Types of Structural Plans
Building Permit Plans
Before you apply for a building permit, you must meet the requirements of the Planning Department. These may include: geological hazard, soil or other reports; survey, allowed uses for the land; setbacks from property lines; height and building area restrictions; road approaches; erosion and fire control; drainage; availability of utilities, avoidance of wildlife habitats; and others. For more information see Site Research or order the Planning Guide How to Choose a Site.Building Departments vary in their plan requirements for building permits. In general, they require most or all of the basic plan sheets described in our Design Plans and Structural Plans.
Design-Build Plans
When we do a Design-Build project, the structural plans contain far more detail than is required for a Building Permit. Design-Build Plans are meant to communicate more detailed data to the various contractors and suppliers, so that they will be able to produce accurate quotes for a Cost Analysis. Once we've completed the Cost Analysis and specifications have been adjusted to the budget, we add further details to the Design-Build Plans to facilitate construction by each trade. We use a 17-page checklist to make sure that the plans include the desired details.