Who says clients don't pay for modeling?

[gpickren]

Jason, all of the issues you addressed were those which would be appropriate if you were to be the designer with the direct relationship with the client, not a subcontractor assisting a busy designer. The designer or contractor who goes to the site, meets the client , inspects the existing conditions, looks in the attic, and the defines the scope of the potential job so as to enter into a contract to proceed with schematics has done all the things you describe. He many even have a guy now who does his measurements for him. Depends on how busy he is.

Your job would then be to take the sketch with measurements from whoever gave it to you and draft the as-builts as I said with a as builit CAD detail underneath and return the file all ready for him to do the design. This procedure is not hard and fast and reqiures coordination with the designer/contractor who is YOUR CLIENT, not the homeowner (we are talking sub relationships here).

For example, the renderring attached below was produced from scratch with estimated meaurements. The only measurements I have any confidence on are those on the front wall the addtion is to be attached to. So to begin preliminary drawings I would prefer to start with a fresh as built to make sure I didn't miss something.

This would not be a big job for you, but it would be helpful to me if you could fit my schedule.

There could be times when I might do the interior, rough out the shell and then like to have someone detail the exterior, solve some roof details and send back to me to present to the client. For example, I am working on a job right now where there is an existing double gable with some funky partial returns which at my level of familiarity with Chief will take far more time. If I was just giving the clients a still picture I might just plant a tree or crop this out of the picture, but see the whole idea to show them the new house with its facelift, so I really need to be accurate. Since no construction will take place there I don't care if the modeling is sturcturally honest.. I just want the look.

This is why I say sometimes you just have to try it first. Jason you are coming out of a company full of engineers and an extremely anal environment. I find to put a business system you cannot follow the formula of Ready, Aim, Fire because it invariably turns into Ready, Aim ...., Aim ......Aim.... Aim. and never pull the trigger to fire. A better way is Ready, Fire, Aim, Fire. This is comparable to artillery in the pretech days. First a shot was fired to establish a starting point for correction, then the aim was adjusted until the fire was brought onto the target. It is a process of continuing retargeting and refiring.

To start you just have to take your best shot knowing in advance it won't be perfect.