I have no idea maybe talk to the neighbors who used the same builder. As for the landscaping IMO that is best left to be decided after the house is at least started so it is obvious how it sits on the land then the landscape arcitect can do their own measurements and for sure have a better idea of how to do the work.

The developer/builder of your home isn't obligated to provide you with a set of plans for your home unless that is specifically outlined in your purchase agreement. If the design is a proprietary design, then they have an interest in protecting their copyright and minimizing the plans in circulation.

You really don't need the home plans to develop the landscape design. You only need a copy of the site development plan which shows the property boundaries, building setbacks, grading, the footprint of the home and driveway, etc. I don't consider that proprietary information. In fact, you can probably obtain a copy from the building dept. in your municipality. They might require you to fill out a FOIA request and pay a nominal fee, but it should be available.

They ARE proprietary - the developer owns them - so it's up to him whether or not he decides to share.

btw, in more than 20 years of landscape design, I have only had the benefit of a printed site plan, never any CAD file. It's not that big a deal to turn a site plan into a workable base map and it should not up the cost significantly.

Many developers will not share the construction drawings that they have for many reasons including liability. CAD files are even more difficult to obtain because they can be modified and then the liability is even higher.

As architects we obtain the parcel map from the city which shows the site shape and size and then we measure the house and place it on the site........the same would be true if we were landscape architects. Often when we have sloping lots we have our client hire a civil engineer to do a topographic survey which shows the house and the slopes on the lot as well as utilities, etc.

The developer paid someone to design these homes.

why would he share them? Not being unkind..but I understand his POV.

OP, why can't you use the final survey of your property that you received at closing? It would be in your closing package. If you don't have a copy of your final survey, contact your title co/closing attorney and have them send over a copy. You should keep at least one, if not more, copies of your final survey in your possession at all times.

I also agree with the above - the CAD drawings of your home belong to the builder, not you.

Denita, some states don't require a site survey when the house sells. They just use whatever old data is on file. Crazy, but true! No survey needed in CA. We had one done, with topography, after we closed because we were doing an addition, new driveways and retaining walls.

I believe it chispa. Thanks for pointing that out.

In our area it's not the seller that provides the survey and it's not the state that requires one, it is the lender that requires a survey. The main reason, I believe, is to see if there are any encroachments, easements and to clear up some title exceptions. The buyer pays for the survey. If the buyer is a cash buyer, then the survey is optional. I mention the possibility to the OP because many buyers/owners completely forget that they have a survey already in their possession IME.

a PDF with some dimensions and a scale on it should be plenty for landscape design.

A landscape architect I know visits the site with a tape and takes his own measurements. If he's ever relied on somebody else's measurements I don't remember hearing about it.

Denita Georgia doesn't require surveys either... I had my property surveyed after purchase and found out I own a little of the neighbors yard!

FWIW, I don't share my CAD files either, just the print-outs of the drawings. Here's the reason why:

Let's say you've hired me to re-design/remodel your kitchen, but you happen to live in a subdivision where multiple homes have the same basic layout. What's to stop you from sharing the design I did for you with your neighbor? If you just handed over the plans, I would not be compensated for his use of my design.

Now, I have also worked on projects where the architect is responsible for the permit set, but I've been called in to make the interior plans more detailed. It's understood that if the architect is not amenable to sharing his files, I'd have to start from scratch with a site measure, etc. Generally, we can come to an agreement so the client doesn't have to pay twice for the same information. But that's not a given.

Bottom line? Your developer does not have to share. And if he's unwilling to do so, you'll have to pay to have it done.

Just negotiate w the landscaper that they won’t charge extra to work from the plat/ site

Pay for a new topo. Most developers won't share without a disclaimer and fee IF they'll share.

The disclaimer because they're usually not accurate.

I have an alternative opinion.

1) Visit county and pull entire plan from the permitting. As long as you are the owner they will make it available to you.

2) Other ask your builder for the foundation sheet, he / she should have no issue sharing foundation page. Never heard of any builder that had an issue sharing a foundation page.

3) Visit the site during the day. There should be several copies of the plan laying around. Iphone snip snip - saved you $400.

4) Talk to your builder more seriously, tell him that you already purchasing his house, have no intention to build another like that. Just need a plan for landscaper. It is in both you and the builder interest to have a nice, well planned landscape.

5) $12 100' measure tape and you and your wife within 10 minutes can reproduce as build measures.

"$12 100' measure tape and you and your wife within 10 minutes can reproduce as build measures."

Really?? Obviously this is not a task you've taken on yourselves :-) As someone who has done this exact process literally 100's of times, it takes a whole lot longer than 10 minutes!! Depending on the size of the site, it could take several hours. And you need to know what you are doing as well.

btw, most designers/LA's charge by the hour. And they are unlikely to give their time away for free. Negotiating with them to do just that is not very likley to fly.........sorry.

I don't think the Landscape Architect needs the plans for your home as much as he/she needs the site development plan. This was likely produced by someone other than the builder. We use a local surveying firm to produce ours.

At least one of the municipalities in which we build requires a final improvements survey which includes final contours. This ensures the final grading complies with code requirements. If yours does, that would be what you'd want to furnish to the Landscape Architect. You may be able to get a copy from the permit office, even if you have to do so as a FOIA request.

Thank you to everyone for your assistance, we do appreciate the information/opinions. The conclusion is the developer will not give us the CAD site map for the Landscape Architect. The LA will be using the pdf to make his own I guess. I don't think he was trying to qualify us as he was very surprised developer wouldn't share, in his experience, it's been the norm that he gets the CAD site plan, I misspoke when I said floor plan. Anyway will be be paying as, yes, we do believe it will be money well spent so we can have the job done well the first time. Again, thanks everyone. Do take good care.