Often people ask “After I receive my blueprints, what else do I need before I can start building?” We provide complete Architectural Blueprints (house plans), but these should be considered part of a set of construction documents.
After receiving your blueprints, both the floors and the roofs will need to be engineered. This is typically done by the supplier of the floors and roofs, and is included as part of their service, typically without additional fees.
There are times when an engineer will also need to provide additional information. The building code requires engineering on certain building elements. These include things such as concrete pilings, laterally unsupported tall walls, and concentrated point loads.
Once these documents are collected, they should be read together as a set of construction documents. Approvals vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, with some municipalities requiring all of these documents before providing a building permit, while others require only the Architectural Prints before approval (and the rest required during inspection).
The General contractor should then collect all of these documents, along with the documentation from the window supplier showing specific window rough openings, and confirm there are no conflicts before commencing the project.