Site Plans for addition; Am i getting ripped off?

[RoninGT]

Site Plans for addition; Am i getting ripped off?

I'm having plans drawn for some remodeling and addition work i will have done. The plan calls for a 3 car garage in the backyard, a connection between the garage and the house, and closing in the carport to create a great-room.

Square footage wise it is about 700-800 for the garage, and about 300 for the carport and the connection.

They are charging me $1500 for the architectual drawing, and the engineering drawings. This breaks down to:

Two permit drawings $1100​

Site Plan $200​

Energy Calculations $200​

Now i find out that i need to have a topographic survey done. None of the survey companies want to do the topographic without doing a boundary survey. I have an old, but valid boundary survey, but they say they want to do their own. The company that did the boundary survey no longe excists.

So basically now i find out it will cost me another $600 in addition to the $1500. I feel like i'm getting ripped off. They architects must have known how much a boundary and topographic survey would cost, and that is why they gave me a low ball offer.

Am i wrong with feeling ripped off, or is this cost in line with standards in South-west florida? (Tampa)

Thank you,

 

[glennjanie]

Welcome to the Forum RoninGT:
Florida has been the home of so many real estate and development scams, not to mention the hurricane repair scams. The state and the counties are trying to protect you but it costs a tremendous amount for protection. I don't think the Mafia would charge that much.
Yes, you probably are being ripped off but when you check with the local code inspector you will most likely find it is all required.
Glenn

 

[AS Construction]

Are they full plans and specifications for the room additions including foundation, elevations, room layout, and plot plan.

 

[Timber Creek]

I can't speak for Florida, but that is in line with what we are paying locally for similar work. Meeting local government codes in the permit phase can be very expensive. The survey company assumes some liability if they mess up and problems arise later based on property line encroachment, etc. That is likely why they require the boundary check. I would ask them that question specifically if you haven't already.

 

[[email protected]]

Code requirements vary greatly by locality; however, your local building inspector"s office can advise you of the specific requirements as well as give you some "unauthorized" indications as to whether the prices you have been quoted are in line with comparable projects in your particular area. Once you get through the prelinaries, www.renovationconsultants.net offers some good FREE advice on avoiding contractor scams.

 

[Jaybird VuCE]

The company that is providing the topographic survey does not have to do the boundary survey; however, they are probably trying to protect their company from a lawsuit if something is wrong. As long as the property is marked by valid physical property markers that they can confirm are valid, they should not have to provide the entire boundary survey. They should just need something to tie-in to. You can check the state law by contacting the Bureau of Professional Licenses in Florida to determine if a topographic survey requires a full boundary survey. A topographic survey is one type of survey that does not require a licensed surveyor in some states, however, it usually requires a licensed engineer to seal the drawing. In any case, the rip-off is usually occurring at the municipal level. While the municipality is trying to protect their resident's interest, the business has become such a money maker that they have just become greedy. The permit and inspection fees are usually way out of line with the service provided. The inspector isn't liable for anything they miss and are usually held harmless in court.