Remodels & Renovations
Changing a house you already live in
Kitchen and bath reconfigurations, wall removals, whole-house renovations — documented well enough that three trades build the same thing.
Remodeling is constrained design. You're not choosing where the plumbing stack goes, you're working around where someone put it in 1985. The value of a good drawing set here isn't aesthetic — it's that it resolves the conflicts on paper, before a demolition crew finds them for you at an hourly rate.
What we draft
- Kitchen remodels — reconfigured layouts, island relocations, wall removals, appliance and plumbing moves
- Bathroom remodels — primary suite reworks, tub-to-shower conversions, layout changes and accessibility upgrades
- Wall removals and openings — opening up a closed floor plan, with beam sizing and load path documented
- Whole-house renovations — gut renovations and significant reconfigurations of the existing footprint
- Aging-in-place modifications — widened openings, curbless showers, circulation changes
- Repairs and structural fixes — beam and header replacements, lintel work, documented as an approvable scope
The load-bearing question
Nearly every open-concept remodel runs into it: is this wall holding something up? Answering it properly means understanding framing direction, what's bearing above, and how the roof structure works — not guessing from which way the floorboards run.
Once that's established, a load-bearing wall is rarely a dealbreaker. It becomes a beam, a pair of posts, and a load path carried down to something that can take it. What matters is that all three get drawn, sized and detailed, because that's what a plan reviewer is looking for and what a framer needs.
From a completed Orlando remodel: modifying pre-engineered trusses to extend a bonus room. Click to enlarge — more sheets here.
Interior elevations are the point
On remodels more than any other project type, the interior elevations do the heavy lifting. A floor plan tells you a vanity is on that wall. An interior elevation tells you how high the mirror sits, where the sconce boxes go, where tile stops, and how the cabinet run resolves against the window trim. Those are the decisions that get made badly on site when nobody drew them.
What we'll need from your house
Remodels are documented against measured as-builts of the existing space — accurate dimensions, ceiling heights, window and door locations, and where the existing services run. We can measure and produce those, or work from what you provide. Photographs of every wall in the affected area are enormously useful and cost you nothing.
Permitting
Structural changes, plumbing relocations and electrical alterations are permitted work throughout Central Florida. Cosmetic replacement generally isn't. The boundary between the two is set by your local building department and it does vary, so it's worth a phone call before assuming either way — we'll tell you what we expect for your jurisdiction and prepare the set accordingly.
Common questions
Can I remove this wall?
Sometimes, and the answer depends on whether it's carrying load and what's above it. Determining that requires looking at the framing direction, what's in the attic, and how the roof is structured. If a wall is load-bearing it can usually still come out — it just needs a properly sized beam and a load path down to the foundation, which is exactly what the drawings document.
Do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel?
If you're moving walls, relocating plumbing or altering electrical, effectively always. Purely cosmetic work — cabinets, counters, finishes, appliances in the same locations — often doesn't. Your building department is the authority on the line between those, and it varies by jurisdiction.
What are interior elevations and do I need them?
They're drawn views of a wall, showing exactly where cabinets, tile, fixtures, outlets and trim go. For kitchens and baths they're the difference between three trades interpreting a floor plan three ways and everyone building the same thing. For a wall removal, probably not needed.
Can you work from my designer's drawings?
Yes, and it's common. Interior designers frequently produce beautiful layout and finish documentation that isn't a permit set. We turn that into construction documents without redesigning their work.
