Spokane Home Design is a custom home design and drafting company in Spokane, Washington.

Hello, I am Craig Swanson of Spokane Home Design in Spokane, Washington. I have an unusual education that most drafters and designers don’t have. I actually know how to build the plans that I draw because I have been building many of the projects that I have designed for several years. I started out at the age of 12 working with my father learning to put in foundations. Then I learned framing and finish carpentry in my 20’s. Later in my 30’s I had a crew of carpenters that worked at constructin...

Hello, I am Craig Swanson of Spokane Home Design in Spokane, Washington. I have an unusual education that most drafters and designers don’t have. I actually know how to build the plans that I draw because I have been building many of the projects that I have designed for several years. I started out at the age of 12 working with my father learning to put in foundations. Then I learned framing and finish carpentry in my 20’s. Later in my 30’s I had a crew of carpenters that worked at constructing the homes for my family’s homebuilding company. During a period of ten years in the 1990’s we built about 400 homes in Spokane as general contractors. As a foundation tradesman growing up and later on my own, I learned exactly what is required in a plan for that portion of the building process. To this day I put in the footings on the houses I build and do the foundations as well when they are low walls. The plan is the most important to the framer and I have framed literally hundreds of homes with crews as the laborer, the cut man, the layout man, and the boss man. As I draft the building plans, I am envisioning how the pieces will literally be cut and nailed and joined together in a way that very few other draftsman have the experience to do. I understand things like how roofs go together and how crucial it is to give stairways the proper space they will actually require. As a general contractor I know what the other trades need on the plan, what the building department needs and what the contractor needs to bid the project and then build it. In this regard, I am a great resource for anyone who is new to the building process. I try to build a few homes each year with the help of my wife, Elaine. I know exactly what you are getting into and can answer many of your questions and provide recommendations on techniques, products, suppliers and sub-contractors. We understand issues you will be dealing with like the loan process, the permit process and the property development process.