It is difficult to find blueprints or other architectural documents for a home.You can find the blueprints for your home from local governments, construction firms, and architects.If your home is a century old and you can't find your blueprints, an architect can put together plans of your house.Within a set of blueprints of your home, you will have access to the wealth of information.
Step 1: If there is a local web page devoted to property records, you should check it out.
Many city and county governments have online policies regarding blueprints.To find this information, you can use the name of your locale and the words "property records" or " home records".The site is likely to have a section about blueprints.Try to locate the phone number for the city or county clerk's office if the webpage doesn't list any information about blueprints.Having the city or county clerk's phone number will allow you to ask about blueprints, as well as inquire about the property record that lists the builder of your home.
Step 2: To inquire about architectural documents, call your local clerk's office.
They will know if the plans have been preserved or destroyed.Administrative fees are likely to be associated with obtaining a copy of residential blueprints.You should contact the agency that built your home if the city or county doesn't have the blueprints on file.Building plans are only kept for 90 days in Los Angeles County.
Step 3: The name of your home's builder should be given to you by the clerk.
Information about firms that designed and built your home will be included in the property records.You can request the documents if you are able to access this information.If the clerk's office doesn't have this information, your mortgage company, real estate agent, or the city may have it.
Step 4: Find the phone number of the builder of your home.
It's a good idea to conduct a web search to find out if the firm is still in business and how to contact them.This could be an architectural firm, a contracting firm or a development company.If the builder of your home is no longer in business, you will most likely have to commission a contracting firm to draw a set of plans that depict the building as it currently exists, called "As Built" plans.
Step 5: If you want to ask about blueprints, call the office of the builder.
They will need your address and a rough estimate of the construction date of your home, as well as whatever documentation local law requires.
Step 6: The blueprints can be requested if they are available.
You will have to submit a paper request and wait for the plans to be processed and retrieved.A national company may mail a copy of the plans to you, but a local firm may ask you to pick them up.A recently built home is almost certain to have a set of digital blueprints which can be sent to you via email.If you succeeded in getting the firm that built your home to give you a set of blueprints, they may ask for a fee to share them with you.If you requested the plans from an architectural firm, this practice is more common.
Step 7: There is a firm that draws up plans.
It is a good idea to confirm with a phone call, as this information will most likely be listed online.blueprints depict your house as it was built, including any renovations and work done since the initial constructionA set of complete or partial blueprints of your home is the best chance you will have to obtain.Architects may produce more detailed plans than contractors.A contracting firm will be able to give you a quote on the project if you want to start it as soon as possible.
Step 8: Plans for your home or part of it.
The contractor or architect will measure and locate major structural details of the area you have commissioned and either model it in drafting software or draw a 2D scale of it on architectural paper.The price of these plans may be high, with a common rate being roughly $0.50USD per 1 square foot (0.093 m), but it is typically more cost effective than attempting a large scale project without proper documentation of your home's structure.If you only need a particular section of your home to be drawn up in blueprints, you will save money and time, as a contracting firm would have to do a commission of the entire building.
Step 9: If plans are too costly, draw a plan of your own.
If you are only planning on doing a small remodeling project, it is possible to draw a simple plan of a section of the house yourself.You will use grid paper to scale the walls.The thickness of walls and insulation should be included in a blueprints, as well as electrical outlets and estimates of the location of major pipes and wires.If you need to locate beams in the walls, you can use a stud finder.It is difficult to draw your own plans by hand.It is important that you accurately depict your home's structure in the blueprints.