How do you get a blueprint made?

My husband and I would like to build a house (I mean hire a contractor to build it). We currently have drawn a picture of what we would like, but how do we get our rough draft made into a blueprint? I have no idea how to even start the process of building...help!








Your next step, is to get quotes from a number of Architects, I'd say three are sufficient, you should also be able to get useful information from the National Home Builders Council, or the equivalent body in your country. The Architects charge a fixed fee for designing and drawing up proper plans for your dream home, they should also be able to submit these plans to your local housing council for approval.
When you have the plans approved, you can get quotes from three or four builders, when hiring builders, it's safer to use one that has been reccomended to you, and whoever is overseeing the building work, and this can be yourself, should ask for a time span for completion, or timespan for each stage, i.e. footings, then next stage, ect.and a contract should be drawn up between you and the builder, to ensure building work is progressing to time constraints, for instance, some customers can fine the builder, if the work is unnesesarily delayed, but adverse weather is usually excluded from this condition.
You interview several Architects. Find one that you both like. Ask for references and look at some of their past jobs. They will also be doing the necessary load calcs that will be needed for the plans. Then you can go look for a General Contractor after that. Or to speed the process up, you can find a licensed Architect/General Contractor. They are available everywhere. They cost a little more, but you have one-stop shopping.
My suggestion would be to use a local Architect, in drawing the blueprints the architect will be up on building codes and set backs from the street and surrounding lots.use one from your church or yellow pages or maybe someone you know who has used one in the past. If money is an object go to a local university that has a architecture program and ask about students capable of producing a set of blueprints
Use an Architect if you want to spend a small fortune.

Hire a design firm to modify existing plan sets which are close to what you want. They will have or hire an engineer to review the loads and local code requirements.
You need a set of plans. Those can come from an architect or a drafting and design firm.