Small Project Design

Another issue that I have encountered is people purchasing Plans online??? Again,, there are some of us who are "stamping" those plans. In NYS, an Architect seal or PE seal is required on almost all renovations and certainly all homes regardless of size....even here in Honduras, homes require a seal but there are always the lower life forms out there that are sealing them. I literally just had to turn down a project because the folks said that it would be cheaper to buy the plans online and if they are not willing to pay for the preliminaries, then what happens at construction supervision?.  I even offered them an embarrassingly low preliminary design cost. Yes, a lot of this is the ignorance of the client..to buy plans online to build in a foreign country ???!!!!  I have tried all the arguments and explanations regarding education, guarantees etc but to no avail,

In answer to the folks offering the classes at the convention....Do you have scholarships available for those of us who cannot afford to come or to pay for the virtual????? I know of several private organizations not nearly as lofty as the AIA who regularly provide scholarships to those who need them.
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Jeannie Belove AIA
Principal
Jeannie Belove, AIA
Miami FL
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Jeanne:

I have had several clients opped to buy plans ...even from "name architects" .  On all occasions they returned to me after the builder started building following the bought plans only to find out the dimensions were wrong, the details didn't work and they could not build from the plans. So when they have to hire me to rescue them, the price goes up.  It is never a good deal to buy plans because the design is never for the property the homeowner just purchased.  Another way to think of it is that sooner or later you may get a remodeling job when the homeowner finds out the house really doesn't fit their needs.

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Ann Dunning AIA
President
Ann M. Dunning, AIA, Inc.
Chagrin Falls OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-22-2013 13:10
From: Jeannie Belove
Subject: The AIA (cont) and the Convention


Another issue that I have encountered is people purchasing Plans online??? Again,, there are some of us who are "stamping" those plans. In NYS, an Architect seal or PE seal is required on almost all renovations and certainly all homes regardless of size....even here in Honduras, homes require a seal but there are always the lower life forms out there that are sealing them. I literally just had to turn down a project because the folks said that it would be cheaper to buy the plans online and if they are not willing to pay for the preliminaries, then what happens at construction supervision?.  I even offered them an embarrassingly low preliminary design cost. Yes, a lot of this is the ignorance of the client..to buy plans online to build in a foreign country ???!!!!  I have tried all the arguments and explanations regarding education, guarantees etc but to no avail,

In answer to the folks offering the classes at the convention....Do you have scholarships available for those of us who cannot afford to come or to pay for the virtual????? I know of several private organizations not nearly as lofty as the AIA who regularly provide scholarships to those who need them.
-------------------------------------------
Jeannie Belove AIA
Principal
Jeannie Belove, AIA
Miami FL
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