Before You Purchase Your House Plans
Kirya Duncan
By the time you are ready to purchase your house plans, it is
assumed that you have done all of the necessary preparation to
get to that point. Notice that I said "assumed". There are
several things that must be considered before you decide on a
house plan and surprisingly many people just do not come
prepared. Below you will find a small checklist that can be
used as a guideline in the process of finding the right house
plan for your specific needs.
(1) Select and purchase land to build on
It is important that you know your land restrictions (set
backs, maximum size of house plan footprint), soil conditions
(land suitable for building on), topography (if suitable for
basement or slab foundation), easements, neighborhood
(covenants), taxes, cost for site preparations, and other
factors that may affect your decision on selecting house plans.
(2) Choose a builder
Take the time to find a home builder that you feel comfortable
with. Get referrals from friends and family, check the
Builder's background, and talk with previous customers of the
builder. Talk to the builder about your needs and wants where
both parties can understand what's expected of each.
(3) Develop a budget
Your primary purpose for preparing a budget is to understand
and control costs. In order to create and stick with a budget
you must be realistic about what you can afford and what can
fit into a particular house plan and square footage. If you
decide to upgrade on something that wasn't included in the
original budget, be willing to give up or downgrade on some
other aspect of the home construction in order to keep within
budget. Bottom line, know how much house you can afford based
on what you want the house to be.
(4) Level of design service needed
When deciding the level of service you need, develop realistic
expectations of what stock house plans cost versus custom
design house plans. Stock house plans are products ready for
purchase and are inexpensive (average around $700.00) compared
to custom design services. Stock house plans may or may not
require modifications to meet all your design needs. If stock
plans do not meet your expectations, then you may consider the
services of a building designer for a custom home design.
Custom home designs are labor intensive and take longer
(several weeks at the least) to develop from concept to
construction documents. Prices vary among designers and are
based on different factors. A compromise of the two is to
purchase stock house plans that are close to what you are
looking for and making minor changes to adapt the design to
your site conditions and life style. On average, modifications
range from $500.00 to $2,500 or more depending on the amount
and complexity of the changes.
About The Author: Kirya Duncan is a Professional Building
Besigner and a member of AIBD (American Institute of Building
Designers). He specialize in custom home design services and
stock house plans. Visit his company website
http://www.designevolutions.com
to browse his house plan
collection and access more house plan related information.
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