Fitting Stock Plan to Sloping lot

9 years ago

Hello everyone,
My husband and I have purchased a stock internet house plan and had it modified to our liking by an online designer. Our question now is who is the best professional to have actually place the house design on the lot in terms of the z axis and determine other relevant changes to fit the site. The site slopes both to the right and to the rear so the siting is not that straight forward. The design has a basement garage and a walkout basement. I assume an architect would be able to do this but what would be an appropriate cost for this service. Alternatively would a site planning professional be able to do this or a structural engineer.
thanks so much
Mary

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Comments (5)

User
9 years ago
What you are asking is very difficult, and fraught with fingerpointing as to who gets it wrong. No local architect is going to put his name on internet designed plans. The plans should have been designed for the lot by the local architect from the beginning. The builder can help to site the home, but it's like putting a square peg in a round hole, and if it's done wrongly, he'll blame the plans. And because the plan wasn't adapted to the actual site conditions, you may end up spending a fortune in excavation costs, or fill costs.
Mary4070
Original Author
9 years ago
live_wire I appreciate the input but what you are saying contradicts several decades of successful home builds using stock plans. As I understand it, most architects for my size home would typically modify their own "stock" drawings for the site as do most of the design/build firms.

The plan I chose was specifically designed for a sloping site so it is not truly a "sq peg" situation. Also I have already met with two local architects who have no problem working with my stock plans.

My question is whether or not a civil engineer who would do the site plan, grading design etc would be better suited to the task.
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User
9 years ago
Your architect is the one to deal with the issue. Of course you had a site topographical survey for him to work from, right?
Mary4070
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you GreenDesigns.
We have a "rough" topo map obtained from the city GIS but are in the process of hiring a surveying firm to develop a more detailed site plan. In reviewing other new construction docs at the bldg dept, I noticed that many of the site plans (topo map and foundation elevation info) where completed by civil engineering land surveying firms. The actual architectural drawings do not show any elevation info.

So in practice how would this iteration work? Does the land surveyor first develop the topo map and then provide it to the architect who determines the elevation of the foundation who then sends the info back to the land surveyor/civil engineer who places the foundation on the site plan?
talldude
9 years ago
It is not uncommon for a civil engineering firm to do all of their own land surveying.

The engineer will be able to set the finished floor elevation.