Ethics, Anyone?

Please, please, please! Don't ask me to copy another building designer or architect's design for your home! 

You might say, "I'd never do that!"...you know the difference between right and wrong...but would you ask me to change the plan a little so it would then be different?  A lot of people have asked me to do just that!

As the cartoon above implies some folks might think there are 3 ways to go: Right, Wrong,...and something inbetween (because it just 'depends')!

You might really believe that by adding 2 feet across the back of a plan, or changing the roof from gables to hips is enought to keep you (and me) out of trouble.  But the truth is, it is theft.  I think the law calls it 'theft of intellectual property.' 

What's a future homeowner to do?  Of course...go ahead and collect all those model home floor plans, take pictures, and make a binder.  You like the Master Bath of one plan and the Front Elevation of another. Show them to me when we discuss what you want in a home...but DON'T ask me to copy them! 

I want to see those designs to get an idea of the style, flow and features you like.  But you are paying me to custom design something unique just for you! Please let me be creative so we can both be proud of the outcome!

Mother-in-law Suites

Hopefully the lady pictured isn’t your mother-in-law!  But you might like to know that I’m asked more & more often to design houses with additional living space attached to the main house.  Often these spaces are called ‘Mother-in-law Suites’ for lack of a better name!

Usually clients want a combination sleeping/living area with a small kitchenette and bath combined.  But sometimes the client can afford to make a separate living & eating space.  Others simply want a second master bedroom & bath area.

It’s my job as a building designer to figure out three things: 

1.       What features best meet the client’s needs with regard to cost and space?

2.       How can I design the space so it flows nicely with the main structure?

3.       How can I plan for future uses of the space, either for this owner or to make it attractive to a potential future owner?

I will usually ask questions about the person living in the proposed space.  Can they use stairs? Does the bathroom need to be handicap-equipped? How many square feet can the project take up?

I like to offer the in-law suite a nice view of some exterior space.  But I have to find out if the main family wants privacy outside.  That might lend itself to a small, side porch off the suite instead.  And if the project is part of a remodel I have to think of the existing structure, roofline and exterior finishes.  I want this big addition to have a look that makes people think it has always been there, even if it is a separate structure not attached to the main house.

More than once I’ve had clients whose family needs changed within just a few years after building an in-law suite.  Those folks are then happy if we have taken the time to plan for a future use.  Sometimes the suite can become a game room, home office, or even be converted into an extra garage or storage space.  This means we have to think about how the suite attaches or is approached from the main house.

All these thoughts make it so important to have a discussion with a building designer!  Contact me and I’ll show you some examples of similar projects I’ve done for other blended families!  My website is:  http://www.ellensullivan.net/

Plans on the internet..to buy or not to buy?

Before the internet came along, magazine aisles carried books of house plans.  The consumer bought a book with 200 plans, and then set about squinting at small sketches, page after page. Folks would be overwhelmed by the small pictures and all the pages they had dog-eared .  They would realize none of the plans were exactly right, and then go buy another book!

In the past 10 years or so it has become popular to shop for house plans on the internet. While the consumer saves a few dollars initially, the outcome is generally the same.  After squinting for hours at plans on the computer, none are perfect.  Rather than dog-eared pages they have stacks of print-outs with circles around the features they like best.

What’s a potential homeowner to do? 

Many just go ahead and buy the plan which is closest to meeting their needs, then build a house with a lot of things ‘wrong’ with it.  They spend years saying, “If I had it to do over again…”  For instance, stock plans on the internet often just estimate the room sizes (usually rounding up generously).  A bedroom might be marked ‘11x14,’ but when the blueprints show up the actual size is more like 10’-2” x 13’8”.  This type of misrepresentation can cause a lot of frustration!

The second way a lot of people deal with the problem causes building designers and architects a lot of headaches.  Clients will bring in a plan printed from a house plan website and say something like, “I want this house, but add 3 feet across the back.”  Actually, they are asking the designer to plagiarize a plan!  Some people think that if the plan is changed, it’s no longer the original.  But the laws in most states allow for the ‘spirit’ of an artistic idea.  The courts will side with the original designer!  And I'm sure you agree, we don’t want to be sued!

Now, if you have bought a plan and want some modifications, you do have a legal option.  Your building designer can draw an ‘addendum page’ which describes modifications to the original plan.  It will be easy for the builder to understand, and it keeps the designer out of trouble!

What about the guy who just shows up with a stack of several print-outs? A truly good and creative designer will only glance at the print-outs, then proceed to ask enough questions to design an original plan for the client.  I have a 2-page list of questions I ask clients, and it is amazing how we are then able to create a design just for them!  And often for about the same price as an internet plan!

Take a look at my website 

http://www.ellensullivan.net/

and contact me for a custom plan! Don’t settle for a ‘cookie-cutter’ design!