Tag: residential architectural drafting

Posted in Advertorial Feature

Want to Turn an Unfinished Basement into Your Dream Living Space? Here’s Why Early Fall is the Time to Start the Project

Posted on by Amanda

If you’re a home owner and you’ve ever looked at that unfinished basement filled with clutter and wished it could instead be your dream living space, now is the time to do something about it. Although we can use them as an area to keep holiday decor and those forgotten toys kids have outgrown, a basement can also be the perfect place for an entertainment area, your dream master suite, dwelling for aging relatives, a home office, or just about any other space that can add to the functionality of your home.  

Architectural draftsman and designer Brandon Bretz, owner of Freelance Services, a residential architectural drafting and design business, advises that late summer to early fall is the ideal time to start a basement addition project. Doing the work during the early fall and into the winter puts home owners in a sweet spot, since the outdoor projects that many contractors are tied up with throughout the spring and summer are wrapping up, and may even place some contractors in a slight lull.

Floor plan drawing of a basement with a great room, bathroom, and home gym area.
An example of a basement addition project drawn by Brandon Bretz. The drawings for this project depict the existing basement with the planned renovations of a great room, bathroom, and home gym area. Document credit: Brandon Bretz_Freelance Services

“I like to help my customers get the most out of their projects, not just from a design perspective, but also when it comes to timing,” Brandon shares. 

Besides the possibility of finding contractors with a lighter workload during this season, there’s another reason to get started on that basement project now. That’s because the basement project would be fully completed before the weather breaks in the spring, a time when many contractors can be slammed with everything from roofing projects to spring storm repairs and other jobs that require good weather to complete. 

“Having a finished design drawing before reaching out to a contractor makes good sense from a lot of different perspectives. It helps contractors get a better scope of the work, and can help them provide a more accurate bid as well as a more precise project timeline,” Brandon explains.

Another thing that can slow down projects before they’re even started is that people will often go straight to a contractor with their ideas about the project, but some contractors want to see drawings that outline design intent before they’ll bid a job and start working on the project. 

Working with Brandon on a design means clients will have drawings that show design intent to a perspective contractor. These drawings can help contractors provide a more accurate bid and project timeline. Photo credit: Amanda Bretz_The Socialite.

“By reaching out to a design professional like myself first, I can work with the client to find out what they want to do, I can get that design down on paper, and then the client has the project drawings in hand to take to a contractor to get accurate project bids.”   

Basement finishes or other indoor renovations can often take longer in the summer and a shorter amount of time to complete in the winter and early spring when contractors’ workloads can be slower. And if your project requires incorporating access from the existing house into the project design, such as the case if a client wishes to finish their walkout basement and also add a patio or overhang feature, it’s important to remember that can also add to the project’s completion timeline. 

Brandon describes possible project scenarios and why timelines can be crucial to meeting a customer’s needs. Video credit: Produced by Alex Don Media Group

If you’re thinking about finishing your basement, designing an addition, or building your dream home, view Brandon’s portfolio of work on his website. Want to learn even more about Brandon, his professional background, and why he started Freelance Services? You can find out more about him in this advertorial that was published last month.

You can also connect with Brandon on Facebook or call/text him at 314-799-9272.  

Posted in Advertorial Feature

Get to Know Brandon Bretz, Owner of Residential Architectural Drafting Business Freelance Services

Posted on by Amanda

With increasing construction prices and interest rates, more people are opting to add on to their existing home rather than looking for a new home. This decision not only makes financial sense since they’re reinvesting equity directly into their property, they’re also ensuring they stay in their current neighborhood, school district, or current acreage.

Whether you choose to add a larger addition such as a new master suite or a smaller project like a four seasons room, it’s important to work with an experienced design professional that can help guide you through the process. Freelance Services is a growing Franklin County drafting and design business owned and operated by Brandon Bretz, a residential architectural draftsman with over 25 years of experience. 

Brandon grew up in Arnold and attended South Tech High School, a tech school that gives its students real-world experience in hands-on career fields like welding, construction, graphic design, and more. It was at South Tech that he was introduced to drafting and reading architectural blueprints.  

Under the school’s program, he learned how to draft blueprints by hand as well as through using the two-dimensional drafting software AutoCAD. After drafting at South Tech, Brandon knew he wanted a career in residential architecture and once he graduated high school, he pursued an associate degree in drafting and design, while also balancing a full-time career in the drafting field.

Brandon Bretz sitting in a chair outdoors with a chain link fence and green ivy in the background.
Freelance Services is a growing Franklin County drafting and design business owned and operated by Brandon Bretz, a residential architectural draftsman with over 25 years of experience. Photo credit: Alex Don Media Group

Over two decades of experience 

In the early 2000s Brandon landed his first full-time job and quickly began gaining practical drafting experience. Over time he stacked his knowledge base through the various jobs he held as a production draftsman at decorative fence and metal railing companies, architecture firms, and design build firms. Although he’s worked on commercial projects like multifamily units, shopping centers, and commercial corridors, his passion has always centered on residential architecture.  

After a decade of doing architectural drafting projects on the side of his full-time job, in 2023 Brandon began his entrepreneurial journey and went all in with Freelance Services. The transition from working a full-time job as a production draftsman at an architectural firm and working on projects for his own clients on the side was a big leap, but one that Brandon welcomed when he realized it was an opportunity to make a bigger impact. 

“Since I’ve gone out on my own, I’ve done a lot of professional networking to get my name out there and find clients. The reputation I’ve built professionally and with my clients has allowed me to help more people.”

Services provided 

Due to the experience he gained working at a variety of firms, Brandon is as comfortable working with an individual homeowner as he is working with contractors. He can assist contractors who are having issues pulling a permit, draw plans for firms that don’t have in-house drafting personnel, or help out firms that need drafting support from time to time. 

“What I’ve noticed over the past three years is that more local municipalities are requiring permits and are adopting a more thorough review process for residential projects, even when they typically haven’t in the past,” Brandon explains. 

“I have helped several clients recently work through what has been a six-to-eight-month ongoing permit process. Because of my experience working with permitting departments, I’ve been able to get contractors their permits so their teams can get back to building the project.” 

His services include custom home plans that are tailored to the client’s lifestyle and budget, and he can adapt existing plans to fit a client’s needs or design something from scratch. And in circumstances when a client has outgrown their house due to a growing family, Brandon can help with renovations, additions, and remodels – everything from renovating a kitchen to adding a new room or completely remodeling a home to make it fit a client’s life.  

A couple other ways Brandon can help a client maximize the space in their existing home is by providing finished basement plans and designing patios, decks, and other outdoor living spaces.

In this video, Brandon shares how his goal is to execute the customer’s vision on each project. Video credit: Alex Don Media Group.

Brandon’s process 

“What sets me apart from others in my field is the individual relationships I form with my clients as well as my dedication to each one of my projects,” he says. 

Finding the right person to help you through your project’s design process can feel like a daunting task. One way Brandon aims to eliminate the guesswork in this stage is by first meeting with a perspective client to get a clear picture of what the project entails, followed by putting together a design proposal based on the information he’s gathered in that initial client meeting. 

“I begin the design process with a preliminary design proposal which allows clients to see how I work, and ensures we work well together,” he shares.  

Another advantage of the preliminary design proposal is that it gives the client, Brandon, and any engineers involved a clear scope of work, which means more accurate bids for the work provided, so there’s no surprises when it’s time to move forward in the process. 

If you’re thinking about making an addition, updating your outdoor living space, or are ready to build your dream home, view Brandon’s portfolio of work on his website. You can also connect with him on Facebook or call/text him at 314-799-9272.