Most minor revisions can be a “red line change order” by your contractor. Meaning simply, you and your builder mark with a red pen your minor plan changes and each of you initial the change order. Click over to our Modify Plans page.
The fee for our plans are for the information to build the home only one time. Contact our office for a multi-use license.
No. It is at the request of the home owners and our legal department not to give out addresses. If it is an unoccupied builder’s model then it is ok. Think of this, how would you feel if some strangers were holding a copy of the interior of your home and they’re asking to come in a look around?
The answer is no. It is not right to sell a materials list thinking that “One Size Fits All”. A home built in Texas will have an entire different list of materials for the same plan built in Montana. I recommend that you consult with your building materials supplier and have a local Estimator custom prepare a materials list for your location and how you plan on building your new home.
No. Air Conditioning Plans or HVAC plans vary from the type of equipment specified, the direction a home faces, how you insulate the home including windows and especially if the home is being built in a cold climate or warm climate. Your HVAC contractor should engineer your home’s HVAC system depending on all of these factors and provide the plans.
Here is why. Regardless of what other plan companies provide, one thing we learned since having an Internet Web Presence for over 10 years, is not everybody’s method on how a basement is to be constructed is the same. There are so many structural variables, from one state to another, from one city to another, it seems no matter what we do, in no way can we design a basement plan to please every building inspector or building contractor. On top of that, there are so many different materials to choose from today. You can choose ICFs, CMUs, poured concrete walls or even wood foundation walls. The framing of the floor has about a dozen different types of materials from “2 by” lumber to engineered trusses. And if you’re in a high seismic zone, all the rules change. There is absolutely no such thing as a “One Size Fits All” Basement Plan.
Here is what we recommend
Even if you do not buy your house plan from us. Have a local qualified structural engineer who is knowledgeable with the most common methods allowed for your area, test your soils and design your foundation especially for your lot situation. It will cost you from a couple of hundred to maybe a couple of thousand dollars depending on the situation and complexity of the design. In the long term scheme of things, you will have a happier life having the most important part of your new home structurally engineered the correct way.
What we do provide
We do provide, what here in north Texas, is commonly known as a FHA type “C” slab on grade foundation plan. In short, a “C” slab is a 5 inch thick 3,500 psi monolithic slab, #3 rebar at 12″ on center in two directions. The perimeter beam is 10″x24″ and has 4-#5 bars, 2 top and 2 bottom. The interior beams are also 10″x24″ with 4-#5 bars and are spaced no more than 12′ apart. There is a minimum of 4″ of sand or gravel cushion fill and a 4 mil poly vapor barrier beneath the entire area of the slab. Back in the 1970s, this foundation was “cookbook” engineered by HUD for the expansive soils in north Texas with a plasticity index not exceeding 45.
Never-the-less, most city plan reviewers here in north Texas requires that all foundations be designed by a licensed professional engineer.
The most asked question we receive from our online visitors is, “How much does a certain plan cost to build?”. I think it is wrong that some web sites actually charge you then give a cost to build a plan. How do they know the cost of how you want to build your home? There are Professional Estimating Companies that can give you a close idea but with a LOT of margin for error. This is a tough question to answer because construction cost varies so much from one geographic area to another. For example; a home built in San Jose, California will have a different cost than other areas of the country because of require shear walls. The same plan would cost differently being built in Fargo, North Dakota where the builder has to consider the extreme cold climate in the winter. Additionally, take the same home plan to Beaumont, Texas where we need to consider high heat humidity factor and an occasional hurricane. On top of all this, labor and material cost vary greatly from one area to another. I sold a plan to a customer who built his home in a ski resort town up in the state of Idaho. He told me that it was a two hour drive to the nearest lumber yard. Needless to say, his builder had to pay extra for construction materials delivery. The best answer I can give to this question is that the national average of construction cost range from around $95.00 to $135.00 (and beyond) per square foot*, and this all depends on how you plan to finish out your home. Do you plan to have your Kitchen counters built out of granite or plastic laminated (Formica) ? Do you plan to use a high grade roof material like slate or plan to build your roof with a light weight composition shingle? The questions are almost endless. A good number to start with is a construction cost of about $100.00 per square foot* of Living Area for most areas of the country. And of course, this does not include the cost of the land.
The best way to determine the construction cost of one of our plans is to consult with a Home Builder in your area. Your builder could have a speculative model home open to give you an example of the materials they prefer to use along with the cost per square foot it took to build that home. Feel free to print out a copy of the plan you like from our web site and take it to a builder. Most builders would be happy to discuss how much it would cost to build the plan.
You need to be aware of expensive items that could drive up the price of a new home. Consider these; Bath Rooms, the type of Kitchen appliances, expensive floor coverings such as wood or tile, fire places, built-in cabinets, etc.. These are all items that will have a large effect on the final cost of your home. Those rooms with tall two story ceilings cost almost as much as if that upper area was floor space. Wood, Aluminum or Vinyl window types can have a large effect on the cost of your home. In the south, many home builders use aluminum or vinyl windows where in the north, extreme cold temperatures demand the use of wood windows. Wood windows could easily cost up to three to four times that of aluminum or vinyl windows.
Remember this, nothing is given away for free. There is no free wood fence for your rear yard, garage door opener, upgrade to a whirlpool bath tub, etc… Most Home Builders are professionals and they will treat you that way. A real Professional Home Builder will give you an item by item cost breakdown including those non-tangibles such as insurance, interest and professional fees. Don’t leave out the fee your builder hopes to earn while building your home. This is often called the “Builder Margin” and could be from 15% to 25%. So if a home cost $300,000.00 to build, the margin could be $45,000.00 to $75,000.00 and is part of that Cost Per Square Foot.
Choosing the right Home Builder is also very important, but that’s another discussion.
* This is for a home with no more than 10% of the living area in covered porch and patio areas, IE, a 2,000 sq. ft. home might have 200 sq. ft. in porches. So those homes with wrap-around country Porches will expect to cost more per square foot. Also, a 2 car garage for homes up to 2,500 sq. ft. and 3 car garage above 3,000 sq. ft.. But keep in mine, this is just a non-scientific method of guessing about how much a home might cost to build. The bottom line is to consult with a Professional Home Builder who is building homes in the same area you plan to build in.
We can provide more detailed views as a Study Plan. See our Order a Study Plan page.
Sometimes on the Plan Page we might show the Sides and Rear Elevations. If we don’t and you are wanting to see just the Roof, Sides and Rear Elevation drawings, please email us with your name, address, telephone number and location where the home is to be built along with the Plan Number. We have no issue in sharing these other images with you.
We request this information to help curb unauthorized use.
We can provide more detailed views as a Study Plan. See our Order a Study Plan page.