Please help us locate waterfront/beachfront floorplans for Florida. We have already pulled permits. We need 2500+ sq.ft., mstr/laundry/mdrm on 1st. , 4-5 bdrms., elevator, post/pier foundation, mstr/dining/family rms. facing front. Please help!!!!!!
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A good plans source is Alan Mascord Designs. They are way up in the Pacific northwest, but have plans suitable for all climes.
But I am wondering, with beachfront lots going for what they are in FL, why you cannot afford an architect.
Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
You took the words right out of my mouth!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
We actually purchased this property from my mother three years ago when my father passed away. He was a college professor and we spent summers there growing up. We are currently moving a 2 bdrm/1bath (60 yr.old home) off the property this weekend. Believe me, we couldn't afford to pay "market value" for this either. God has truly blessed us in this situation. Now, our four children can experience what I was was blessed with as a child.
" We are currently moving a 2 bdrm/1bath (60 yr.old home) off the property this weekend."WAIT!
STOP!
WARNING!!!!I weork with waterfront properties a lot. most every one of them has severe restrictions on new building. If you remove this structure without plans and permits in place, all approved, you could very likely ruin your chances for any new construction there, or make it very much harder. As long as this structure is in place, you have some grandfathering which is worth a lot. I have seen several properties here go for a half million dolllars when they had a small shack near the water, even though the condition of said shack made it more of a liability than an asset in most markets. The grandfathered proximity to the water in what is currently a no-build zone made those places worth an extra quarter million or so.So my advise is to get all your plans in place and approved before you bend a knuckle to any actual work
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks so much for your help. Yes, we did go down to Wakulla County (from Atlanta) in April and pulled permits. My husband is a builder/owner of residential construction, but we are not up-to-date on these new Florida codes. We pulled permits to remove a few trees and the house from the property (probably next weekend). We were told we cannot build a 3-story home(which were our plans) because of fire code (the property is surrounded by St. Marks Wildlife Preserve). So, here we go again-guess we will end up paying @ 20K for an architect!!!
consider it an investment and it will be easier to swallow.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
You say that you pulled permits.Then you say that you pulled permits to remove trees and the house.I'm not sure you understand the advice given here...Do not go any further... do not remove that house... Until you have all the permits, plans, etc... all locked in... for the new house.Once you remove that house, you may possibly lose the grandfathered right to build -anything- there...If there is a time limit between removing the house, and starting on a new one, you can bet yer breeches that they will drag their feet on the permits, etc... until your time is up...
A person with no sense of humor about themselves, has no sense at all.
Look at discussion 58418 about getting screwed in Wisconsin. This could happen to you.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
I don't know what part of atlanta you are in but I I was very happy with the guy that did my house plans. Got exactly what I wanted and the price was reasonable, even comparable to store bought. All subs wer very impressed with the level of detail and the way the house was designed from a construction standpoint. I would be happy to give you his number if you e-mail me. I beleive he has worked projects in other states as well but I don't know for sure. I have discussed having him do a lakefront house for me in NH so I am sure he would be open to the idea.Tom
Douglasville, GA
Tom, in my opinion you should post his name and phone number here. One thing we like toi see is good referrals, and this sounds like it fits. Since you are not benefitting from the posting of his name, it isn't a violation of the forum rules.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
That's righht. She has a permit to remove the house, but not to replace it. That wouldn't be possible without plans.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
the requirements you listed will need the services of a designer or architect for a custom design
no way you will find a canned plan that is going to do the job you want
All the Gulf coast jurisdictions I know of, Marco Island up way up past Fort Meyers, will require the plans to be sealed by a Florida registered architect or P.E.
Doesn't sound at all like the Florida beachfront homebuilding scene I've seen. Have lot, want to start right now, need plans? What kinda beachfront in Florida isn't going for $50 grand a foot, anyways?Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
Every architect we have spoken with wants 20% of cost of construction. If we build a house 2500+ square feet, you're talking a small fortune. We are trying to save $ by finding a stock plan and having it altered (we're prepared for this expense) .
Go and speak with your county (or local) building department. I am familiar with Collier county, and the building department there. Someone at Collier would do what I am describing here. Your building department has a department that deals with residential plans review. Ask them if they can refer you to a design professional (a PE or architect) that has run plans through them that were done by a stock plans service, then modified by the design professional to meet local codes.
Speak to any of these design professionals you can find, and tell them of your dilemma. They can likely refer you to a good stock plans seller that may meet your needs.
A good set of stock plans, suitable for your location and siting, might run a couple thousand, max. For the services of the local professional who can convert the whole package to one suitable for building and getting full permits, I cannot estimate the cost.
At $140 per square foot, perhaps a reasonable estimate of costs, but maybe not, you are looking at a $350,000 building package, and a full-service architect fee might be as much as the 20 percent (or $70,000) you speak of. There is a possibility you can cut that in half or well below half by going this route.Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
Piffin is SO RIGHT about the demo. Don't do it! Get your plan in place first.
Once again, I'll go by what I know about Collier county. There, the permitting costs are quite high, and many "teardowns" are done by leaving one wall up somewhere, which when incorporated in the new structure, makes the job a "remodel" rather than "all new." Permitting is quite different, faster and cheaper, when it is done this way in Collier.
Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
the magazine Coastal Living has an assortment of very nice plans to get you started - they have a website you could googlemy take is only 5% of gross cost and a posting letting us know how encompassing their plan formats are if you buy one
John, first, thanks for your help. Funny you should mention Coastal Living, as we are avid fans and subscribers. As a matter of fact, we have contacted Architect, Don Cooper, to see if he can alter the "Palm Beach Garden Retreat" house, which was voted "2004 Idea House"(nov/dec 2004, also on their website). It is EXACTLY what we are looking for but it is too wide(of course we would not build the guest cottage/screen porch/office/garage/or patio.
I rarely comment on posts, but here I must.
Read the above posts, stop. Read the above posts. Stop again.
Do not, I repeat, do not, do ANYTHING until everything is locked in place.
This means plans (engineered, completed and paid for), permits and variances (signed and stamped), utility hook-ups secured, financing, homeowners insurance issued, floodplain insurance issued, and builder selected and bid locked down.
If you go forward without everything locked down, you will be lucky to come out of it costing only 2x as much, quite possibly forcing the loss of all. It is VERY tempting to short cut and "get going", but trust me, don't do it!
I can only guess that building in the SW Florida area is wildly expensive due to the demand and just make sure you can afford ALL of it before you start anything.
For my part I am jealous - I love SW Florida, especially when it is -40 in MN!
Pinemarten
I re-read her last post, the one in which she spoke of having already pulled the permits, and where they own the property.
Looks like they are way up on the curve you make when finally able to head out the panhandle. Wakulla county includes St. Marks, on the gulf, well before you slide soutwest along the shore, and get to Apillachicola.
It is likely a far different scene there, for building costs, permitting situations, etc., as compared to Marco Island, Naples, or the beaches up around Ft. Meyers and Sarasota.
You may not even require "turtle glass" for all windows facing the beach!Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
Ahh. Maybe a different story then. I was thinking Naples/Marco.
But still....ducks in a row and all.
Either way gonna cost more than you think & still have to sort out the flood insurance if you are looking at any secondary mortgage markets...
Best of luck to 'em. It is a fun time to start a project.
Pinemarten
Off the subject, what the heck is turtle glass and how does it work?
I'm a right winger and have heard Rush crack jokes about zoning laws require lights facing the beach being off at night so turtles are not attacted to them. He's said that the restrictions are active as early as this month even though the turtle are not around until several more months.
Turtle glass is the nickname given to glass with a very dark gray tint. Dark as a blacked out limo. Most jurisdictions on the coasts of FL require any new construction on the beach to have all windows facing the water glazed with it.
Sea turtles in the gulf are attracted by the rising moon, to go onto the beach and lay their eggs. Doing so at the right moon phase has something to do with the survival of the laid eggs.
Apparently it's been proven that unmasked lighting, in beach homes, can fool the turtles into doing the egg thing at the wrong time of the month.Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY