Where do I get site plans and floor plans for commercial rehab?
I am a 10 year veteran single family investor but made the switch to commercial in 2018 and I am not on my 5th building.
Now that I am getting into bigger projects, I need to sharpen my approach. I have been using mostly small time handymen and contractors for rehabs and we never really needed site plans, architect, drawings ect...
But now we are rehabbing a 3 story 23K sq/ft building and I want to show the city and prospective tenants we are professionals.
Who do I go to for site plans, floor plans - would it be a construction company or an architect ? Are site plans needed on every commercial job? My guys know what to do because they have been with me for so long so I never understood the importance unless you are changing the space layout which we are not at the moment
#3 1031 Exchanges Contributor
- Investor
- Las Vegas, NV
Assuming simple rehab with no structural changes. You can do it yourself with some DIY software or just google online site plan.
If you are hiring a GC firm, they will be able to prepare and supply the basic site plan, drawings, and code related build info. If you are acting as your own GC, then you would typically need to hire an architect for the plan and drawings, and they should be local to ensure that they understand the municipality's codes, requirements, and nuances.
What type of building is it and what is your general scope of work?
When you're doing work that requires structural changes, code updates, or zoning modification, you will typically need and want plans. You stated that you are not, so in this case, it sounds as if it will be a tool to facilitate design and build, as well as muni inspection and approval?
If you're looking for former plans, assuming they exist, the former owner might have them or they may be at the city for permits that were pulled. If you need them for new work, then you would have your GC or engineer put them together.
Hi Adam,
Since you are in Ohio, the licensed professionals permitted to sign off on plans are State Licensed Architects and Professional Engineers (PE). Some cities will go further and prequalify certain contractors or professions for certain work. IE, requiring registration to work in the city limits.
You can hire a firm and the firm will have draftspeople that do the majority of the work to save money for the client and the PE or Architect will review and sign the drawings.
Site plans will depend on the municipality, the GC or design (Architecture or Engineering) firm will research and provide the required level of drawings. If you have questions on the code, you can hire an attorney to advise or contact the municipality and see if they are willing to provide an answer based on the level of renovation. Yes, you may have to put forward plans for every job in some cities.
#2 Commercial Real Estate Investing Contributor
- Attorney
- Dallas, TX
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#2 Commercial Real Estate Investing Contributor
- Attorney
- Dallas, TX
Surveyors can do as built plans.
Architects would draft anything for future builds.
Quote from @John Morelli:
If you are hiring a GC firm, they will be able to prepare and supply the basic site plan, drawings, and code related build info. If you are acting as your own GC, then you would typically need to hire an architect for the plan and drawings, and they should be local to ensure that they understand the municipality's codes, requirements, and nuances.
What type of building is it and what is your general scope of work?
When you're doing work that requires structural changes, code updates, or zoning modification, you will typically need and want plans. You stated that you are not, so in this case, it sounds as if it will be a tool to facilitate design and build, as well as muni inspection and approval?
Thanks for your input. This is a 3 story office/retail building. Everything is existing and no structural or floor plan changes for the initial rehab.
