About
Michael Barber leads Michael's Drafting, a residential drafting studio serving the Inland Empire and greater Southern California. You get one point of contact and a set coordinated end to end, from the first floor plan to a permit-ready package.
How your project works
We confirm scope and gather background - existing plans, surveys, site photos, prior city correspondence. Initial payment begins the work, and you decide who'll be the city contact.
We draft your floor plan first and send it for your written confirmation, then build the full architectural set - elevations, roof, sections, details - on top of it.
We send the complete review set with guidance on exactly what to check; you send comments back in one batch. This is the most important stage - changes get harder once consultants start.
We incorporate your changes and produce the final architectural set. You approve and make the final architectural payment.
The structural engineer and Title 24 analyst work on the finalized drawings. You authorize and pay consultant fees - they invoice separately.
The complete permit-ready set goes to the building department. You or your contractor submit it - or we can, through the optional Permit Assistance premium add-on. We address in-scope plan-check corrections.
Turnaround: the architectural set is typically about 2-4 weeks; structural engineering and Title 24 add roughly two more weeks after your approval; and city plan check runs on the city's own schedule.
About & process FAQ
Once intake is complete: your floor plan for confirmation in about a week; the full design set for your review within 1-2 weeks after you confirm the floor plan. After your approval, structural engineering takes about two weeks and Title 24 a few business days. City plan check varies by jurisdiction. We give you a project-specific estimate at the start.
Revisions come in two parts, both in the design phase: up to two rounds at the floor-plan stage so we get your layout right, then up to two more rounds on the full design set. Send comments in one batch each round. Changes beyond what's included, or to scope or design direction after work is underway, are billed as additional work at a rate we confirm up front - always with notice first.
Yes. We address the city's in-scope plan-check corrections and resubmit as part of the work, through to permit. The exception is when the city requires new scope beyond the original project - we'll let you know before doing that work, and it's billed separately.
An optional premium add-on, priced by jurisdiction. With it, we handle the permit submittal process for you - submitting your files, completing city paperwork, coordinating department clearances, and managing the back-and-forth through permit issuance. Without it, you or your contractor submit the permit-ready set directly and forward city comments to us so we can make in-scope corrections.
You and your contractor. We prepare drawings based on the project and information you provide; we don't verify site feasibility such as easements, zoning eligibility, deed restrictions, or utility constraints. If we notice something while working, we'll bring it to your attention, but confirming a project can be built as intended is the client's or contractor's responsibility.
We prepare the architectural drawings. The structural sheets are wet-stamped and signed by a licensed structural engineer, and the Title 24 report is produced by the energy consultant. We coordinate everything into one complete permit set.
We focus on construction drawings, not marketing renderings. When it helps, we can provide simple 3D massing so you can picture the layout - but we don't produce photorealistic renderings.
No. Selecting and sourcing finishes, fixtures, and materials is handled by you or your contractor. We show them generically on the drawings so the set stays focused on the construction information needed to build and permit your project.
We work primarily in Riverside, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties. If your project is elsewhere, just ask and we'll let you know whether we can take it on.
You're welcome to the architectural CAD files if you'd like them. This doesn't include our reusable standard detail sheets. Consultant CAD files (like the structural engineer's) would come from that consultant directly.
Payment is tied to project stages, not billed all at once: an initial payment begins the work, the final architectural payment is due when the architectural set is complete, and consultant fees are paid before consultant work begins. Your specific amounts and dates are in your agreement.
Yes, but changes get more involved the later they happen. Once structural and Title 24 work has begun, an architectural change can require those consultants to update their work too, sometimes at added cost. That's why the review stage matters.
Get started
Tell us what you're building and we'll get back to you with next steps - and a flat-fee quote before any work begins.
Or reach us directly at info@michaelsdrafting.com or 909-486-3789.