliness that surrounds us on a day-to-day basis.
In architect-designed homes, the biggest mistake I see is when the voice of the architect overwhelms the presence of the owner.
Q What's the least expensive, but most important design move that you can recommend?
A Knowing what you want and need, and reflecting that in the most efficient plan you and your architect can come up with. The
more efficient the home, the cheaper it is to build and the cheaper it is to occupy.