ᐅ Is it possible to copy building plans, or does that cause legal issues?

Created on: 6 Oct 2018 04:21
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shaftie
Hello

I own a large older multi-family house and plan to sell it this spring to buy a smaller, fully renovated house.

However, I am now considering the possibility of building a new house instead.

I have a very good friend whose newly built house I really like! Legally, would it be possible to simply copy all the building plans for his house and use them for myself, or would there be legal issues with his architect or engineering firm that created the plans?
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Fuchur
7 Oct 2018 22:32
The authorized representative of the construction company? That’s just standard procedure.
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Lumpi_LE
8 Oct 2018 09:28
Yes, that’s not a problem.

However, if it is a custom-designed architect’s house as described, you can very quickly receive a letter from a lawyer...
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pffreestyler
8 Oct 2018 14:03
We did it this way. Same construction company, floor plan copied about 95%, the friend gave his verbal consent, the structural engineering still had to be recalculated (we rotated one room), the building permit / planning permission was submitted, and construction began. No problems at all.

The floor plan was entirely designed by the friend himself. It might actually get tricky with an architect, but how would they even find out?
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ypg
8 Oct 2018 15:53
Floor plans and planning are two different things...
11ant8 Oct 2018 16:43
ypg schrieb:
Floor plan and planning are actually two different things...

From a layperson’s perspective, a floor plan already feels like half the planning process, and the shell structure seems like half the house. That’s why many prospective homeowners consider architects’ fees to be overpriced and underestimate the overall costs. This is not meant as criticism by the layperson but is simply based on two unfortunately incorrect assumptions.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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pffreestyler
8 Oct 2018 16:48
ypg schrieb:
Floor plan and planning are two different things...

Oops, you got me—I didn’t read carefully and assumed incorrect facts.