We would like to explore the cost efficiencies (or lack thereof) in adding a bedroom above our garage and a 4 season living room/porch behind our house.
I've never been down this road before, so maybe some of you can steer me in the right direction.
Do I go to a carpenter, general contractor, or architect for the initial "is it possible" assessment??
Is an architect necessary for this project, or can a good carpenter or general contractor take what I'm looking for and build it?
If this project is worth it (that cost/benefit thing), we'll obviously have it done along with new siding and a new roof. So I'm presuming that whoever is the general contractor will have to outsource certain aspects of the project.
Is an architect necessary here? I can pretty much sit down and tell someone what I want and where I want it. Really, it's as simple as adding a second story to my garage. The doorway would even work very well with our current floorplan, so this is less about "design" and more about how to structurally do it. But then again, I really don't know whether architects and carpenters/general contractors have any overlap in their work (i.e., does the latter require an architects structural design?).
Also, if we decide to stick more money into this house (verus moving) we'd be putting in a new driveway. I presume it should wait until after any construction (to avoid damage). I'd guess that whoever we consult with on the construction can let us know whether or not we should wait.
If I'm confusing terms or not properly understanding what architects, etc. do, I apologize. I've never done anything like this before and just don't want to call some fancy design architectural firm to bill me $10K for something a general contractor could have done for much less.
I don't need fancy ideas, just someone to tell me if it's possible and around how much it will cost. Cost is an issue -- if it costs too much we'll simply move to a larger house. We like where we're at right now, which is why we're considering remodeling.
TIA