jtpr wrote:

We just bought a house across from the ocean along the NH coast, it has
always been our dream to live there. It is a small 2 bedroom bungalow.
Our plan going into this is to rent it for a couple of years then sell
our current house, using the equity to build on the new one and make it
our final home for the "golden years";+}

Anyway, we have never undertaken anything like that before. So, last
night we met with an architect to just get an initial idea of our plan
and how this works. It was disappointing to say the least. Our
budget of no more then 200k for renovations wasn't going to get us
much. She felt a rule of thumb was $200/sq ft. The hitch is we need
to include the square footage that currently exists as it will also be
touched in the renovations.

This is a fairly expensive area. My question is would I be better off
getting somebody from another area to do the construction? Another
architect? As I say, I have never done something of this nature, so
all advice is appreciated.

There should be architects willing to work on more modest scale. If
there is a preservation association nearby, they may be able to refer
you; they may also have plans for other similar homes than you can adapt
or use for ideas. If you have a good idea of what you want do do, draw
it out and take it to an architectural draftsman to draw up plans. Hope
you're not making a "McMansion" out of the little bungalow )

If there is a similar, already remodeled home in the area, go to the
city building dept and get a copy of the drawings.