Your Building Your Dream Home, But Where Do You Start?
Your Building Your Dream Home, But Where Do You Start?
You have finally found the perfect lot, in the neighborhood
of your choice, and at a price you can afford. Now you have to decide
what type of house you want built. In fact you may even know the house
you want, be it a big rambling farmhouse, with a wrap-a-round porch
reminiscent of your grandmother’s home, a rustic log cabin or a more
modern luxurious home. Whatever you choose, the first thing you will
need is a set of house plans.
An architect can draw up plans to your exact specifications,
but this can be very expensive. A building contractor may show a
selection of home plans to choose from, but perhaps a better less
costly idea would be to purchase a set of pre-drawn house plans. There
are magazines and web sites where you can purchase plans for just about
any style house you could imagine.
Most House plans web sites allow you to search, by house style,
such as country, cottage, log cabin, Tudor or luxury home. You can also
search by price, designer, number of bedrooms, number of stories,
garage etc. not all sites offer all search options.
Informational articles, or FAQs (frequently asked Questions)
are available on most sites. These provide information about the
different types of plan sets available and what is included in each,
making changes to the house plan you choose, return policy, finding a
builder, return policy, and a number of other questions. For Questions
not covered in the information section, there is usually a toll free
number you can call to get the answers to your questions.
The types of house plan sets are: Construction sets. Which
consists of 5 to 8 complete sets of plans. This set is what you will
need, to get a building permit, arrange financing, and actually get
your house built. The plans in this set include, exterior views
(elevations), floor and roof plans, basement or foundation plans,
Building sections, electrical schematic, and usually information about
such things as structural specifications, excavation and grading,
flooring material, carpentry, and tiling. A building license, not to be
confused with a building permit, is included. The license allows you to
use the plans to create your dream home.
A reproducible set is available for making minor changes to
your plans. The plan is drawn on erasable vellum or Mylar. This set
comes with a Copyright Release, allowing you to make as many copies as
needed to accommodate the changes you make to the original plan. It
also comes with a building, license, but you may not construct more
than one house without first getting a multi-use license from the
company.
The CAD set is intended for use when you will have a local
architect make major changes to the original house plans. It also
includes a copyright release so that your designer can make copies as
needed. Again you need to get a multi-use license if you intend to
build more than one house.
A study set, is used primarily for estimating costs, it usually
doesn’t include foundation plans and may not be copied. No license is
included and comes marked with a “Not for Construction” label. Lastly
there is the Single set it is for obtaining bids, it also bears the
“Not for Construction” label, and no license is provided.
The designers of pre-drawn house plans do their drawings to
meet national building codes. It is possible that you will need to hire
a local architect to bring your plans up to code for your area. It may
be wise to contact your local building agency and to find out what is
required to get a building permit.
At last you have chosen the plans for your new home, obtained
financing, and your plans meet code. What comes next? You need to hire
a building contractor, and sub contractors, for electricity and
plumbing. Where do you begin? Most areas license contractors, so make
sure that the people you interview, have the right qualifications, and
licenses. If you had a local designer to alter your plans she may be
able to refer you to some qualified, reputable contractors in your
area. If you have had electrical or plumbing work done in your present
home, that person may have the name of a good builder. Always ask for
and check references, Also, make sure your contract provides for
redress if the work is not completed, done properly and to code
standards Once you hire a qualified builder, he should have the names
of plumbers, air conditioning specialists and electricians that he has
worked with in the past. Check the Better Business Bureau to see if the
person you are considering has any complaints lodged against them.
The companies that sell house plans will usually make minor
changes to your plan, for an additional charge and it may not be
necessary to hire a local designer. However, the changes must be
requested at the time of purchase.
It is possible to have your plans reversed in most cases. If
your breakfast nook faces north for instance and the best view from
your lot is to the south, you can ask to have the plans reversed. Most
house plan web sites allow you to view the reversed image on line.
Occasionally the view can’t be seen on line, but most companies will
email you a reversed view in that case.
One thing the plans do not include is the actual layout of the
electrical, plumbing and air conditioning work, since the designers
have no way to know where on your lot these lines would enter the
house. Your contractor s will have no problem working that out.
There are dozens of home styles to choose from .A- frame to
Victorian. One search option is size. A small house is anything up to
1500sq. ft. of living space, a medium size is from 1500 to 2500 sq. ft.
A home over 2500sq.ft is considered large.
A luxury home is also 2500 sq. ft. or more and has extras, such
as large main floor master bedroom suite, walk in closets, media room,
and home office. Premium homes are also large, often 5000sq.ft. In
addition to the Master bedroom suite and extra special use rooms, they
generally have a bathroom for each bedroom. Music room’s media centers,
and offices are common. The garages with these houses are often larger
than 600sq.ft
Your dream house is out there, you just need to do your
homework. When you find the right plan to suit your family and your
lot. Make sure your contractor is licensed, reputable and qualified to
do the work and adheres to your local building code. Be sure that your
contract protects you if the work isn’t done to code. Stay in touch
with the contractor, visit the site often, be there when the last
detail is completed. Now relax and enjoy your new home.