DESIGN CONSULTANTS, INC., has been in the business of providing custom building design services to clients in northwestern Washington State for more than 25 years. Our prices are comparable to, and in many cases lower than, most architects and other designers in this area. We provide a free estimate for drawing your plans and should you sign a design contract with us you will not pay more than the estimated price unless you make excessive preliminary plan revisions or change the plans after you've given us permission to start construction drawings. We won't surprise you with hidden costs because that's not the way we do business.

         We feel that for the quality and quantity of plans produced DESIGN CONSULTANTS gives considerable value for our Client's dollar. We aim for complete accuracy in drawing our plans and calculate all gravity load paths from the roof down to the foundation ensuring accurate structural sizes. This results in a better constructed home with less waste of materials and fewer potential structural problems later on.

         DESIGN CONSULTANTS utilizes computer aided design (CAD) which gives the builder a very accurate plan to work from. This allows the project to proceed smoothly, saving time and money. Six sets of blueprints are included in our price, and if additional copies are needed it's usually under $10 for each set of blueprints. One thing we do not provide is structural engineering. Should the Building Department request this we can refer you to qualified structural engineers who we feel do excellent work at a reasonable price.

         Many people think that to build a house you must first hire an architect to draw the plans. Most of these people find out too late that DESIGN CONSULTANTS could have provided many of the same design services at a fraction of what they paid their architect. Additionally, even some building designers charge substantially more than others do, so it really does pay to shop around and find out how their qualifications and services compare in value to what we normally provide for you at DESIGN CONSULTANTS.

         For DESIGN CONSULTANTS to give you an accurate estimate we will require a sketch of how you envision your proposed residence. It doesn't have to be too elaborate, but the more thought you put into your plan idea the lower our estimate will be. This helps us to better understand your particular needs, which means less design time at our normal rate of $40.00 per hour. Make a "wish list" of what you want for overall square footage, room sizes, interior finishes, fixtures & appliances, exterior design, as well as your likes and dislikes. It sometimes helps to take pictures of homes that appeal to you and are similar in style to how you want your new home to look. The more information you provide the better the chances are that we will design your home exactly how you want it in less time and at a lower cost, which means more money into your new home instead of into the plan.

              We've heard people say, "why should we pay your price for plans when we can get a plan out of a book for $600?" Our typical response is that stock plans from other parts of the country may be partly or mostly unusable because building codes and construction techniques here can differ greatly from where the stock plans were produced. You don't get a site plan and some stock plans omit structural information such as beam sizes, suggesting you consult a local structural engineer for this. Plus if you make any plan changes the Building Department may require drawings that reflect them. All of these are potential added costs that most people don't realize they could face when they buy an "inexpensive" stock plan. With custom design from DESIGN CONSULTANTS you know exactly what you are getting for your money. We feel that our price for custom design is well worth the peace of mind you'll get from avoiding potential stock plan headaches during the permit and construction phases of building your new home. 

         If you have a plan idea and would like a cost estimate please give us a call at (360) 424-3334 and we will make a no-cost appointment to meet with you at our office. Our normal business hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday and evenings by appointment only. Our office is located at 224 Stewart Road, Suite 201 in Mount Vernon, Washington.  We hope to hear from you soon!

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN                                     COMMERCIAL

·        Custom Home Plans                                  Light Commercial Buildings

·        Remodels and Additions                          Remodels and Additions

·        Builder Speculative Homes                      Tenant Improvements

·        Multi-Family Designs                                Site Planning and Concepts

·        Structural Beam Calculations

·         Stock plan revision & addendum plans

·         Accurate CAD site plan layouts

BLUEPRINTING

·        18x24 and 36x24 Bluelines

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN PACKAGE:

 ·       Foundation plan with floor framing callouts

·        Floor plan (or plans) with overhead framing callouts    

·        Separate electrical plan (or plans) with suggested fixture locations 

·        Exterior elevations showing all four sides of the structure 

·        Site plan showing proposed residence location, drives and walks, building setbacks, drainage plan (if required), etc. 

·        Floor framing plan or plans (some Building Departments require them) 

·        Roof framing plan (Optional depending on complexity of roof design) 

·        Modular kitchen and bath cabinet layouts

·        Necessary framing details and building cross-sections  

·        Structural beam calculations 

·        Washington State Energy Code compliance data 

·        Six sets of construction drawing blueprints upon completion of plans