Questions & Answers

A property map is a survey of the property showing boundaries, building setbacks, and easements. This is needed to determine the best position of the home and to create a site plan.

A property map is usually provided when you purchase your property. If you can’t find yours, you should be able to get it from your realtor or the real estate company who sold you the property. If not, one can be created by a land surveyor.

Since each property site is different, a site plan is needed for your particular property to illustrate to the county and your builder where you are placing your home on the site.

A Topography Survey map, (a Topo), shows the contours of the property. A Topo is needed unless your lot is on flat ground.

Building setbacks for your property will be designated on your property map and are determined by the local county, basically outlining where you have the right to build. They protect neighbors from encroaching too close to each other or restricting each other’s view lines.

IF you have an easement, (which you may not), it will be clearly stated on your property map. An easement is the legal right someone has to access a designated area for a specific limited purpose. However, the legal title to the land itself remains with the owner of the land. Most commonly, easements are granted to utility companies to run lines under parts of the property, to access a public area, or for a neighbor to have access to their property.

All Eco-Chic Designs are offered with either post & pier or slab on grade foundations.

If needed, one revision may be made for minor changes, so long as the changes are non-structural. This includes moving non-structural walls, changing kitchen and/or bathroom layouts, changing closet size/s or adding/eliminating closet/s. Since even a small change may alter all the drawings in the completed set, Eco-Chic charges a fee, plus an hourly design rate for making changes. Alternately, for simple minor changes, your general contractor can make these changes during the pre-construction phase or, if need be, during the build.

Structural changes can be made but will be charged as a semi-custom design. Structural changes include altering the footprint or size of the house, changing load-bearing walls, spans, and/or beams for windows, doors, and openings.

The following deliverables listed below are included in an Eco-Chic architectural set of plans. This completed set, with architectural specs and finishes, allows general contractors to bid and build your project more accurately than a plan with less detail.

Detailed Drawings:

• Site plan
• Floor plans
• Elevations (North, South, East, West)
• Building Sections (Longitude, Transverse)
• Reflective Ceiling Plan (CRP)
• Roof Plan
• All Interior Elevations (every wall for every room)
• Foundation Plans (Slab or Post & Pier)
• Structural Details
• Roof Framing Plan
• Basic Electrical Plan
• Wall Framing Plan
• Window and Door Schedule
• Architectural Stamp for Structural Engineering of the home

Materials & Specifications

Eco-Chic's design team carefully selected the materials, specs, and finishes based on their beauty, cost, low-maintenance, longevity, and sustainability. The style, details, and finishes for these items are all coordinated in tasteful color schemes.

• Specifications and Finishes (including styles and manufacturers, where applicable):
• Windows and Doors
• Flooring
• Cabinets
• Countertops
• Plumbing Fixtures
• Task Lighting
• Ceiling Treatments
• Energy-Efficient Appliances
• Suggested Furniture Layout
• Built-Ins (If applicable)

In Hawaii, once your ECO-CHIC site plan is approved by you and payment is made, you will receive your completed plans electronically in about two – four weeks, provided you aren’t making changes or add-ons and you don’t have additional site-specific needs.

In California, seismic engineering and wind loads need to be calculated for your specific property site. Generally, this process takes around a month.

Yes, we guarantee that all Eco-Chic plans will be approved by your local county for permit approval. If needed, we answer questions and provide any changes to drawings that the county may require until permits are approved. A small processing fee of $1,000 is charged for each permit and you will not have to deal with this time-consuming task.

We currently have a few builders that we recommend and our list is growing.

DRBs are concerned with making sure that the design, its exterior materials and colors fit in with their guidelines and uphold property values in the neighborhood. Since Eco-Chic’s designs and materials blend in beautifully with nature, we have always received approval from all DRBs and HOAs.


We’ll prepare a package consisting of your architectural design with a color board of all the exterior materials and finishes and will send them to your DRB electronically. 

Since DRBs and HOAs are all different in terms of what they require and the extent of their rules and regulations, the ease or complexity of getting approved can vary greatly. Therefore we can assist with whatever is required, at an hourly rate for our time.

The average timeline the county allows before starting to build is about one and a half years from when you get your building permits. However, you can simply get extension/s, if need be, until you’re ready to build. We believe that it’s smarter to acquire your permits and have everything you need early on because, in our experience, changes in county codes and ordinances usually get more restrictive over time. Once you have approved permits, the county cannot come back and require you to make changes to your approved plans.

Whether it’s for a luxury custom home or for an Eco-Chic design, we are asked this question regularly. The cost to build ANY home comes down to many factors. If the building site is on flat ground it’s going to cost less than if it’s on steep terrain and the foundation is off the side of a cliff. The quality and costs of the materials, specifications, and finishes can vary greatly. Location can affect costs. For example, Hawaii and California are more expensive to build than Arizona. One of the biggest factors in cost is the general contractor, how he charges and how efficient he is.

The best way to approach a budget is to determine what you can afford to spend and work backward. Eco-Chic Home Designs have been created as a more “affordable luxury” design for those who want a beautiful home that holds its higher property values.

Having said that, our design team selected materials, specifications, and finishes that met our criteria of being as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible, to be low maintenance and long lasting, to be a good quality at good value, and to be built with the strength to help withstand natural disasters.

Yes, the following add-ons are available for an additional fee. We will advise you on add-ons as well as show you on a shared screen how it will look with your design.

• Pool and Jacuzzi
• Pavilions (BBQ’s, pools, cabanas, dining, swim-up bars)
• Outdoor showers
• Carports
• Breezeways
• Extra decking