A guide to
Hiring a designer for renovation or home building permits
Learn about what your options are and how to find and chose the right designer for your creating and completing your residential construction permits
Whether you are completing a renovation, home addition, or custom home building project, you will need to hire a designer to complete the Computer Aided Design (CAD) for how you intend on manipulating your current home or property to achieve your renovation or home build. There are many questions that are asked and terms that people have not heard before when working through this process, and this guide aims to help give a comprehensive view of the topic.
Topic #1: Hire a Building Code Identification NUmber (BCIN) Designer VERSUS AN ARCHITECT
Many times when home owners and real estate investors start the process of getting a permit for a construction project, they assume that an architect is the only option. In Ontario that isn’t true, there is a subset of people that hold a BCIN, or Building Code Identification Number, which allows them to submit permit drawings on behalf of home owners and real estate investors, along with helping with the design of the new home or space.
This means your options of obtaining a permit rest between either hiring a BCIN Designer or an Architect.
Now we don’t have any preference over either option, as both lead to the same result (a building permit), but there is some key information that should be noted about either option that you should arm yourself with before making a decision.
For BCIN Designers, the activation energy to obtaining your BCIN number is relatively low (passing a few exams that test you on the Building Code, House Envelope, and Ethics), which means that the market is more saturated and usually the cost to hire a BCIN designer is less than an architect’s fees. Now this isn’t always true, as we know of many BCIN designers that can charge the same (if not higher) rates as architects, but for the most part you will expect to pay less while working with a BCIN designer. Now there is something to be said about the decreased cost, because if you are not careful you will get what you pay for when hiring a BCIN designer. Often times, BCIN designers do not have the same skills as an architect with CAD or BIM (building information management) software, and will lead to drawings that lack enough detail which may lead to confusion once the construction commences. Again it is important to evaluate their credentials and portfolio before trying to save a quick buck.
For Architects, they have gone through accredited training through a college program and thus have been proven to carry a minimum set of skills that will allow them to provide detailed drawings for your residential construction project. It is important to find an Architect that specializes in residential design, and again you should be reviewing their portfolio to ensure they have the experience to complete your design and permit submission properly. One of the key things that separates a BCIN designer from an architect is the detail that is shown on the construction drawings, 9 times out of 10 an architect will provide more detail and be able to provide a clearer picture of what your new space will look like. If you have trouble visualizing spaces an architect might be the way to go.
Since BVM Contracting is designer agnostic, we have a group of both BCIN designers and Architects to choose from that we refer to you once we figure out your needs for the design. Just like choosing a renovation company or home builder, it is important to evaluate your designer to make sure they will work well with you and be able to deliver and execute your ideas.
Topic #2:Structural Engineers doubling as permit submission agents
Another commonly-used avenue that we have had some of our clients use is going the route of hiring a structural engineer for doing the CAD drawings and submission of the drawings to your municipality. Sometimes Structural Engineers have their BCIN and are able to submit, along with providing the necessary structural detail for the project.
The nice thing about using a structural engineer to submit permits is it cuts out the need to hire a third party structural engineer (that BCIN designers and architects have to do) to provide the structural details and Professional Engineering stamp.
Topic #3: Hire a designer that has worked in your municipality before (and recently), or even exclusively
We have noticed this as an issue recently with some home owners hiring someone from outside Toronto to do permits for their Toronto project. Every time we deal with these designers they miss key steps in the process, most importantly the zoning review (see Topic 6 below). What also happens is these designers do not understand timelines the same way that a local designers would, and especially if you need a permit for a certain date this becomes an issue. Designers from other municipalities also do not understand the information that is sometimes needed (or not needed) during a permit submission, which can substantially delay the process of receiving a permit.
This is why you should 100% be asking your potential designers about not only their portfolio, but also about how much work they have done in your municipality, or better yet neighbourhood/area.
Topic #4: Make sure you are comparing apples to apples when evaluating a designer’s Fee Proposal
When evaluating a BCIN Designer, Architect, or Structural Engineer’s fee proposal, it is important to ask the following questions:
Does the fee proposal include an estimated amount of disbursements for permit submission fees?
Does the fee proposal include an amount for structural engineering design and HVAC design (if needed, all new home builds and home additions will need both of these. Some renovations won’t need either but discuss with your General Contractor to be sure)?
Does the fee proposal include a soil/footing analysis (for home additions only, this is very important and some designers tend to leave this out to look more competitive even though it is absolutely needed)?
Is the designer providing phased invoicing/draws for the design process? I.e. deposit draw, preliminary design draw, zoning review draw, permit submission draw, and receipt of permits draw?
What is the likelihood of needing to go to Committee of Adjustment (C of A) for our proposed plans, and what would the cost be to go to C of A?
Will the designer represent you at C of A or will you need to hire an outside consultant? What is the charge for that?
Will there need to be any further costs associated with submitting permits? Like costs associated with dealing with Ravine Protection, Tree Protection, etc.?
Topic #5: Talk to your neighbours about your plans to renovate or build
A big mistake that home owners make when completing substantial renovations or home building projects is thinking that it doesn’t matter what their neighbours think. In fact, if you go to Committee of Adjustment your neighbours will have the ability to provide their support or disapproval of your said plans, so if your designer has any doubts that you may need to go to Committee of Adjustment, you should be trying to communicate as best as you can to try to win over your neighbours.
And even if there is no chance that your project will need to go to Committee, it is just a nice heads up to give your neighbour before the work commences, it will go a long way in your relationship with them.
Topic #6: If your Municipality has a “Zoning Review” step in the building permit process, use it!
If you live in Toronto or any other municipality that has separated the zoning review from the building code review, it is beneficial to submit your plans for zoning review first, THEN for building code review. What this will allow you to do as a home owner is “test” your proposed design against the zoning bylaws in your neighbourhood and ensure that your design has no variances or only minor variances before proceeding with the design. Since many minor variances can can adjusted you can take the time during the zoning review to reformat your design to fit within the zoning bylaws, or proceed to submit your plans for a C of A hearing knowing that you will likely get approved. It allows you to challenge your designer early on in the process to conform to the bylaws as best as they can while trying to execute on your renovation or home building wishlist.
Conclusion
It is important to do your due diligence for a designer in the same way you should do your due diligence for a General Contractor. Hiring a designer doesn’t cost nearly as much money as your renovation or home building project, but if you hire the right designer that works with you instead of against you then they will be able to work with your construction budget to ensure that you are not blowing your budget! The planning process is the most important part of any construction project, so make sure you hire a team who will take it seriously on both the design and home building side!
About BVM COntracting
BVM Contracting is a full-service General Contractor or Home Builder located in Toronto. We provide home renovation and building services for major home renovations (kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, basement renovations, full interior renovations, home additions, lot severances, and new home construction). Our goal is to help guide our clients through the process of renovating their home, from concept to completion.
Further than providing General Contracting and Project Management for major home renovations, we also offer value-added services such as renovation financing, renovation rebate consultations and services, building permit and design services, smart home installation services, and real estate investor services.
To learn more about our offering by visiting our services page.