Where to find the floor plan of a house?

Question

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.

Can someone tell me where I can get a floor plan?

Account Closed · Answer

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.

Roy N. · Answer

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 ;)

Michael Stole · Answer

That is expensive for just one question!

Roy N. · Answer

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).

Michael Stole · Answer

Thanks, guys for all the replies. I will make a floor plan myself, and find a structural engineer to find out which walls can be removed.

What is the fair price of a structural engineer?

Steven Walter · Answer

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.

Roy N. · Answer

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.

Jon Holdman · Answer

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.

Roy N. · Answer

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.

Matt Devincenzo · Answer

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.