New Home Design
Title: Before You Purchase Your House Plans
Author: Kirya Duncan
Article:
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). Visit his
company website http://www.designevolutions.com for stock house
plans and related information. House plans and home
plans
New Home Design
Author: Kirya Duncan
Article:
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). Visit his
company website http://www.designevolutions.com for stock house
plans and related information. House plans and home
plans
New Home Design
posted by architect-insider at 7:25 AM
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