Architectural Designers near you

Most mandates fall into a handful of categories. Some homeowners need a complete design from scratch; others already know what they want and only need drawings that a permit office and a contractor can work from.

The limits come from provincial law and are explained in more detail on our architects page. In short, Ontario's Architects Act exempts, among others, houses of up to three storeys with one dwelling unit, or two attached units each built directly on grade, and independent designers who draw them must be qualified and registered with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which issues a Building Code Identification Number (BCIN). In Quebec, the Ordre des architectes du Québec explains that a detached single-family house stays exempt if, after the work, it has no more than two storeys, one basement level and a total gross floor area under 600 square metres, with a limit of 300 square metres for semi-detached and row houses and small buildings of up to four units.

Engineering is a separate question. Removing a load-bearing wall, adding a storey, cutting a large opening, underpinning or building on poor soil usually calls for a structural engineer's design, whoever draws the rest. Municipalities may also ask for an engineer's seal on specific elements such as engineered beams, retaining walls or foundations, so ask the permit office early what it will require for your project.

In Quebec, most plans for houses within the exemptions are drawn by technologists in architecture, often trained in a college architectural technology program, and by drafting services. Some technologists belong to the Ordre des technologues professionnels du Québec and use the title technologue professionnel; others work independently or inside a builder's office. The Ordre des architectes du Québec has also consulted on a regulation to share certain activities reserved to architects with professional technologists, so the rules can evolve: ask each professional what they're authorized to sign and confirm with your municipality.

Each municipality publishes its own checklist, and the set for a small deck is far thinner than the one for a new house. Most residential sets, though, are assembled from the same kinds of sheets.

Once the set is submitted, a plans examiner reviews it for completeness and for compliance with the building code and the zoning bylaw. Receiving a list of comments asking for missing details, clarifications or corrections is normal, not a sign of a bad designer. Agree in advance whether the designer's fee covers answering those comments and resubmitting, because an incomplete or unclear file almost always slows the permit down.

Decide early who deals with the municipality. Many designers file the application and answer the examiner on your behalf, which keeps technical questions with the person who drew the plans. If you apply yourself, keep the designer available for revisions, and make sure any change decided on site, such as a moved window or a different beam, appears in revised drawings before the building inspector's next visit.

The quality of the drawings depends heavily on what you bring to the first meeting. A designer who has to guess will draw something generic, and every round of changes after that costs time.