Cost to get architectural drawing for a renovation permit
Hi. My wife and I would like to renovate our living room (includes a bathroom) along with our laundry area. The renovation would include removing a wall between the living room and dining room, possibly converting a closet into a room/office space, and other items. If anyone can provide an idea of what it would cost to obtain as-built drawings, architectural designs (different renditions of how the final design will look), and finally a permit drawing to submit to the city. We reached out to one architect firm and they provided a proposal for $12K. Is this typical cost for architectural drawings or are they over charging for their services?
Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Feb 23, 2022
Parent Replies
That sounds typical, but also a lot! I talked to a few architects for a similar project and ended up going with Bay Area Design Consults and it was a bit less. I pretty much knew what I wanted and just needed the plans drawn and submitted to the city and the total came in at about 10k including the ~3k to the city for the permits. I’d recommend checking them out!
There's a variation of costs out there. As someone in the industry, it's important to shop around and make sure you understand what you need vs. what you are getting. It's wild how expensive it is. Wish you the best of luck.
You might consider getting estimates from Design/build companies, rather than architects. They do the plans and permitting as part of the whole construction job and you would likely save a lot of money vs. getting these things separately, since you know what you want and it’s pretty straightforward.
Hi, My husband is an architect in the Bay Area and I read your message to him. He thought that was in the ballpark. He said you might be able to find someone for a little less and there are probably a lot of places that would charge more. Hope that helps and best of luck with your renovation!
After interviewing several local architects for a small house remodel project and found them too expensive we decided to hire Drafting Cafe Architects in Oakland. The staff who assisted us were knowledgeable, understanding and creative as well as taking our needs and ideas seriously. They offer an array of services including architectural and interior design. We had good success in using their drawings and are pleased with our newly remodeled home. Their number is: 510-251-2511.
It was a few years ago that we started the process, but are doing a project larger than yours and it was about $9k I believe. Prices may have gone up (because hasn't everything?!). Our architect is great - check him out - https://www.lfdesignteam.com/