American HomeEngineering

The project was a Carport, not too complicated. I was hoping to have more interaction during the design phase. As a customer, to be provided with options and reasons and pros/cons of each. This way I could make an informed decision. If an option would lead to heavy construction expense, that would be welcomed info. All this well before plans are created to prevent rework. Unfortunately that did not occur. I had to "learn" all the construction methods myself and ask questions on each and do my own research through local construction companies on impact of cost. This occurred over and over again for every part of the project. Can the pillars be wood, concrete or steel? Never discussed, no options given, until continued questioning by myself. If the spans between supports is x feet, if we reduce it by y feet, you can save big dollars on the structure because x feet is not a standard size. That was never offered. I was hoping to pay for the experience of a designer to help me make those decisions, that never happened. This resulted in more iterations and cost overruns of the project well above original quote. However, in a positive note, the actual plans and engineering at the end was well done. No major problems getting permits and for that the work was very well done. If you are looking for advice on design, its not provided. However, if you have a clear and precise request on every detail, they can get the drawing and engineering stamps done well.