Selling building plans "Yes or No" | Day in the life RCD

Hello RCD readers,

For years I've heard that disappointed remark "do you have standard building plans that I can use to build?". This from freelance employer's, potential clients and pro bono family members or friends. 

RCD visualize your dream design

My answer is always I design with you your dream design. For the ones who get it , we have an amazing work relationship and communication. Because that person gets that they are building one time in their life. Which means they are willing to go through this design process with me.

Does the cost differ if you use a layout from internet ?

Using a layout 

If a client gives an architectural designer a layout to work with. 

What actually happens?

• the designer needs to draft the site with the building permit guidelines of what your potential building area may be
• the designer needs to decipher your layout and if it will fit on your site
• if it doesn't he or she needs to come up with different options that will be possible on your site using your layout still in mind
• the architectural designer needs to figure out if the layout checks off certain points

1. will this layout create natural ventilation and sunlight?
2. does this layout check off the right plumbing situation?
3. is this layout construction wise correct?
4. does this layout have architectural design problems? Example the spaces way to small than actually possible.

The payment cost:

• payment for site visit / on site consultation
• payment for preliminary structural designs for the site and the layout in SRD/m2 rate
• payment for correcting the design with sketching the layout faults and correcting them SRD/hourly rate
• consultation cost for explaining the current design and the corrections
• SRD/hourly rate or SRD/consult
• payment for the preliminary design proces SRD/m2 of SRD/hourly rate
• second consultation for the new preliminary design
• payment for the definitive design proces SRD/m2 of SRD/hourly rate
• if needed and only after the client has additions.  Payment for the additions from the definitive design in SRD/hourly rate.

Designing with your architectural designer

What happens?

Here I'm going to specifically talk about how I work. I always do a site visit. But not every architectural designer does that. The second phase for me is figuring out what the building area is with the building permit requirements in mind. Make a program of requirements.  Use this guideline to begin structural drawings. Than consult the client and the design process begins which entails preliminary en definitive process.

The payment cost:

• payment for site visit /on site consultation 
• free program requirements for your wishes of the design
• payment for structural design SRD /hours (corrections from the structural design are included)
• if a client needs more consultations.  You pay SRD/hourly rate or SRD/consult
• payment for whole design process which include preliminary and definitive design process SRD /m2
• if needed and only after the client has additions.  Payment for the additions from the definitive design in SRD/hourly rate.

Most of the time client's who use standard layouts pay more. This only works if the person has an architectural or building background and knows certain architectural requirements.

New changes in Suriname !!

Now I've gone through client's finding or using standard layouts found on the internet. But in Suriname we are another step that direction. Not designing with the client anymore but offering a market that has been growing in Suriname for a while. "Selling standard building plans". 

What does that mean? 

They sell for example ;

• Complete set of construction drawings
• OW building permit
• Budget
• 3D renderings
• This for approximately  SRD 20.000   (area 216.3m2 of a design)

What are good and bad points of using this?

• the drawings:

• your site will say conclude if this drawing is possible.
•  but if you choose the site plan still has to be drafted

• ow building permit

• the building permit is giving for a certain location and not just the construction drawings
• so that means the drawings will not have any technical corrections, but the location does not have a building permit automatically yet
• if they mean that they promise the hastle of long waiting for correcting designs is not happening than okey.

• budget
• a detailed budget can be given but with economy unless they promise to correct with the current prices consistently this is not going to be helpful until our economy is in a stable place.
• 3d renderings 
• This is an art in itself. I have actually no remarks about this.

And last the given price that's all up to you. PS. I have to say the designs are amazing.  Heads off for them.

Selling building plans | New for Suriname but not for the world

This is something a lot of architect's in the world do when they don't want the hastle anymore of dealing with client's during design process.  They sell the building plans they've done for previous client's or sometimes designs that were never used for multiple people.  You can buy a entire technical drawing for a house design sometimes even in a digital drafting program. 

Is it ethically responsible? Agree to disagree

I can't answer that for anybody. I can only say what I've noticed and what I rather do for my moral state of mind. I can also see why other's do this. I've seen people take these designs and try to re-use them. For inspiration sometimes but some use the entire design. But that's is a whole different subject " when is the line crossed from inspiration into copyrighting somebody else their work ". 

So, the hard work that architectural designers put into the design is squashed by somebody else stealing your work that you post as promotion or content. I've even heard somebody copying drawings from a designer in the building department and using this design for his own.

I end this blog post. With the questions that only you can decide for yourselves

• "Is selling building plans yes or no for you?"
• "Is this real new market in Suriname ethical or not?"
• "Would you pay for the design process or just copy somebody's work entirely?"

Let me know in the comment section.