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. Construction support continues through Certificate of Occupancy.
The engagement
Five stages. Same on every job.
We follow the same playbook on a $2,500 ADU and a $250,000 multifamily set. 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. We pull the parcel, scan the AHJ, and write a code-strategy memo before we quote. You walk away with a fixed-fee number and a written timeline.
- Intro call (30 min)
- Site & parcel review
- Code-strategy memo
- Fixed-fee quote
A written code-strategy memo, scope confirmation, and fixed-fee quote — within 72 hours of the kickoff call.
Every project starts with a code memo. No exceptions.
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. We turn comments around in 48–72 hours.
- 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.
Comments turned around in 48–72 business hours.
- III
Week 2 – 4
Permit-ready set
We coordinate structural, MEP, and IECC compliance with our engineering partners. We anticipate plan-check the way the reviewers actually run it — Phoenix overlay, AZ amendments, climate zone 2 paths. The set leaves the studio plan-check-ready.
- Structural coordination
- MEP coordination
- IECC 2024 compliance
- Plan-check anticipation
- Senior drafter review
A stamped, plan-check-ready permit set with sub-consultant coordination complete — 8 to 11 sheets for a typical TI.
Median 18 business days from kickoff to AHJ upload.
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. We close out the corrections in one or two cycles.
- Permit submittal package
- Plan-check responses
- Corrections cycle management
- Permit issuance hand-off
Plan-check corrections cleared and permit issued. Every email with the AHJ is handled by us.
Cleared submittals from Phoenix DSD to NYC DOB.
See the sample → - V
Week 6 +
Construction support
Once you break ground, we batch RFIs weekly, turn change orders around in 48 hours, and coordinate as-built drawings when CO drops. The engagement does not end at permit issuance — it ends at certificate of occupancy.
- Weekly RFI batches
- Change-order packages
- As-built coordination
- Certificate of occupancy hand-off
Every RFI, ASI, addendum, and change order answered through Certificate of Occupancy.
RFIs answered within one business day.
See the sample →
What the cadence produces
A permit-ready set, on the AHJ's portal, in 18 business days.
Real engagements
Two anonymized projects, on the same playbook.
These are timelines from actual APD engagements. Names, addresses, and permit numbers have been redacted; durations and stage transitions are real, drawn from the project tracker.
Commercial · Tenant Improvement
Group B · 2,500 SF · Phoenix-area AHJ
70 days · kickoff → permit
- Day 0Kickoff call
- Day 3Code memo + fixed-fee quote
- Day 22Permit-ready set delivered to client
- Day 31Final client review complete
- Day 35AHJ submittal
- Day 56Plan-check corrections received
- Day 62Resubmittal cleared
- Day 70Permit issued
Residential · Custom Home
Single-family · ~3,400 SF · AZ unincorporated AHJ
150 days · kickoff → permit
- Day 0Kickoff call
- Day 5Code memo + fixed-fee quote
- Day 30Schematic delivered for client review
- Day 65Schematic approved → permit drawings start
- Day 95Permit-ready set delivered to client
- Day 105AHJ submittal
- Day 140Plan-check cleared, permit issued
- Day 150Construction support begins
Where the fee actually lands
Fixed fee through Step IV. Third correction cycle is on us.
Roughly 80% of APD engagements are fixed-fee, with the number written into the engagement letter before any drafting begins. If the AHJ requires a third correction cycle for reasons inside our scope — a sheet we mis-detailed, a code reference we mis-cited, a coordination gap with a sub-consultant we coordinated — that round is on us. Change orders triggered by the owner or GC are billed at $145/hour against a written CO, never a surprise invoice.
From the studio
Three things we mean by "process."
The code memo on day 3 is the most expensive paragraph we write. 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 we partner with locally-licensed engineers and architects to seal where 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 respond same-day on weekdays — usually within two hours during studio hours.
Process FAQ
The six questions every prospect asks.
What if our timeline is tighter than 4–6 weeks?
Tell us at the Discovery call. Most jurisdictions offer expedited or over-the-counter programs — Phoenix DSD, Henderson NV, parts of Texas, San Diego DSD. We've used all of them. When the AHJ supports it we can compress to as little as 10–14 business days; when the AHJ 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 can prevent the second and third correction cycles that usually cause the delay. Our first-pass clear rate is high because the code memo at Discovery catches the issues that normally surface at plan check. If a delay comes from the AHJ side anyway (we've seen 90-day plan reviews in slow jurisdictions), 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: all five stages, two correction cycles with the AHJ, weekly Loom walkthroughs, portal access, RFI batches through CO. Extra: 3D rendering, expedited turnaround, after-hours availability, fully translated documentation sets, additional revision rounds beyond two. 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 respond same-day on weekdays, usually within two hours during studio hours.
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 stamped 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. We coordinate the sub-consultants and pass their fees through at cost, with no markup. You see every invoice. We will recommend the engineers we trust most in your jurisdiction.
Interior design or FF&E selection
We draft the architecture. 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 designers of record, 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.
Recent partners
General contractors we draw for.
- Emirsk Construction
~97% of our new business comes from general-contractor referrals. 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