Every remodel, addition, ADU, and custom home starts with a set of drawings. Where those drawings come from decides a lot about how the project goes. Plans drawn without a builder in the room tend to be either over-designed for the budget or missing the details a crew needs. Plans drawn by a builder with no design side tend to be thin.
Standard Building Company offers architectural design as part of our design-build service: concept and floor plan options, elevations, construction documents, structural engineering coordination, and the permit submittal itself, with construction pricing attached at each stage. You can also hire us for design and permitting alone and take the set to another builder, though most clients who start with us finish with us.
Design and permitting services
- As-built measurement and drawings of your existing home
- Concept sketches and floor plan options
- Exterior elevations and 3D views
- Permit sets: plans, sections, details, and notes
- Structural engineering coordination
- Energy code and mechanical compliance
- Zoning, setback, and ADU rule checks
- Permit submittal, plan review responses, and revisions
Design with a price attached
At concept, we give a cost range. At design development, we give a budget. At the permit set, we give a fixed price. Design decisions get made with the number in view, so there is no moment where a finished plan has to be cut by a third to afford it.
Permitting in Northern Colorado jurisdictions
Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, Windsor, Berthoud, Johnstown, Timnath, Wellington, and Estes Park each have their own building department, submittal requirements, and review timelines, and properties outside city limits go through Larimer or Weld County. We submit to all of them regularly and know what each one wants to see on the set, which is the difference between a two-week review and a three-round back-and-forth.
Mountain towns add design review boards, wildfire mitigation plans, and in some cases employee housing or deed restriction requirements. We build those into the schedule rather than discovering them after the design is done.
Engineering
Removing a bearing wall, adding a second story, or building on expansive clay needs a licensed structural engineer. We coordinate the engineer, provide the drawings they need, and fold their stamped sheets into the permit set so you are not managing a second consultant.
Timeline and fees
Design for a kitchen or bath runs two to four weeks. An addition or ADU runs four to eight weeks plus engineering. A whole-home remodel or custom home runs two to six months. Plan review by the jurisdiction adds two to eight weeks depending on the city and the season. Design fees are quoted as a fixed amount based on scope and, on design-build projects, are credited toward construction.
How a project runs
- 01
Walkthrough and concept
We look at the space with you, talk through what you want, measure, and flag anything that affects cost or schedule before design starts.
- 02
Design and written price
Our design side draws the plan, we price it as it is drawn, and you get a written scope and price before anything is demolished.
- 03
Permits and build
We submit the permit set, schedule every trade, protect the rest of your home, and keep you posted as the work moves.
- 04
Final walkthrough
We walk the finished work with you, close out inspections, and take care of the punch list before we call it done.
Common questions
Are you an architecture firm?
We are a design-build general contractor that provides residential architectural design and permit drawings as part of our service, with licensed engineers brought in where the code requires a stamp.
Can I hire you for drawings only?
Yes. We produce permit-ready sets for homeowners who want to bid the work out or build part of it themselves. The design fee is quoted up front.
Do you handle the permit application?
Yes. We assemble the submittal, file it, respond to plan review comments, and schedule inspections when construction starts.
What do I need to bring to the first meeting?
Ideas, photos of spaces you like, a rough budget, and if you have them, any existing drawings of your home. We measure the rest.
How long does plan review take in Loveland or Fort Collins?
Typically two to six weeks for a residential remodel or addition, longer in spring and summer when departments are busiest. We submit complete sets to avoid review rounds.
Do I need an engineer to remove a wall?
If the wall carries load, yes, and most building departments require a stamped beam calculation. We determine whether the wall is bearing during the first walkthrough.
Where we provide design & permitting
Standard Building Company is based in Loveland and provides design & permitting across Northern Colorado, including Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, Windsor, Berthoud, Johnstown, Timnath, Wellington, and Estes Park.
We also take design & permitting projects in the mountain towns of Vail, Avon, Aspen, Winter Park, Copper Mountain, and Steamboat Springs.