Our Design Process
Whether you're looking for residential plans or blueprints for your addition, new home, ADU, SB-9 development, or multifamily property in Los Angeles, our process is designed to streamline the journey of turning your property into an even more functional and valuable space.
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Efficiency is Key in Designing Plans in the Los Angeles area
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The key to our service is fast, quality, and friendly service. Through conversations with hundreds of property owners, we discovered what people want most from their plans designer is someone who is highly communicative and someone who creates a design that doesn't break the bank, at an affordable price, without comprising quality.
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All of which, are qualities we have truly taken to heart here as designers at Mei Li Homes. Understanding the complex nature of getting plans approved in cities across Southern California, including Los Angeles, we've invested the time to craft a process that allows us to deliver on all of these promises and more.
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Below, you will find a handy chart, that takes you through every step of our design and residential plan approval process. This is the exact same process we use when creating plans for additions, ADUs, and new homes, and how we're able to deliver the quality results that we do.
Key Milestones in our Process to Design Plans
Step #1:
Proposal & Deposit
The first step to get the process started is to sign the proposal provided to you, and complete the request for the initial deposit. Once we have received those items, the designer will schedule a site visit with you.
Step #2
Site Visit
The site visit is the best opportunity for you and the designer to discuss the desired plans. On this day, the designer will take photos, take measurements of the entire site (so please make sure all areas around the property are available), and brainstorm layouts with you.
Step #3
Selecting a Floor Plan
Following the site visit, you will receive either a 3D rendering of the proposed floor plan based on the conversation you had with the designer or the exact 2D floor plan, with dimensions, that will provided to the city. As the owner, you will have the chance to review these and make any changes that you'd like.
Step #4
Create the Plan Set
Once you approve the floor plan layout and dimensions, our designers will begin creating the full plan set that will be needed by the engineer in order for them to create the structural plans and calculations. Once the engineer completes their portion of the plans, all of the plans are put together into a single document that will be submitted to the city upon receipt of the 2nd installment.
Step #5
City Application
After receiving the next installment, Mei Li Homes will apply for the addition, new home, or Accessory Dwelling Unit in your specific city or jurisdiction, unless agreed to otherwise within your Agreement. We will handle all corrections by the city and obtain all clearances you'll need from the different departments.
Step #6
Plans are Ready to be Issued Permits (RTI)
Once all corrections are made and clearances obtained, we will secure final approval for the plans from the city. At that time, we'll reach out to you to request the final installment due, which marks the completion of the contract. At that time you'll receive a digital copy of the plans, as well as a physical copy(ies) to be stamped or with the digital stamp included (depending on your local city or jurisdiction. From there, you as an the owner are ready to go to the city and pull all the permits you need to start construction!
What is Included in the Plans
Plans, plans, plans, but what does that actually mean? Within the residential plans that you get from us, the following are items that will be included and provided to the city for approval:
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âš« Plot Plan
âš« Floor Plan
âš« Elevations
âš« Cross Sections
âš« General Roof Plan
âš« MEP Details Required for Approval
âš« Green Notes
âš« Title 24
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What is Excluded from the Design Agreement
Typically, the following services and fees fall outside of the design agreement you create with your designer, whether that be with us or anyone else. These include:
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City or Jurisdiction Fees: these are the application fees, clearance fees, and any other fees that need to be paid by the owner directly with the city.
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Third-Party Services: Fees for items such as site surveys, soils reports, and grading plans, which must be done by an applicable licensed provider are not included as part of the plans you receive. You will commonly order these directly from the 3rd party.
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Engineering Fees: Depending on the contract agreement that you sign with us or with any other designer, the fees for engineering, structural calculations, and structural observations are typically paid directly to the engineer.
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Pulling Permits: As a designer, while we can work on your behalf to get plans approved, that's the furthest legally we can take things. Pulling permits can only be done by the owner, builder, or contractor the owner designates, and is, therefore, not included in our services. We have, however, stepped in where needed to create amendments to plans after the initial permits have been pulled, which is something that is typically negotiated in an entirely new agreement.
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How Long Does It Take to Get Plans Approved?
The length of time it takes to get plans approved for an addition, ADU, or new home will depend on a variety of factors, including the type of design that you’re looking to get approved, the city that you're trying to get the design approved in, as well as site-specific factors that may add time to the approval process.
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For example, if your property is greater than 150 feet away at the curb face from a fire hydrant, your local city or jurisdiction may require you to do a fire flow test, which can add as much as 2 months to your approval process.
Another example, applicable in the city of Los Angeles, any construction within 15 feet of an LADWP easement is required to submit an encroachment application to LADWP. The LADWP typically takes anywhere from 3 – 4 months to review these, which can also lengthen the time it takes to receive approval on your plans, whether they are for an addition, Accessory Dwelling Unit, or new home.
On average, though, these are the patterns we’ve noticed, in terms of how long it takes to get plans approved for each of the following types of construction:
ADU Approvals Can Take 2 – 6 Months
In theory, the approval for an ADU in the city of Los Angeles and surrounding areas, is supposed to take no more than 2 months. We as designers here at Mei Li Homes have seen that possible in cities like Los Angeles, Arcadia, and Alhambra, assuming the property is not within a special fire zone, flood zone, nor require an encroachment application with the local utility company. (The latter can add as much as 3 – 4 months to the approval process).
Addition Approvals Can Take 1 Day – 6 Months
Yes, you heard that correctly. Most cities in the Los Angeles area offer over-the-counter permitting, which is a process through which you can bring your plans in person to the city, and get them approved and stamped that same day, so long as they fall below a certain threshold in size. Typically, this is 500 SF.
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If for some reason, you were looking to get an ADU that is larger than that or is in a city or jurisdiction that doesn’t offer over-the-counter permits, getting plans approved can in some cases take as long as 6 months, assuming you work with us as we handle all city corrections within 1 week of receiving them.
Approval of Plans for New Homes Can Take 6 – 18 Months
Lastly, receiving approval for a new home being built can take anywhere from 6 to 18 months, again depending on your city and site-specific conditions. To illustrate, if you’re looking to build a standard 3 Bed 2 Bath 1,500 SF home on a flat lot in an urban area, with easy access to utilities, the process can take as little as 6 months. Sometimes, even shorter, if you are creating the new home in conjunction with an SB–9 application.
On the other hand, if you have a hillside lot, with no utilities, on a paper road, and are looking to build a 3-story 3,000 square foot home, then you can the process to take at minimum over a year. This is largely due to all of the reports and surveys required, including but not limited to a topographical survey, a soils report, a grading plan, and more.
Fast, Quality Plans Designer in Los Angeles
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At the end of the day, how long it takes to get your plans approved will lie heavily on how quickly your designer responds. If your designer takes 14 business days to simple requests from the city, that’s 1 month of time right there, already gone.
Fortunately, that is not us. Here at Mei Li Homes, we make a point to get clearances filed and respond to city corrections within a few days, so that the process can move as quickly as possible.
To date, our average approval time for additions and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the city of Los Angeles remains 2 months, a stat we take deep pride in.
Feel free to see the results for yourself in our portfolio, and when you’re ready to get your plans started for your new home, addition, or ADU, reach out to us at contact@meilihomes.com.