QUESTION: Will you wear a mask when visiting my home for an estimate and maintain social distancing?
ANSWER: Yes.
QUESTION: What is Blue Spade’s license number?
ANSWER: 1068374
QUESTION: What type of insurance does Blue Spade have?
ANSWER: In addition to the minimum $15,000 bond requirement by the California State License Board (CSLB), Blue Spade also has a $2,000,000 commercial general liability policy that covers construction/remodel related damage to your property and workers compensation insurance that covers injuries to workers at your property.
QUESTION: Do I need to have architectural and structural plans to get a building permit?
ANSWER: It depends on what type of construction you are doing. Construction such as additions, changing any load bearing walls, adding or changing locations of your exterior windows and doors, any construction involving new foundations, or other major construction will likely require plans or *blueprints* to be drawn up before submitting to the city. We can draft architectural plans for you in-house for a quick turn-around and we will coordinate with the engineer(s) and obtain Title 24 energy calculations.
QUESTION: How long does it take to get a building permit?
ANSWER: It depends on which city you are applying for the permit. Some cities take a week or two, some other cities take a month or two. It also depends how many corrections/comments the city requires after the first permit submittal. After submitting plans for a permit, the city will review your plans and will almost always require corrections. When the corrections are made, the plans must be resubmitted a second time. Sometime, the city may have additional corrections which may require a third resubmittal. Each submittal may require weeks or months of wait time depending on the city.
QUESTION: What is the typical process to obtain a permit to build an addition to my house?
ANSWER: Assuming you have an idea of the size of your addition, I will take physical measurements of your property, conduct a quick code check to see what the setback minimums, height maximums, etc, then draw up the plans in CAD. After the plans are drawn in CAD, I will send the plans to the engineer to design the structural plans (can take up to 3-4 weeks). A soils engineer may also be required depending on the city/county. Once the structural plans are completed, I will combine all of the plans into a package which will be submitted to the building/planning department. Once the building/planning department approves the permit (which can take up to a few months), construction can begin.
QUESTION: How are the material costs calculated?
ANSWER: I am very flexible when it comes to material costs. Some homeowners want to buy the materials themselves because they can use their own credit card to get cashback rewards and some homeowners don’t want to get involved with buying because they don’t have the time; either way is fine with me. If you choose to buy the materials yourself but want me to pickup or return your materials, then I will charge extra for my time. If you want me to buy and handle the materials, then I will charge $150 per pickup within the South Bay. Most local material suppliers and distributors (including Lowes and Home Depot) offer delivery service for around $85 – $200 per delivery.