What's Included
- WHAT INFORMATION IS INCLUDED WITH YOUR PLANS?
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We are part of the "stock" plan industry, but unlike the vast majority of our competitors, we do not sell stock plans! Our definition of a stock plan is quite simple: it is house plan that was created without the participation of a client. As the name implies, these are plans that were created as inventory, to be sold via plan websites and magazines. They are often generic in both appearance and design, and the slightest variation is considered to be another new plan. How else could websites offer 10,000 to 25,000 supposedly "unique" designs? What we offer to our customers are exact copies of the original full working drawings, created by award-winning architects and designers for their individual clients, that led to the construction of unique and (at that time) one-of-a-kind homes. For a detailed explanation of the many important differences between client-inspired working drawings and stock plans, please click here.
While the individual plans in our portfolio contain varying amounts of information, our standards are very high, and we only offer plans that meet or exceed our overall criteria for detail. [By the way, when we use the word "detail" on this site, we are referring to the amount of information provided to your builder, not to the complexity of the construction process]
At a minimum, each set includes the following:
- Fully detailed and dimensioned floor plans for each level
- Foundation plan and foundation detail drawings
- Whole house cross-section(s)
- Detailed elevations of all four sides of the house
- Typical wall sections and details
- Framing details for each level
- Roof framing details
- Schematic electrical drawings for each level
- Individual construction and foundation detail drawings
- General construction notes and specifications
Many sets also include:
- Window and door schedules
- Interior elevations
- Stair and fireplace details
They range in size of sheets – 18"x24"; 24"x36"; and 30"x42" – as well as in number of sheets – from as few as 5 to more than 25! However, keep in mind that when it comes to the amount of detail (information) provided, the size and number of pages can be deceiving. For instance, a 6-page set of plans can sometimes include much more information than a 12-page set. The former may have all 4 elevation drawings on one sheet, and the floor plans for each level on another (along with some detail drawings, schedules, electrical schematic, and construction notes), while the latter may have one elevation drawing on each of four separate sheets, and the same for each floor plan.
However, just stating that our (or someone else's) plans include, let's say, elevation drawings, doesn't tell you much. All plan sets include what are referred to as "elevations". But these drawings might simply show the outlines of the house, the rooflines, and the positions and shapes of the doors and windows. A more complete drawing will include references to specific external materials, to door, window and finish schedules, and possibly to house cross sections. They may also include labeled reference lines showing the builder where things like the subfloors and tops of plates are, relative to the outside structure, and the distances between them. And in some cases, they can even include individual detail drawings.
To illustrate this point, this is one of the elevation sheets from our plans for Maple Forest 2:
So you can see that's it's not enough to simply list the contents of the plans for you to know how much information is actually being provided to your builder. All plans, no matter how simple, include floor plans, elevations, foundation drawings, and a typical wall section. Just knowing that something is included (like the illustration of the elevation drawings above) doesn't begin to tell you how much information is actually provided. It would take many pages to describe the exact details included in each one of our house plans. But even without a complete breakdown, we can assure you of two things: all of our plans were used to obtain permits and to successfully construct the original house; and, all contain more than enough information to enable any competent builder to construct the house exactly as it was designed.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that the amount of detail in a set of plans is still far less important than the thought and experience that went into creating them! Again, we invite you to read our description of the differences between a plan designed for inventory, and one designed for a specific family and plot of land.
Something else to consider when looking at our plans:
Architects typically charge 15% of the total cost to build for their completed plans. So, for a 2,650 square foot house (the current national average), built at an average cost per square foot of say $125, the fee the original homeowners paid to the architect to design their dream home was approximately $50,000! And they worked with that architect over a period of 8 months to a year! That exact same set of plans is available on our site for around 5% of the original cost, and we can usually ship it in one or two days!
