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Converting a barn into a guest house-- architect needed?

Greta Interiors
3 years ago

A friend of mine has asked me to help with the design portion of converting her barn into a guest house. Its about 1000 square feet and a very simple shape. Think a child's drawing or a Monopoly hotel. I look forward to a fun project.


We sketched out some ideas together and she met with a few architects. One bid came in at 15K just for drawings! She is in the DC metro (Virginia) area so prices are a bit on the higher side (though she is not in a close in commuter county and they tend to be a bit lower.) I could not believe this quote. We are not changing footprint in any way. She is hiring a civil engineer to do mechanical drawings and assess the stability of the structure and its not included in these costs (the building is great shape by all accounts.) I am having a hard time understanding this quote.


Technically, I don't think we would need an architect for this, but am a little hesitant to advise that. We have an excellent contractor on board and I am capable of doing renderings of the interior and exterior. I am fairly familiar with architect costs on other projects and this seems inflated. Has anyone done this sort of project before without an architect?

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