Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Home Design & Residential Drafting

Accudrafters provides residential design and drafting for custom homes, casitas and ADUs, additions, remodels, kitchens, bathrooms, existing-condition plans, contractor support, 3D visualization, and coordinated permit-review drawing packages for defined residential scopes.

Yes. Accudrafters develops custom homes around the property, the household, room relationships, circulation, exterior character, outdoor living, garage and storage needs, future flexibility, and the agreed project scope rather than requiring the owner to begin with a stock plan.

Drafting converts design and technical information into clear drawings. Residential design also involves planning how the home should function, relate to the site, look, and develop through owner decisions. Accudrafters combines residential design judgment with coordinated drafting rather than treating the work as simple drawing production.

Not every residential project requires an architect. Requirements depend on the project, jurisdiction, building type, scope, and any professional services required by law or the reviewing authority. Accudrafters defines its residential design and drafting scope in writing and coordinates separate licensed professional work when required.

The client or contractor hires and pays the engineer directly. Accudrafters can refer engineers but does not hire them or mark up their fees. Incorporating supplied engineering documents into the permit-review set, including related drawing adjustments within the unchanged agreed scope, is included in the fixed fee. The engineer remains responsible for the engineered work. The client or contractor hires and pays surveyors, soils specialists, civil engineers, septic designers, and other outside consultants directly. Incorporating their supplied documents and related recommendations into the drawings is included in the fixed fee when the agreed project scope remains unchanged. Consultants normally participate before the permit-review set is submitted.

When required for additions, new homes, or casitas, ResCheck is included at no additional charge unless the jurisdiction requires credentials Accudrafters does not possess. In that case, the client or contractor hires and pays the appropriately credentialed energy professional directly; incorporating the supplied energy documents is included at no additional charge.

Incorporating supplied HOA or architectural review committee requirements into the design is included in the fixed fee. The client or contractor handles the application and presentation. If Jim must attend a meeting in Central New Mexico, attendance is $115 per hour with a two-hour minimum, with fees agreed before work begins. Approval remains the reviewing organization's decision and is not guaranteed.

Engineering needs depend on the structure and site. Examples can include unusual spans or structural conditions, wall bracing requiring engineering, certain foundation conditions, engineered retaining systems, and rooms with ceiling heights exceeding 10 feet. The jurisdiction and engineer determine the final requirements.

It means the agreed Accudrafters drawing package is organized so the contractor or client can submit it for permit review, subject to the written scope and any separate required professional documents, reports, forms, fees, or jurisdiction-specific information. It is not a guarantee that a permit will be approved without review comments.

The client or contractor submits and tracks the permit application and pays permit fees. Accudrafters prepares the agreed permit-review drawing package but does not pull permits.

Jurisdiction-requested corrections within the original agreed scope are included at no additional Accudrafters charge through permit approval. If the reviewer requires engineering, the client or contractor hires and pays the engineer directly; integrating the supplied engineering documents and making related in-scope drawing adjustments remain included in the fixed fee. There is no numerical limit on design revisions within the agreed scope before the client approves the design for working drawings. After that approval, client- or contractor-requested design changes are $115 per hour with a two-hour minimum. Additional fees are agreed with the client before work begins.

Accudrafters publishes fixed-fee pricing for clearly defined residential scopes. The applicable fee depends on the project type, size, complexity, site conditions, and required deliverables. When a project falls outside a published scope, Accudrafters defines the fee in writing before the added work begins.

Published pricing helps homeowners and contractors understand likely design and drafting cost before committing to a project. The written scope identifies what is included, what is excluded, and when an adjustment would be required.

Useful starting information includes the property address or lot location, survey or site information if available, approximate square footage, room wish list, garage needs, photographs, sketches, examples of architectural character you like, HOA requirements, desired timeline, and any known permit constraints.

A specific lot provides the most useful basis for site-aware custom-home design because access, orientation, setbacks, drainage, views, utilities, topography, and other site conditions can influence the plan. If you are still evaluating properties, preliminary design conversations can help identify what information to compare before purchase.

Yes, when the source material can be used appropriately and the requested scope is clearly defined. A stock plan still needs to be evaluated against the property, local requirements, owner priorities, structural needs, and any changes that affect the original design.

Yes. Accudrafters can provide client-viewer access and 3D views as part of the defined process so owners can evaluate massing, rooflines, room relationships, cabinetry, outdoor living, and other design decisions while changes are still practical.

Projects typically move from scope definition and existing or site information into design development, online progress meetings, selections, client review, and then the agreed working-drawing phase. Clients receive a formatted selection sheet, a shared Dropbox project folder, and client-viewer access as applicable to the scope.

A down payment can start the process. Ideally, the signed agreement and available property information are provided at the same time. Additional fees are agreed with the client before added work begins.

For projects under $2,000, payment is 50% down and 50% at completion. For projects of $2,000 or more, payment is 70% down, 15% at the start of working drawings, and 15% at completion. Completion for Accudrafters purposes means delivery of the agreed drawing scope to the point the client or contractor can submit it for permit review, rather than permit approval or construction completion.

Manufacturers, model numbers, materials, and finishes are recorded in the selection sheet and applicable drawing schedules to the extent the client or contractor provides them. Contractor pricing remains the contractor's responsibility.

There is no numerical limit on design revisions within the agreed scope before the client approves the design for working drawings. After that approval, client- or contractor-requested design changes are $115 per hour with a two-hour minimum. Additional fees are agreed with the client before work begins.

Yes. Contractor input can be valuable for measure-up assistance, redlines, constructability, pricing feedback, field information, and coordination. Accudrafters keeps the owner, contractor, and drawing scope aligned so informal field changes do not become accidental redesign.

Phone and email clarification of the drawings during construction is included in the fixed fee. Photographs, email, and phone conversations usually resolve questions without a site visit. When a site visit is required, it is $115 per hour with a four-hour minimum, with fees agreed before the visit. Construction supervision, inspections, and certification of contractor work are excluded. Discussion of material or product substitutions is included. Resulting client- or contractor-requested drawing changes after design approval for working drawings are $115 per hour with a two-hour minimum, with fees agreed before work begins.

Qualified participating contractors may receive contractor pricing under Accudrafters' current program when they actively support the process, including measure-up participation, redlines, and project communication. The contractor may keep that discount or pass it to the client as a value-added benefit, subject to the current written terms.

Yes. Existing-condition documentation can be included as its own service or as part of an addition or remodel scope. The amount of field documentation required depends on how much of the existing structure must be understood for the proposed work.

Yes. Accudrafters designs primary suites, offices, accessibility improvements, decks, whole-house reconfigurations, specialty spaces, kitchens, bathrooms, and other residential additions and remodels. Existing structure, roof geometry, foundations, circulation, utilities, and setbacks can all affect the design.

Yes. Accudrafters provides site-specific casita and ADU design, including custom compact layouts, site-fit planning, permit-review drawings, and coordination of the information required by the defined project scope. Albuquerque property conditions and current zoning requirements should be checked before the design is treated as final.

Yes. A City plan can be evaluated as a starting point when appropriate, but a public plan does not eliminate property-specific work such as site fit, setbacks, utilities, grading or drainage, structural information, owner changes, and permit coordination.

Accudrafters primarily serves Albuquerque and Central New Mexico, including Rio Rancho, Los Lunas, Tijeras and the East Mountains, along with other nearby communities and project locations that fit the firm's residential scope.

Yes. Rural and mountain projects often require extra attention to access, grade, drainage, utilities, septic or well conditions, easements, vegetation, views, weather exposure, and consultant information. Site-specific constraints are treated as design inputs rather than afterthoughts.

Third-party professional fees, truss design, permit fees, HOA fees, impact or review fees, utility fees, and contractor bids are separate. When required for additions, new homes, or casitas, ResCheck is included at no additional charge unless the jurisdiction requires credentials Accudrafters does not possess. In that case, the client or contractor hires and pays the appropriately credentialed energy professional directly; incorporating the supplied energy documents is included at no additional charge. Phone and email clarification of the drawings during construction is included in the fixed fee. Photographs, email, and phone conversations usually resolve questions without a site visit. When a site visit is required, it is $115 per hour with a four-hour minimum, with fees agreed before the visit. Construction supervision, inspections, and certification of contractor work are excluded. Accudrafters does not guarantee permit, appraisal, lender, or HOA approval.

Timelines and current availability are discussed directly with each client. Accudrafters does not publish duration ranges or promise an exact timeline. Client availability and responsiveness, contractor redlines, engineering, other consultants, and jurisdiction review can affect progress and are outside Accudrafters' control.

The client or contractor submits and tracks the permit application and pays permit fees. Accudrafters prepares the agreed permit-review drawing package but does not pull permits. Jurisdiction-requested corrections within the original agreed scope are included at no additional Accudrafters charge through permit approval. If the reviewer requires engineering, the client or contractor hires and pays the engineer directly; integrating the supplied engineering documents and making related in-scope drawing adjustments remain included in the fixed fee. Phone and email clarification of the drawings during construction is included in the fixed fee. Photographs, email, and phone conversations usually resolve questions without a site visit. When a site visit is required, it is $115 per hour with a four-hour minimum, with fees agreed before the visit. Construction supervision, inspections, and certification of contractor work are excluded. Discussion of material or product substitutions is included. Resulting client- or contractor-requested drawing changes after design approval for working drawings are $115 per hour with a two-hour minimum, with fees agreed before work begins.