Finding the right house plan- With thousands of house plans online to sort through you would think it would be easy to find a house plan that would work for you and your family. However, given so many house plans to choose from can be overwhelming.
Possibly the most important step of the building process is knowing your house plan is right. To help you in your search for the right house plan make a list of all the features that are important to you. How many bedrooms, bathrooms, garage stalls ect. Then decide roughly the square footage you are looking for. Should the house plan be a two story or a rambler. Most online sites let you customize your search for the house plan by these type of requirements. You can find links to some of the house plan sites I looked through on the side bar. You can also find some great house plan magazines at your local hardware store or online. Its nice having an actual resource you can carry around with you.
Picture Courtesy of Habitations Home PlansSomething to Consider, HOUSE DESIGN: When deciding on the style of home you want to build, take time to consider the other homes in the area. If you know this is the house you want to stay in forever and your not concerned about resale value then build it to your hearts content. If you are looking at making a more conservative investment, consider homes you have seen that still look great even though they are 20 or 30 years old. Try to incorporate features from those timeless home designs with features found on homes in your neighborhood.
HOT TIP: Be sure to discuss the cost of engineering on your plan with your architect. Is engineering included in the price or is it an additional cost?
Stock plans to Custom Plans and the space in between.
If you are looking to save a few thousand dollars on the total bill of your home than you may want to go with a house plan that is a stock plan. A stock plan is a house plan that has already been drawn up by an architect or a draftsman. Architect firms differ in their pricing on stock plans. Many of the larger online sites seem comparable in price to one another. Of course the larger the home and the more complicated the home design the higher the price for the house plan. Most home plan suppliers offer the option to modify the plan in some way, ie, move a closet, make a room a little bigger ect. Each change made increases the price.
If you find that you want to make a significant amount of changes it may be worth checking with architects in your area to see what a custom plan might cost.
I called several architects in my area and found that they were similar in their pricing methods. Stock plans were about a $1 per finished square foot, and an additional $.50 for every square foot added or changed. Some architects will break down the drafting costs on a hourly basis.
I had found a stock plan that had everything I wanted, it looked perfect on paper. I loved it so much that I put it out for bid, meaning that I borrowed a bid copy from the architect and sent it to a general contract to break down the cost of building. It turned out that he had actually built that home before so I asked if he could arrange for me to walk through the home. I am so glad I asked. I found the home to be very compartmentalized. The children's rooms were so small, and the the walk in closets took up way to much space and dwarfed the rooms. The master bathroom which I had envisioned as grand and spacious, was dark and narrow. I am so glad I took the time to go through the home, before I committed to building it.
Cost of Customs plans differ from architect to architect. You will find that you can have a custom plan drawn up for $2,000 to anywhere $8,000 and up. The benefits from going with a custom home plan is that you are able to make the home just the way you want it. It is an original home, no one else has built it before. However, building a home that has never been built before and is unique in design also runs you the risk of building a very awkward house that even you don't like. This is where it is worth doing your research and discovering exactly what you want, also take time to look at the work your architect has done. Ask to if you can walk through any of the homes that he has designed. It is worth taking the time to know you are having the right home drawn up by the right group of people.
WHAT WE DID:
To keep to our goal of finding the best value, we decided to go with a stock plan and then customize it to our liking. We asked several of our friends and people we knew in the business who they suggested for an architect. Habitations Home Plans http://www.habitationshomeplans.com/ , kept coming up, so we decided to check their stock plans. I found a stock plan that had every thing I was looking for. I was able to walk through a home that had been built to that plan and then was able to envision the small changes I would like to make.
Meeting with the Architect
My husband and I met with the architect on several occasions. We layed out the changes we wanted done then waited for a draft to be drawn up. After several revisions we had the plan finalized. Most architects will require a deposit, we were asked to put down $1,ooo before drafts were drawn up.
HOT TIP: Having actual pictures or drawings of the details you want on your home to give the architect is extremely helpful for them. This allows them to know exactly what you want and ensures you are happy with the finished project.
Changes we made to Stock Plan
Kitchen Layout, added a pantry and desk area
Mudroom Layout, decreased laundry room size, added shelves and lockers
Expanded Den and entry by two feet
Decreased the size of master bedroom to make great room bigger
Added windows
Increased ceiling height in family room, kitchen and den
Expanded covered patio by 4ft
Added one garage stall
Over all increased the square footage by 50sq ft
The cost of the stock house plan- $900
The cost for changes/modifications- $1933.75 (The cost breakdown for changes was on an hourly basis, 29.5 hours @ $65)
The Site Plan- $150 (this is where they position the house on your lot exactly how you want it)
The cost for the engineer- $750
5 Construction Copies- $30.00 (they threw these in for free)
Total Cost for House Plan-$3,377.00
HOT TIP: Don't be afraid to ask your architect to work with you on the pricing for the house plan. Especially in this market, new construction is slow and work for architects drawing up house plans is even slower.
I will keep you posted as we move on to the next phase of the Building Process.
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