Home Addition Blueprints Costs

Before you can build a home addition, you need to have the plans drafted by a professional. It is also something that will require the assistance of an architect, a general contractor, and a drafter or CAD professional to create the blueprints. The type of blueprints that you choose will affect the cost, as well.

Editing blueprints can be used if you are only making a small addition. This makes it easier than drafting all-new documents and can save a significant amount on administrative costs involved in your home addition. Traditional blueprints can also be drafted, which are designed by hand and printed on vellum for a clear finish. Most blueprints these days, however, are CAD (computer-aided design) blueprints. These are designed completely on a machine and then printed on special large-scale printing presses.

Home addition blueprints: 1,000 square foot, two-story addition.

Other considerations and costs

• The consultation and walk-through is not a required process, but it can be useful to help the drafter get a better idea of your existing home design and how the addition will fit into the space.
• Local areas charge different permits and zoning fees for an addition. Many contractors will take care of permits for the homeowner and include the fees in their services. Make sure that your estimate includes these things if required.
• You may have to pay a fee for a physical copy of the blueprints that are drafted for your home addition. Some provide free digital copies or small-scale hard copies, but if you want full-size blueprints, it may cost more money.
• Because blueprints are so intricate, they require a lot of time and attention to detail. If a project is in a rush, a drafter may charge a rush fee of as much as 20% of the total cost of the service.
• If you are building a large addition or your local area requires it, there may be an additional fee to get the stamp of approval from a structural engineer. This usually costs $500-$1,000 per sheet. It never hurts to have a structural engineer look over blueprints for a home addition anyway, because this is a big project and you want to make sure that it is done right.

DIY considerations

• You may be able to help your architect and drafter by sketching out ideas of what you want in your addition. However, actually creating blueprints is not something that can be done by just anyone. These have to be created by a drafter and signed off on by an engineer in many cases.

References

• Craftsman Estimator Costbook, complete series year 2019.
• Latest prices found on Home Depot and other vendor Web sites.
• Literature review of DIY Web sites.