Field Notes on Design and Permitting
Written for owners, contractors, and design teams working through drawing sets, plan review, and permits in Florida.
Where Should a Spec Home Spend Its Finish Budget?
A spec home is built to sell, so every finish is judged by a stranger in a listing photo. Here is how to rank the rooms that earn the budget, what REALTORS say matters, and where plain, durable surfaces are the better call.
Can You Open Up a Closed-Off Floor Plan in Florida?
A floor plan of small rooms can often become one open space, but the wall in the way is rarely just a wall. Here is what to confirm before demolition, what Florida condominium law adds, and how the new layout is designed to feel deliberate.
When Does a Florida Renovation Become a Whole-House Project?
Some renovations are a finish change. Others are a design problem that only looks like one. Here is how to tell which you have, what Florida's substantial improvement rule does to a large project, and why existing conditions come first.
Why Do Florida Permit Plans Come Back With Comments?
Plan review is not a verdict on your design. It is a check of a specific set against a specific code. Here is how the Florida review clock works, who controls each part of it, and the coordination that keeps a set from being sent back.
What Do Florida's Flood Rules Mean for Your Custom Home Design?
Before the floor plan is drawn, the lot has already set the elevation of the first floor. Here is how base flood elevation, freeboard, and garage slabs decide a Florida custom home, and what the drawings must show to clear permit review.
What Do ADU Plans Need to Pass Permit Review in Florida?
A downloaded floor plan is not an ADU permit set. Here is what Florida jurisdictions actually review, what Orlando and Orange County require, and how detached units, additions, and garage conversions differ in the drawings they demand.
Have a Project Waiting on Drawings?
Line Arch Design prepares permit-ready plans in Orlando and Central Florida, and remotely for clients statewide. Send the property address and what you are planning: the reply comes from the designer who would run the project.