Process
How we work, week by week.
A typical Permit-Ready engagement runs four to six weeks. Here is what every week looks like, what you owe us, and what we owe you.
At a glance
Typical engagement: 4–6 weeks from kickoff to permit submittal.
The engagement
Five stages. Same on every job.
We follow the same playbook on a garage conversion and a new home. The depth scales — the cadence does not.
- I
Day 0 – 3
Discovery
A 30-minute intro call to understand the building, the lot, the contractor, and the date you want to break ground. You walk away with a fixed-fee number and a written timeline.
- Intro call (30 min)
- Site & parcel review
- Written scope
- Fixed-fee quote
Scope confirmation and a fixed-fee quote, with a written timeline.
We reply within one business day.
See the sample → - II
Week 1 – 2
Schematic
We produce the schematic floor plan, exterior elevations, and a basic site plan. You get your first review in the portal — markup directly on the sheets, no email screenshots.
- Schematic floor plan
- Exterior elevations
- Basic site plan
- First client review
First-pass floor plan, elevations, and site plan delivered to the client portal for direct markup.
We reply within one business day.
- III
Week 2 – 4
Permit-ready set
We coordinate structural, MEP, and IECC compliance with independent registered engineers. We anticipate plan-check the way the reviewers actually run it — Phoenix zoning overlays, local code amendments, climate zone 2B paths. The set leaves the studio plan-check-ready.
- Structural coordination
- MEP coordination
- IECC compliance (your city’s adopted edition)
- Plan-check anticipation
- Senior drafter review
A plan-check-ready permit set with engineer coordination complete — any engineering the city requires is prepared and sealed by independent registered professionals — 8 to 11 sheets for a typical TI.
Every set opens with a code-analysis sheet.
See the sample → - IV
Week 4 – 6
Submission & AHJ liaison
We submit. We track the corrections list. We answer the plan-checker. Your RFIs are our RFIs — you do not have to translate plan-review comments into action items. If the city flags an error in our drawings, we fix it free.
- Permit submittal package
- Plan-check responses
- Corrections cycle management
- Permit issuance hand-off
Answers to the city’s comments on our drawings, and the resubmittal. We handle the emails with the AHJ.
On a standard quote, our answers to the city’s comments on items in our scope are included.
See the sample → - V
Week 6 +
Construction support
When construction support is on your quote, we batch RFIs weekly, prepare change-order packages, and coordinate as-built drawings when CO drops.
- Weekly RFI batches
- Change-order packages
- As-built coordination
- Certificate of occupancy hand-off
Answers to RFIs, ASIs, and addenda about our drawings, for the period your quote covers.
We reply within one business day.
See the sample →
What the cadence produces
A permit-ready set that opens with a code-analysis sheet, filed in the format the city expects.
Where the fee actually lands
Fixed fee through Step IV. Our own errors are fixed free.
We quote a fixed fee, written into the engagement letter before any drafting begins. If the city flags an error in our drawings — a sheet we mis-detailed, a code reference we mis-cited, a coordination gap with an engineer we coordinated with — we fix it free, and on a standard quote our answers to the city’s comments on items in our scope are included. Change orders triggered by the owner or GC are quoted flat against a written CO before any work starts, never a surprise invoice.
From the studio
Three things we mean by "process."
The code analysis on the first sheet is the most expensive page we draw. Everything else in the engagement gets cheaper because of it — fewer revisions, fewer plan-check rounds, fewer awkward calls with the owner. Skip it and you pay the difference at the AHJ.
Archipartners Design
We stay remote on the drafting and work with independent, locally registered engineers, who design and seal their own work where it is required. That model lets us run in all 50 states without pretending to know every county. It also keeps the engineer of record close to the project — which is who you actually want when the inspector shows up.
Archipartners Design
The RFI log isn't there to make us look organized. It's there for the moment an inspector asks 'who approved this layout change?' and we hand them a timestamped thread. That moment happens on most projects. The log makes it a 30-second answer, not a 30-minute argument.
Archipartners Design
Communication cadence
You always know where your project stands.
Weekly Loom video walkthrough of the set. A dedicated Slack channel or email thread for fast-cycle questions. A live dashboard at app.archipartnersdesign.com showing every drawing, RFI, change order, and invoice. We reply within one business day.
Process FAQ
The six questions every prospect asks.
What if our timeline is tighter than 4–6 weeks?
Tell us at the Discovery call. Some building departments offer expedited or appointment-based review — Phoenix, for example, has a Permit by Appointment program for eligible commercial tenant improvements. When the AHJ offers one, we'll tell you whether your scope qualifies; when it doesn't, we'll tell you upfront and recommend a different sequence (e.g. shell + TI in parallel, deferred submittals).
What if we need to add scope mid-project?
Change orders are clean. We re-scope, re-quote, and the GC sees the delta in the same engagement letter format as the original. No re-negotiation, no surprise invoices. Most additions land within 5 business days of approval.
What if the AHJ takes longer than expected?
We can't make a plan checker move faster, but we work to head off the second and third correction cycles that usually cause the delay — the code analysis we do before drawing catches many of the issues that normally surface at plan check. If a delay comes from the AHJ side anyway, we keep the project moving on parallel tracks — IFC coordination, GC pre-pricing, owner approvals — so the gap doesn't extend the construction start.
What's included in the fixed fee versus extra?
Included: the stages on your quote, our answers to the city’s comments on items in our scope, and portal access — and if the city flags an error in our drawings, we fix it free. Extra, each with its own price on your quote: a priority schedule, 3D rendering, interior elevations, a material takeoff, and revision rounds beyond two. Construction support (RFIs, as-builts), a fully translated drawing set and after-hours availability are a fixed fee, priced per project. The line items are spelled out in the engagement letter — nothing hides in the fee.
How do we communicate during construction?
Weekly Loom video walkthroughs while drawings are in production. A dedicated Slack channel or email thread for fast-cycle questions. A live dashboard at app.archipartnersdesign.com with every drawing, RFI, change order, invoice. We reply within one business day.
What happens after Certificate of Occupancy?
We close out the engagement with a final as-built coordination pass and an archive package — the full RFI log, all AHJ correspondence, the approved permit set, and the closeout documents — delivered to you for record. If the building gets sold or you do a future TI, that archive is what makes it easy.
Boundaries
What we don't do.
A clear lane is more useful than a fuzzy promise. Here is what APD does not take on — by design.
Structural, MEP, or civil stamping
Those need licensed engineers, who are responsible for that work and seal it; we coordinate our drawings with theirs. Engineering and seals, where your city requires them, are separate lines on your quote. We will recommend the engineers we trust most in your jurisdiction.
Interior design or FF&E selection
We prepare the drawings. We do not specify finishes, furniture, or fixture brands. We coordinate cleanly with an interior designer if you bring one, but we will not pretend to be one.
General contracting or construction
We are the drafting and design team, not builders. We will not take a project on a design-build basis where we would also be holding the construction risk. We partner with GCs we trust.
Projects we can't speak credibly about
If we have not worked in your AHJ before, or the project type is outside our domain (hospitals, aviation, industrial), we will tell you on the Discovery call and recommend a firm that fits better. A bad-fit engagement helps no one.
Work that needs a registered architect
Some jobs we refer to a registered architect instead of taking them: restaurants, gyms, churches and event spaces; tenant improvements over 3,000 sf or that change the structure; and apartment work beyond one unit or that changes a wall. Arizona law limits what a firm that isn’t registered may prepare. Send us the details and we’ll refer you.
Recent partners
General contractors we draw for.
- Emirsk Construction
The firms below have engaged APD on multiple projects.
Contact
Begin a project.
Studio
Phoenix4435 E Chandler Blvd · Suite 200
Phone
(602) 628-1231Servicios disponibles en español · 中文版本 (602) 628-1231