Good to know

Frequently
asked questions.

Process & scheduling
How do I book a consultation?
Use the contact form — submit your project details and preferred appointment times and we'll confirm within one business day.
What do I need for the design discovery?
The more you bring, the more productive the session. Helpful items include: your property survey or lot information, inspiration images or sketches, a sense of your construction budget range, preferred style and must-have spaces, and whether you have a builder selected. You'll receive an intake questionnaire when you book — filling it out beforehand saves significant time.
How long does a project take?
Timelines vary by project complexity. A Standard set for a straightforward home typically takes 3–6 weeks from deposit to delivery. A set for a complex home may take 8–14 weeks. We provide an estimated delivery timeline at consultation and keep you updated throughout. Rush turnarounds are sometimes available — ask at consultation.
Do you work outside Traverse City?
Our primary area is Northern Michigan — Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, and surrounding counties. For projects further afield, we can often work remotely — drawings are delivered digitally and consultations can be conducted by phone or video. Contact us to discuss your specific location.
Pricing & payment
What does the consultation fee cover?
The consultation fee covers the design consultation session itself — your time with our design team to scope the project, establish goals, review site conditions, discuss packages, and put together a fee proposal. This fee is a standalone charge and is not applied toward or credited to your project total. It is due at booking and required before any design work begins.
What payment methods do you accept?
Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, electronic bank transfer, or cash. Contact us for specific details on any method.
What is the payment schedule?
Phase 1 — ConsultationFlat fee paid at booking. Not applied toward the project. Covers the scoping session itself.
Phase 2 — Rough Draft DepositApproximately 50% of the total design fee, due when the rough draft is approved and final scope confirmed. May adjust to 40–60% depending on final scope.
Phase 3 — Final DeliveryRemaining balance due on delivery of the completed drawing set. Files are not released until payment is received in full.
How are additions and remodels priced?
Both require as-built drawings of the existing structure first — on-site measurements, then CAD documentation quoted per scope in three detail tiers. Once as-builts are complete, the new design work is quoted based on scope and complexity. Additions are priced similarly to new construction applied to the new area.
Can I order a 3D rendering or materials list without a full design project?
Yes. Drafting and 3D rendering and materials lists are available as standalone services, separate from a full design engagement. Drafting and rendering work is quoted by the sheet, by the view, or by the hour depending on the job. Materials lists are quoted based on the level of detail needed and whether drawings already exist for us to work from. Reach out and tell us what you're after — we'll scope it and send a fee estimate.
Scope, code & engineering
What types of projects can you design — and what's outside your scope?
What we can design
  • Detached single-family homes with under 3,500 sqft of living space
  • Detached two-family homes (duplexes) within the same limit
  • Additions and remodels on the above
  • Site plans and surface grading for residential properties, built from survey data you provide
  • Landscape design
  • Interior design
  • As-built documentation of existing residential structures
What we cannot design
  • Homes where living space exceeds 3,500 sqft calculated floor area
  • Multi-family buildings — triplexes, apartments, condominiums
  • Commercial buildings of any type
  • Adult foster care homes or licensed residential care facilities
  • Land surveying or establishing legal property boundaries
  • Stamped civil engineering — drainage calculations, stormwater design, septic system design

If your project approaches or exceeds the 3,500 sqft living space threshold, we'll tell you at consultation — before any fees are collected — and help you understand your options.
When would my project need a licensed engineer?
Most standard Northern Michigan custom homes on normal lots with conventional wood framing never require engineering involvement beyond what the code's prescriptive tables already cover.

Engineering is only required when a specific design element exceeds the IRC's prescriptive limits — for example, a beam span larger than the code tables allow, or a hillside lot with a grade slope steeper than 1:5 (20%). When that happens, it's only that specific element that needs engineering — not the whole house.

Common triggers in Northern Michigan:
  • Open-concept great rooms where wall bracing lines are more than 25 feet apart
  • Hillside or waterfront lots with significant grade change
  • Large spans — floor beams, ridge beams, or oversized headers
  • Cantilevered structures beyond prescriptive limits
  • Retaining walls over approximately 4 feet of retained height
  • Non-conventional systems like ICF or SIPs
When any of these come up, we identify them, note them on the drawings, and flag exactly what needs to be engineered. From there, the builder or homeowner engages and pays for the licensed engineer directly — we don't act as the intermediary. This is standard practice for residential designers and it keeps costs contained — you're only paying for engineering where it's actually needed.
What code do your drawings comply with?
The Michigan Residential Code (MRC) — Michigan's adopted version of the International Residential Code. This covers all aspects of single-family residential construction: structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and energy compliance. It is the standard building departments throughout Michigan review against. We design to full MRC compliance and stay current with code adoption cycles.

Local jurisdictions sometimes have amendments. We research local amendments for each project area before producing drawings.
Do your drawings call out what needs engineering?
Yes — every drawing set includes a general notes sheet that clearly identifies our scope and flags any elements that require review by a licensed engineer or specialist. Nothing is hidden or left ambiguous.
Licensing & credentials
Are you a licensed architect?
No — and we're straightforward about that. Empyreal Home Design is a residential building design firm. Michigan law formally recognizes this as its own profession under MCL 339.601(10)(b), which defines "residential building design" as the rendering of residential design services for a detached 1- and 2-family residence building by a person operating under the exemption in MCL 339.2012.

In plain terms: Michigan specifically permits unlicensed residential building designers to produce and submit full construction documents for single-family and two-family homes. We operate fully within that legal framework. If your project ever falls outside that scope, we'll tell you immediately and connect you with a licensed architect.
What is the Michigan law that allows this?
The controlling statute is MCL 339.2012(1)(d) — part of the Michigan Occupational Code, Act 299 of 1980. It reads:
MCL 339.2012(1)(d)"A person not licensed under this article who is planning, designing, or directing the construction of a detached 1- and 2-family residence building not exceeding 3,500 square feet in calculated floor area. For purposes of this subdivision, detached 1- and 2-family residence building does not include an adult foster care home licensed under the adult foster care facility licensing act, 1979 PA 218, MCL 400.701 to 400.737."
This is your assurance that our work is entirely legal. Current as of June 2026 — the full statute is publicly available at legislature.mi.gov — search "339.2012."
Does "3,500 square feet" mean my whole house has to be under that?
No — and this is one of the most important things to understand. The limit is based on calculated floor area, which under MCL 339.2012(2)(b) means only habitable space — rooms used for living, sleeping, eating, or cooking.

The following do not count toward the 3,500 sqft limit:
  • Basement — finished or unfinished (confirmed by Michigan AG Opinion No. 7208)
  • Garage
  • Attic
  • Bathrooms and toilet rooms
  • Closets and hallways
  • Heater or utility room
  • Crawl space
  • Open porches, decks, balconies, terraces, courts
  • Storage spaces
A 4,500 sqft home with a finished walkout basement and 3-car garage might have only 2,400–2,600 sqft of actual living space — well within our scope. The vast majority of Northern Michigan custom homes qualify even when they're very large.
Do my drawings need an architect's or engineer's stamp?
For single-family and two-family homes within our scope, no stamp is required. Michigan AG Opinion No. 7208 (2007) confirmed explicitly: "Unless the plans were prepared by a licensed architect or engineer, the seal requirements for architects or engineers set forth in Article 20 of the Occupational Code do not apply to plans prepared for a one- or two-family residence not exceeding 3,500 square feet in calculated floor area."

Our drawings are submitted directly to the local building department for permit review. The building official reviews them against the Michigan Residential Code — no architect's stamp required for projects within our scope.
Will my drawings pass permit review?
Our drawings are produced in accordance with the Michigan Residential Code — Michigan's adopted version of the International Residential Code (IRC). The building department reviews for code compliance. If something doesn't comply or isnt properly called out or dimensioned then they'll send it back for correction — same as they would with any designer, engineer or architect. We design for buildability and code compliance from the very start, and we track plan review comments to continuously improve our drawings.
Do you manage construction or supervise the job site?
No. Empyreal Home Design is a design-only firm. We produce your complete construction drawing set and deliver it. You work with your builder, general contractor, and subcontractors of your choice. We're happy to answer design-related questions that come up during the build, but construction management, site supervision, contractor hiring, and installation are entirely outside our scope — that's your builder's domain.