Finished my first set of plans for a house addition after 3 years of drafting part time

I started learning AutoCAD on my own in 2019 just to draw up a shed for my backyard. Last week I finally delivered a full set of floor plans and elevations for a neighbor's kitchen and family room bump out. It took me about 30 hours across four weeks to get everything right. The inspector didn't kick back a single detail on the structural notes. I know it's small compared to the pros here, but it felt GOOD to hand those prints over. Has anyone else started drafting just for personal projects and ended up taking on small jobs for people you know?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_karen1d ago

Hey @bettywood, did you find the structural stuff as nerve racking as I did? Honestly I leaned hard on the IRC tables and double checked everything with a retired engineer neighbor, that's probably why the inspector let it slide.

bettywood1d ago

That 30 hours across four weeks sounds about right for a first real job. Did you have to do any manual calculations for the structural stuff or did you just lean on the software? I ask because the inspector not kicking anything back is basically unheard of in my experience. My neighbor tried to do his own plans once and the county made him redo the entire foundation section twice before they approved it. You must have put some serious time into checking all your numbers. How did you handle the learning curve on the engineering side?