Home plan sources

[mjpliv]

I am starting a poll to see where people are getting there house plans. Maybe Rich could make this a "sticky" topic?

[Rich]

Sticky it is.. and good idea.
Personally I would draw my own. If I didn't have the experience I would probably look for a plan online (not buy it) just print the layout. Then modify what I thought would work - then look for a designer or architect.
Either that or do it like I build furniture.. "I don't need no stinkin plans" :)

[Tom R]

Looking for a 'smart' answer to a 'dumb' question, but what's a 'sticky' topic.

[doyle]

One that's been "stuck" to the top of a particualr thread.

[Tom R]

Thanks, Doyle, I guess it's preferrable to be 'stuck up'. :lol:

[rebobinar]

Sticky it is.. and good idea.
Personally I would draw my own. If I didn't have the experience I would probably look for a plan online (not buy it) just print the layout. Then modify what I thought would work - then look for a designer or architect.
Either that or do it like I build furniture.. "I don't need no stinkin plans" :)

Can you tell me why you would print out the plan and take it to a designer rather than purchase it online? Is it less expensive that way or just a better idea? And is a "designer" different than an architect?

Thanks, Robin

[Rich]

I should've said "would have someone draw them for me". Mostly because I have my own ideas about what my house should be but some of the online plan houses have some good ideas in parts.. never really seen one that I would build straight from the plan.

[mjpliv]

There is a standing joke (for myself anyway) as a home designer - architects go to school for five years and I woke up one morning and decided that I was going to draw houses for a living.

Here is a quote from my forum -

An architect will usually work around the projected value of the home. I have seen fees ranging from 2% to 5% of the total project costs. I am sure that you could find those less expensive as well as a few more expensive.

Engineers will have a tendancy to work on billable hours plus a surcharge to have their stamp appear on the drawings.

I would hazzard a guess that the fees would be quite similar.

Most home designers have a consultation fee and then price the drafting portion based on square footage. In the event that you have a bungalow on a slab, expect to pay for the floor area twice - designers have to eat too!

[maarass]

We spent a year looking at hundreds and hundreds of plans. Some from books and some online. Finally found the perfect one.

[dnm]

Some of the plans Ive seen online cost over $800, whats up with that?

[WBsBADBOY]

Some of the plans Ive seen online cost over $800, whats up with that?To quote the infamouse P.T.Barnum "theres a sucker born every day" :lol: :lol:

[steeve]

on line plans are nice..give you a overall look of the house, but you always have to modify it to your own needs, and then no choice to get a professional to get the finals.

[grumpydasmurf]

I have plans to build a vacation home. In less than ten years I hope to build the home I raise my kids and retire in.

For both of these I look through house plans online just to get ideas. I will draw my own then I will have an architect/engineer review, correct then stamp them for permit approval.

[steeve]

using a home design program is a nice way to create and calculate the cost of material...you can realy see the difference of cost compare to profab prices

[mjpliv]

Its hard to believe that this post has been read over 2000 times.

[speedyox]

Its hard to believe that this post has been read over 2000 times.

I hasn't.

There seems to be some system where each view weighted or something. I just posted a new message and then used the link to view the message i just posted. It said 5 views. Then I viewed it again from the list and it said 9 when I was done.

[Rich]

Not hard to believe that it was viewed 9 times in a short duration. There are over 1000 people on this site in a day and over 6000 pageviews.

[speedyox]

Maybe you're right. Thats still a lotta hits from the time i clicked submit on the post, to the time I clicked on the forum name after the post loaded. If 8 other people read my post in 10-15 seconds, I feel awfully popular. :oops:

This forum does seem great (mostly because of people like you, Rich). I'm not surprised at the high traffic. Keep up the good work.

[Rich]

The traffic has actually dropped off the last 2 months.. I think it's just the time of year. (hoping)
Thanks for the kind words... alot more than me on this forum though - I feel pretty lucky to have people like Mjpliv, Tom, Cole, grumpy, Vector, Dragon, roger, doyle..etc..etc.. that post on here daily (and in some cases hourly) :)

[Vector]

The traffic has actually dropped off the last 2 months.. I think it's just the time of year. (hoping)
Thanks for the kind words... alot more than me on this forum though - I feel pretty lucky to have people like Mjpliv, Tom, Cole, grumpy, Vector, Dragon, roger, doyle..etc..etc.. that post on here daily (and in some cases hourly) :)

I swear that there are more new people in the last few weeks than before, and they're coming in because they're finding answers (at least partially) to their questions, and hanging around to ask more, ore get more specific details to what they want to know.

It would be really interesting to see what query strings people who find the site via search engines are using. Most decent web log analysis software can spit that out.

I think you're reached a critical mass point where the site will start moving a lot faster.

[Rich]

Since september this year the traffic has dropped off considerably (as far as the server numbers). The site was near 2000 unique visitors a day and 2700+ visits with 12000 pageviews. We're about half of that now.
Here are the top 5 search strings..
1. construction
2. home construction
3. crown moldings
4. concrete footings
5. garage door headers

[giddonah]

I swear that there are more new people in the last few weeks than before, and they're coming in because they're finding answers (at least partially) to their questions, and hanging around to ask more, ore get more specific details to what they want to know.

<---- Yeah, right here. I guess my google of "nail gun explained" didn't make the list :(

[MikeD]

For some reason, I couldn't vote?!? Perhaps I'm not a bonafide builder!?! :wink: I want to vote "Hire an architect" which is what I'm doing. It's kind of a weird deal whereas I'll be building a same house on my 1 acre lot (currently living in a teardown) as the previous house my wife and I had built by a spec builder in a new subdivision. My wife fell in love with it but was too far from work, school & church and too small lot (3600 sq ft on 1/4 acre). So we sold it after living in it for a few years and decided to GC ourself as the previous spec builder wanted too much $$. We are using the same architect the builder used but there will be deviations so as not to violate builder/architect agreement. Well, gotta quit rambling!

[Cole]

Mike the poll is closed, sry bout that.

[rabadger]

How much money is saved by purchasing plans on line then taking them to the local architect for changes and verication that the codes are met?

Would it be more expensive? If so by about how much?

[gerryuml]

OK, so where are all the cheap online house plans? I looked quickly at coolhouseplans.com and similar sites and the plans are easily $1000+, and ideas on where to get cheap plans that I could build from?

Thanks!

Gerry..

[jerseyjimmers]

my wife and I looked at literally thousands of plans at various web sites and in books. Didn't see any for less than around $500. Most were in the $800 plus range. We weren't able to find the "perfect" house but we found something that fit most of needs/wants. Master bedroom on 1st floor. Porch's front and back, powder room, formal dining room. 9ft plus ceilings on 1st floor and higher in living room, and a basement. I'll make only minor changes to the original plan. I'm going to bump the laundry room out into the garage and add a few feet to the garage to compensate.

It's going to be an expensive house to build because of the long roof spans and a dormer style bedroom on the second floor front. The truss company said it's a non truss friendly design, meaning they couldn't do it. But what the hey. If you don't want a 3 br rancher then you gotta pay.

Good Luck in your search,
Jerseyjimmers.

[David]

I've heard lots of negative things about houseplans online, mainly that the hvac cannot be calculated ahead of time for obvious reasons, and thus, there aren't enough chases or they are too small or in the wrong area. So when you go to modify the plans, viola, you're hiring a pro to do it anyway.

[rabadger]

Most of the customers I have worked with this year have pruchased plans and then had a local architect redraw them because they couldn't find anything that they really liked. Others searched for ideas then took them to the designer for the finished product.

David your right. Everything that is sent to me that was purchased on line has no room for HVAC. I have just about made up my mind that if I build, I will come up with the floor plan then find a structural engineer to make it stand up.

[TorstenBC]

I am starting a poll to see where people are getting there house plans. Maybe Rich could make this a "sticky" topic?
I may draw my own, but for a good finishing I would still make use of someone more professional in that line then myself. My focus is concept and functionality, while other people will be certainly more neatly then me and give more attention to detail. Just a matter of knowing strength and weaknesses of people.

[nvhost]

I would love to draw my own design. But unless I want to have the house looking like the Adam's Family Mansion, I'd rather hire an architect. :)

OH, and regarding the forum. You might wanna try putting some Google Analytics if you really want to track traffic.

[Bmaxted]

As an experienced builder my advice is to look at plans online, in books and even visit display homes on site to get the general Idea of what you want then engage an Architect, or an experienced residential draftsman to draw up the final plans.

The reason for this is that the plans will nine times out of ten need to be modified to either suit the site or meet your exact requirements. Also by having a professional check the plans you can help minimize the chance of design related problems during construction which will potentially save you far more in rework, variations, delays and/or wasted materials.

I find that for every hour I spend on design checks before construction is started I save about ten times that in reduced construction problems.

It pays to make sure you get the plans right before you start.

Cheers
Blake

[SethDragit]

Personally I advise my friends and family to find a builder who has the skills to help them through the design process.

During my many years working as a project manager for residential general contractors I found that plans were always harder to work with and more problematic when the client went to the architect before consulting a builder.

For most homes, a "design-build" type contractor seems to be the most efficient way to go, financially and management-wise.

The reason for this is twofold:

1. Using plans the builder helped design, you are able to have a realistic influence on "value engineering" the materials and selections.

2. Also, a top notch builder will be able to guide you through some practical aspects of plan design that some architects may not choose to focus on.

So, to be more clear, always consult with your builder before you design the plans. Tell your builder what you want in your new home, and let him guide you through the design process with his practical expertise.

Of course, that also requires that you choose a builder you trust. And that, my friend, is a whole new topic. :)

[Richard A Hetzel]

I find that for every hour I spend on design checks before construction is started I save about ten times that in reduced construction problems.
Exactly, and I truly believe that a good architect can similarly save at least a dollar in construction costs for every dolllar of his/her fee, and still produce a better building for a reasonable cost, with many fewer construction problems. People often skip over the architect and go directly to the builder, and then one reads the horror stories afterward. Even a reputable builder acting in good faith will write specifications to favor himself, if they are written at all, and they are often vague enough that misunderstandings frequently occur.

The best results occur when a good architect and a good builder team up and work together for the good of the job. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen very often, for a variety of reasons, one being that there aren't that many of either around, but there are enough, if one searches for them.

[Bmaxted]

The best results occur when a good architect and a good builder team up and work together for the good of the job

I agree with this 100 percent, there is no question that having both the proposed builder, architect and in most cases the engineer working together from early on in the design stage of a project will benefit the success of a project. With adequate planning and detailed documentation a lot of the problems can be avoided.

It is a lot easier to move a line on a drawing than a wall in a building!

[Don_P]

Between 2-3% of houses use an architect. 97% of homes are built without retaining their services.

[AlisonMooreSmith]

We are building our second fully custom home and have, again drawn the plans ourselves. We used SketchUp for floor plans, 3D, and everything. Then we sent them out for engineering.

Nothing like having a home EXACTLY the way you want. :)

[joostmee]

I have worked in an architecture firm for 4+ years have more than that in school, and have worked on my own for 2 years.

That being said I have seen MANY nightmare plans brought in to be "drawn up". However it wouldn't be fair to say I haven't seen a couple brought in that I refered to for inspiration.

What I'm trying to say that a good architect eats sleeps and breathes his work. A lot of architects avoid residential and do mostly commercial jobs, but will take on a residential if it is worth it to them. In my experience they are typically not as good as an architect who is geared more for residential, so you should always consider their primary focus. The architect will spot disasters in plans as well as areas that could flourish with a couple of changes, saving you money at times, and also produce a home that is designed rather than thrown together. A good architect will consider all volumes, spaces, and many of the views that come to play, and feed off of the creativity of the cleint to oftentimes producing something that will even suprise himself.

This does however come with a cost. I usually charge 2% so if your home is 1mill, you're looking at 20k. This is a LOW END rate, and I am very up front with the owner about this, and my experience level. Even with roughly 10 years in architecture and more specifically 4 years in home design I am an amatuer, but one who can design.

I dream of getting into design/build, and would have to agree with some of the other members of this forum that design/build is most likely the ultimate in efficiency for the owner and everyone involved, and would foster creativity due to relationship of the designer to the build process.

hope this helps.

[Texas Luke]

depends on the person and project.
i could do a shed or small building but not a whole house
i know people who would need a 10 page blue print for a bird house.:cool:

[CountrySideHomes]

We usually offer ready-made house plans, but many time the customer will want to take some design and modify it, so we end up working with an architect. His rates are $1/sq ft, so it's pretty reasonable and he's quick.

[scott434]

I'm a home designer from Louisiana. My suggestions is to always look around, take pictures of what you like and look online or in books just to get an idea of what you want. Then bring all that information to a home designer or Architect. I never suggest you try to design your own home if you have no experience. And there is LOTS of info that needs to be included in a set of plans that you will not know. You will never get a permit. If the floorplan and roof design is not done correctly, it will cost you dearly! Scott

www.lahomeconcepts.com

[Ricky ticky]

Between 2-3% of houses use an architect. 97% of homes are built without retaining their services.
This is an unfortunate truth.

[Gary24]

I agree that custom home plans should be unique to the individual but don't forget to take the advise of an expert.

Building a home can be one of the most important decisions of your life so make sure you do you due dilagence and choose the right builder.

[Ozark]

These are some of my favorite floorplans:

http://www.ubh.com/floorplans/data/FloorPlan(10)/aspen-loft-60-plan.pdf

http://www.ubh.com/floorplans/data/FloorPlan(48)/pinehurst-plan.pdf

http://www.ubh.com/floorplans/data/FloorPlan(62)/wellington-plan.pdf

[ferrari009]

My preferred choice would be sketching your desired house and have it reviewed by professionals. They are the best advisers when it comes to designs, materials and landscapes, they would help you a lot in making the house of your dreams. But still you might want to consider researching on books,magazines and stuff, remember its your house, not theirs, it's still up to you what designs you'd like to make, so make the right choices and heed the best advice. :)