In the spring of 2024, I started on a project to add a porch to the front of my house. Sitting in a rocking chair and watching the world pass would be nice.
My first step was to find an architect to draw plans. I could get comparable contractor bids for the desired structure and materials using plans. Also, I wanted somebody with the knowledge to tie the porch into my roof.
I used Angi.com to search for an architect. The only local listing was Tucker Architects. Reading the reviews, I felt a low risk working with them.
I returned a call to Bill Tucker within a day. He recommended getting my lot surveyed and corners marked before proceeding to design.
I took until the end of July to complete the survey work. We had some interesting findings.
My lot is zoned R1, which requires a 30-foot setback for the front of my building. In 195o, when Chatham Village was platted, Marion Street was 30 feet wide, and the build line was 30 feet from the property line. The first house on the street was built in 1950.
In 1953, VDOT took 5 feet from the front of my property, making Marion Street 40 feet wide. My house was built in 1955 with the original build line. All the houses on the street line up on that build line. Chatham Village was platted again in 1953 with the new road width.
My deed references the 1950 plat. That’s a different story.
The map drawn from the survey has a 24.9-foot setback, and part of my water meter is not on my property.
After finding my zoning, I reviewed the Stafford Code to determine the possibilities. Porches and decks are considered encroachments rather than buildings. I have 6 feet from the front of my building for either, excluding steps. Encroachments must be at least 14 feet from the property line.
While researching the Stafford Code, I found the auto body shop at the end of the street is zoned M1, and I found the property line of that lot. Zoning M1 is for businesses that do not impact the property values of the adjoining residential lots. They have parked up to 15 cars in front of their store, mainly on VDOT property, some without current registrations. Until now, I’ve been too nice.
Tucker gave good advice on surveying the lot before working on the design.
I was comfortable with the six-foot restriction, and Bill came over on August 13 to review the project.
As part of the meeting, I discussed my desires. I showed him a few houses on the street that had porches. I wanted a cement porch with a brick wrap, railing, and a gable roof. When I asked, he gave me an estimate of $50,000 for construction. That was more than I wanted to spend, but I continued the discussion. He spent an hour at the meeting, measuring the house and looking at the rafters in the attic.
Finally, he presented me with his Description of Services agreement. The document described the four phases of their services: Preliminary Design, Preliminary Pricing, Construction Drawings, and Construction Process. The document indicated their hourly rates and expected percentage for the phases: 35%, 30%, 30% and 5%. It did not indicate the expected hours to complete their work on the project. It was a simple design. I asked him for the expected hours they would spend on the project. His estimate was 25 to 30 hours. I was OK for him to continue.
Looking at my house and the other houses on the street, he should have realized that a $50,000 porch would not make economic sense. I wish he would have talked me in another direction.
Overnight, I reconsidered adding a $50,000 porch onto a house I bought for $150,000 in 2021. Even with inflation, I assume my home is worth about $180,000. All the other properties on the street are of the same value.
The following morning, I called Tucker and changed my mind about the structure. Telling them to change to a composite material structure with a shed roof. Bill had taken a photo of another porch on the street that I wanted to copy. I assumed that this change would bring the construction cost to $20,000. I asked and confirmed that they had not started on the project.
Around the end of September, I received a set of drawings. Some of the features I requested were not on the drawing, nor was there a description of the materials. I assumed he did not take good notes at our initial meeting.
I called and asked for those changes. Bill called back on his cell with a poor connection. We discussed the changes.
Around the end of October, I received a set of drawings that included the changes. These drawings were sufficient to get a contractor estimate and were their deliverables at 65% completion of the design process. However, they spent 29.75 hours to complete the work, 100% of estimated hours. Looks like they are poor estimators of their skills.
I’m not sure if they use automated drawing software. The requested changes should not have taken an additional 11 hours. Their drawings were of good quality.
I sent the drawings to a contractor friend who built my shed for an estimate. About a week later, he returned a $28,000 estimate. A number still higher than economically sensible. I asked this contractor, what if I built a deck rather than a porch. He told me that would cut the cost in half. Also, any deck builder could do the required drawings for the construction permits, and I would no longer need Tucker.
At the end of the year, I took Tucker’s drawings of my current structure. I drew my deck idea using my skills, a T-square, and a drafting board.
I went on Angi.com to find deck builders and found three with good reviews. I sent the drawing, a picture of the front of my house, and a description of my requirements to the three of them and my contractor friend.
My contractor friend did not return a bid. One returned a low bid and wanted me to do some leg work. He seemed desperate for work. The other two gave me bids in the same expected ballpark.
On January 7, I signed an agreement with Stoneridge Outdoor Living and should have a deck built sometime this spring. I’ll provide a review of them when the project is complete.
In Summary:
Tucker gave good advice on surveying the lot before working on the design.
Looking at my house and the other houses on the street, he should have realized that a $50,000 porch would not make economic sense. I wish he would have talked me in another direction.
Around the end of September, I received a set of drawings. Some of the features I requested were not on the drawing, nor was there a description of the materials. I assumed he did not take good notes at our initial meeting.
Around the end of October, I received a set of drawings that included the changes. These drawings were sufficient to get a contractor estimate and were their deliverables at 65% completion of the design process. However, they spent 29.75 hours to complete the work, 100% of estimated hours. Looks like they are poor estimators of their skills.
I’m not sure if they use automated drawing software. The requested changes should not have taken an additional 11 hours. Their drawings were of good quality.
After the $28,000 estimate to build, I wish Tucker would have talked me out of a porch addition at our initial meeting. I would have been happy to pay him for the time he spent.