Thanks.

What I did, when I needed to make a photocopy of a pattern that was larger than 8.5 x 11 (standard paper size), I copied the pattern in 4's, or quarters. Say you want to make a copy of a... big frog. ? Photocopy the left side of the head, photocopy the right side of the head, photocopy the left side of the rest of the body, photocopy the right side of the rest of the body. Match up the four pieces of paper, scotch tape them together - and you'll have a big pattern. I tried it first by photocopying tracing paper - didn't work because the paper was so delicate it got caught in the printer. So, then I just used regular paper, and it worked fine. It may turn out kind of dark all over, so I ended up tracing the lines over (after it was photocopied) with a black sharpie pen. Then I cut out the pieces. Good luck.

None of us here were at the early meetings, or a party to any discussions or information exchanges, so we can only respond based on the normal and standard practices of the architectural profession and our experience therein. "... My in-laws made an assumption that that would be a few hundred dollars (yes, assumptions get you in trouble). Just seems shady not to mention exactly, or at least ballpark, how much the construction plans would cost..." I don't know why or how they could have made such an assumption, but given the amount of work actually required that sort of thinking is simply and completely unreasonable. Look at the itemized scope of services provided in your description above. How could that be provided for "a few hundred dollars"? That means someone at a $100/hr billing rate would spend up to three hours to complete your project! Does that sound reasonable? Or even remotely possible? So far as I can see from this thread, there was nothing shady, unethical or unusual about the contract arrangements or sums. There was an initial phase to create a design, "to the owner's satisfaction", for a modest sum of $3,000. As a retired architect, I would have never used the term "to the owner's satisfaction" (since I well know how often consumers can change their minds over the smallest, often inconsequential, issue), and I would not have used a fixed sum, but an hourly rate, so that the owners had a share in the responsibility for how long the design phase took. So in this phase, the owners really got a bargain, and to their advantage. The fact that your MIL is "hooked" on the design suggests your family got their money's worth and what they were hoping for. Having a separate, fixed fee for the necessary detailed construction drawings and specifications is a good (and normal) practice. The list of items covered in the description above is very thorough and complete; it's far more than many residential architects, designers and drafters ever provide! The fee for these services is reasonable and may actually be low, if separate engineering design, drawings and calculations, or other services, are required by the local jurisdiction. As proposed, your family will receive a much more thorough and complete set of documents for bidding and construction than is the norm. As a result, the quality of construction and lasting value should be significantly higher than normal. You are concerned about why the costs for services weren't itemized up front. It's a reasonable concern. As you describe, the architect said there would be an initial charge for the first phase (design) and a subsequent charge for services to complete the project. Until the schematic design of the house was complete and approved, the architect had no way of knowing the scope and extent of time and services required to prepare and complete the construction drawings and specifications. It would be like trying to determine if something was bigger than a bread basket and/or flatter than a pancake. How would anyone know the scope and complexity of the house (and the amount of time to prepare and complete the required construction drawing and specifications) until the owners had first approved a design? If you buy a ready-made plan from one of the Internet plan factories, you will thereafter have to spend money to have the plan adapted to your family's needs; you will have to have pay for a foundation design to fit your specific site; you will have to pay for the necessary engineering structural services; for the creation of systems plans--HVAC; electrical, lighting, signal and controls; plumbing, etc. Your local jurisdiction may have other special requirements to be addressed, i.e., seismic or hurricane forces, etc. All of these are included in the services the architect has proposed. I'm very sorry that this situation has occurred and that your family feels wronged or misled. But, as far as I can tell, the total costs are reasonable, and actually less than normal in many areas, for the extent of services provided. I know this is likely not what you want to hear at this point, but it is a fair and reasonable response to the situation which has been described. I sincerely wish you and your family good luck with your project.

How large is very large? Large prints can be framed but yes, custom framing is very expensive. I think about the largest pre-made frame you can get for poster prints is 27" x 40". We had a custom frame made for a print that was just an inch larger than could fit in that size poster frame, and it was $226, no mat. I bet a print shop could scan the blueprints and print them. In other words, make a color copy. Engineering prints are very affordable. Then you wouldn't have to worry about the blueprint degrading. And they could even be printed smaller to fit in poster frames to save on budget? Just a thought. Many DIY framing options are compatible with today's trends. Here's a DIY frame that didn't even use power tools: DIY large scale picture frame.