Choosing the Right House Plan
Purchasing a stock house plan can be a great way to save time and money vs. commisisoning a custom design. When planning your project, there are several considerations that can help you narrow down your perfect house plan.
Understanding Your Lifestyle
Before you start looking at plans, it’s helpful to consider the way you use the rooms in your house and make a list of important features. For example, some families like great room concepts, where the kitchen, living and dining spaces are all open to each other, while others with a more formal entertaining style prefer separate formal living and dining rooms. Families with teens often prefer split bedrooms, where the master bedroom is on one side of the house and kids’ bedrooms are on the other, while people with young children may prefer bedrooms that are closer to each other. Other considerations include size, outdoor spaces, gargages, laundry areas, storage, a home office or workstation, game rooms or play areas, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms needed, and whether you’re looking for a single level or multi-level house plan.
The Basics of the Floorplan
Floorplans can be confusing, so understanding the layout is an imporant piece of the puzzle. Start by finding the front of the house, and visually walk through the house plan as if you were entering the home, even tracing a path with a pencil. Pay attention to the way the rooms relate to each other and the traffic pattern as you flow from one room to the next. Look for the entrance to each bedroom to find out if the plan is a “split bedroom,” where the bedrooms are separated from each other, or if they are clustered together in a common area. Look for walls or islands connecting the kitchen and living/dining areas to determine if the house plan is an open great room concept, or if there are walls separating these areas creating a more formal living space. Look for features like closets and storage (sometimes labeled WIC for walk-in closets) and find the path from the garage into the house.
Floorplan Details
If you’ve determined that the layout of a plan works for you, it’s time to take a closer look at the details of the plan. Consider the locations of windows and doors and how the plan would relate to your lot. Does your lot have a view that you want to take advantage of? Do you want to avoid a mass of west facing windows in a desert climate, or take advantage of sunny exposure in a cooler location? Does your lot have a slope, and will the plan work with the terrain? Take a look at the layout of the kitchen and imagine cooking in it - does the plan seem practical? Fortunately, the details of stock plans can often be altered if they aren’t quite right for you, so you can contact the designer for a change estimate.
Before you purchase a house plan, check with your local building department regarding:
- Building Permit Requirements in Your Area
- Architectural & Engineering Requirements
- Zoning Restrictions Including Setbacks, Height, Width, Depth, Number of Stories Allowed, and Lot Coverage Restrictions
You should also check with your HOA or municipality regarding:
- CC&Rs (Codes, Covenants and Restrictions) that may place limitations on what type of house plan you may build on your lot
- Design Guidelines & Review Process
Contact Your General Contractor for Information on:
- Recommendations for type of foundation, framing, roof pitch requirements, and any other special considerations specific to your area to keep in mind when purchasing a house plan. In most cases, designers are able to provide revisions for plans to better meet your specific needs.
- Special budget requirements based on the house plan you are interested in and the lot you have chosen
For more tips, visit our page on Building a Custom Home >
