Real Estate Investor · Ottawa, Ontario · Member since 2011 · 217 posts · 14 votes
My offer gets accepted today! It is a center hall floor plan. I plan to remove some halls to make it open space. However, neither the seller nor the agent have the floor plan.
Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Michael Stole
Is it a relatively "new" home? If so, track down the builder and get a floor plan. If it is like the mostly 55 - 125 year old properties we purchase, get your self a good tape measure and download Google sketchup ... your going to be making floor plans.
Now, once you have your floor plan and have identified the walls you would like to remove, take it (the floorplan) and an Engineeer or Contractor to the house to see which of those walls can be removed and which are structural. Many of the older Victorian and Second Empire homes here have a long corridor running down the centre of the main floor. The wall on one side, or perhaps both sides, are the main support walls holding up the 2nd floor and/or roof.
Real Estate Investor · Ottawa, Ontario · Member since 2011 · 217 posts · 14 votes
13y
Thanks, Roy. The deal has not closed yet. It will be closed in October, as the sell requested. Therefore I don't have access to the house now. However, I want to start preparing for renovation. That is the reason why I want a floor plan. I can not step in the house for measurements either I think. Can I?
It was built in 30's. We don't have many new houses in ottawa.
Originally posted by Roy N.:
Michael Stole
Is it a relatively "new" home? If so, track down the builder and get a floor plan. If it is like the mostly 55 - 125 year old properties we purchase, get your self a good tape measure and download Google sketchup ... your going to be making floor plans.
Now, once you have your floor plan and have identified the walls you would like to remove, take it (the floorplan) and an Engineeer or Contractor to the house to see which of those walls can be removed and which are structural. Many of the older Victorian and Second Empire homes here have a long corridor running down the centre of the main floor. The wall on one side, or perhaps both sides, are the main support walls holding up the 2nd floor and/or roof.
Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Michael Stole:
You could try asking the seller if s/he would provide access to the property- if it is owner occupied, s/he the might agree. If it is currently rented your might not get access. In either case, rather than you going in, you could/should engage a local draughtsman to produce a set of "real" drawings ... these would show structural elements, and maybe even systems, etc.
They would also be to scale and provide a basis from which you could have the draughtsman, an architect, or an engineer update them to show the structural renovations you wish to perform. You could then show these to contractors when soliciting bids.
Real Estate Investor · Ottawa, Ontario · Member since 2011 · 217 posts · 14 votes
13y
Do you know where I can find a draftman? Thx.
Originally posted by Roy N.:
Michael Stole:
You could try asking the seller if s/he would provide access to the property- if it is owner occupied, s/he the might agree. If it is currently rented your might not get access. In either case, rather than you going in, you could/should engage a local draughtsman to produce a set of "real" drawings ... these would show structural elements, and maybe even systems, etc.
They would also be to scale and provide a basis from which you could have the draughtsman, an architect, or an engineer update them to show the structural renovations you wish to perform. You could then show these to contractors when soliciting bids.
Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Michael:
A "draftsman" you would most likely find in the U.S., but there are plenty of draughtsmen in Ottawa ;-P ... though in this day and age, there are probably draftsmen - or draftspersons - in Ottawa as well.
You could always Google, but I would start by asking my building inspector or Realtor. If that didn't pan out, check with local engineering firms {not the {inter}national giants} ... often there are drafting technicians at these companies who freelance. If you have a local REIA, ask there to see who other investors are using. Finally, I found my current "draughtsman" on Kijiji (he had an ad) and, as a bonus, his wife does interior design and staging.
Investor · Clairemont, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
13y
Access shouldn't be a problem I don't think. If you were financing the purchase(not sure if you are or not) you would require access for a home inspection and an appraisal. This should be no different, just request access to complete due diligence prior to close and then have anyone you need to get bids, quotes and structural consultations from go in at that time and take a look with you.
I've never had a problem gaining access prior to close even when a tenant was living there, you just have to make the request and then the seller can coordinate with you and the tenant.
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
13y
You'll spend a fortune if you have someone drawing plans for you.
You have a couple of choices. One is to get some graph paper and draw it out with a pencil. A better choice is to learn to do it on the computer. I use Omni Graffle on mac and used to use Visio on Windows. For doing 3D work, use the free version of SketchUp. All of these have pretty steep learning curves. But if you're going to doing this more than a time or two, you would be well served by investing the time and learning them.
Now, if you do want to move bearing walls or do structural changes, find a structural engineer. I hired one for a project I'm doing now. He made a visit and looked at what I wanted to do. Then he did some calculations and we discussed what I needed to do. I followed his instructions, then he inspected it and wrote a letter to the city saying it was correct. He could have drawn plans, but it saved about $100 out of $400 to bypass him drawing the plans.
Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Michael:
Jon is correct that it will cost money to farm out drawing of the floor plan, though in my experience it has only ever been a few hundred dollars - a fraction of what it would cost if you were having someone produce full architectural drawings.
Measuring and producing the floor plan yourself gives you more intimate knowledge of your property, but if your time is full or if it is easier to gain access to the property before Close (but after conditions have been signed-off), engaging someone. If you cannot find an affordable experienced "draughtsperson", you can probably find an engineering or architectural student at Carleton University.
Rockford, IL · Member since 2013 · 60 posts · 13 votes
13y
If you do it yourself make a note of which direction the floor/ceiling joists are running and what size they are. A quick peak in the attic and basement is all it takes. An engineer will need that info if you plan on moving walls.
Long Beach, CA · Member since 2013 · 79 posts · 8 votes
13y
I have an agent that uses a service from Home Depot for each of her listings. They come to the house and electronically measure each of the rooms and create a neat representation. Cost is $80 - $100, depending on whether they're offering a discount. I believe it called HDMS Floorplans.
Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Michael Stole:
It could vary a little depending on the layout and architecture of the house (2 story, etc), but if you are just asking yes/no about moving a couple of walls (or, rather, how much of this wall can I remove and what do I have to do to maintain structural integrity), I would expect a bill between $200 & $500 (that includes a site visit).
Real Estate Investor · Ottawa, Ontario · Member since 2011 · 217 posts · 14 votes
13y
That is expensive for just one question!
Originally posted by Roy N.:
Michael Stole:
It could vary a little depending on the layout and architecture of the house (2 story, etc), but if you are just asking yes/no about moving a couple of walls (or, rather, how much of this wall can I remove and what do I have to do to maintain structural integrity), I would expect a bill between $200 & $500 (that includes a site visit).
Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Michael:
But to answer your question: "Can I {re}move these X walls?", the engineer has to look at the structure and
a) determine if any portion of the wall can be (re)moved.
b) calculate how the existing load will be carried
c) write out instructions for you or your contractor to follow.
d) {possibly} inspect & sign-off on the work {my experience with building inspectors is they will want the engineer to sign-off}.
Around here a structural engineer will bill at $80 - $150/hour, pending on what they are doing; how well they do it; and how long they've been doing it.
Asking one question to your lawyer can have a similar price tag ;)