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Because our Plans are sold all over the nation, only you and your builder can ensure that local building requirements take precedence in the actual construction. Our Plans are designed to meet or exceed the International Residential Code at the time and place in which they were drawn, but because codes change, we cannot warrant compliance with any specific building codes. In addition, the codes and ordinances that apply to your home site can be influenced by state or county amendments, subdivision deed restrictions, local municipal code variances, and features specific to your site such as soil conditions, snow loads, and seismic conditions. Some changes and material alternatives may be necessary to meet local requirements. Your local builder can easily make changes or notations to these drawings to conform to these requirements. We cannot be responsible for the local requirements, or for the assistance you receive from the consultants you engage to build your home. It is the responsibility of the purchaser of the Plans and their builder to assure that the home is built in conformance to all site and code requirements. Our Plans are sold with the express condition that you and your builder agree to strictly comply with all local building codes, ordinances, regulations and requirements. All of our plans are designed by licensed architects or professional residential designers. Our plans are not stamped by an architect or engineer.

Floor Plans

We show suggested furniture arrangements so that you can imagine how the spaces can be used, how you might inhabit the spaces.

Typically, other plan services omit the furnishings in order to make the rooms look larger and to disguise how awkward the doors and windows are arranged

Exterior Elevations

Show front, rear and side views, indicating materials, dimensions and details.

Foundation Feature Plan

The fully dimensioned Foundation Feature Plan shows the layout of a slab, crawlspace, full basement, or partial basement, depending on the Plan design. If the Plan you choose is not drawn with the type of foundation you need, we can convert any foundation drawing to another type. Please call to provide specific needs and to get a quote.

Ground level plumbing fixtures are shown for locating foundation penetrations.

Sizing and location of footings, beams, and piers are not included – these must be designed specific to your site conditions.

Framing Plans

Building Sections

One or more vertical cuts through the entire building, showing relations of levels, and floor, ceiling, and roof height information.

Interior Elevations

Reflected Ceiling Plan

May be included to show layout of ceiling treatments such as decorative beams, recesses, and vaults. Construction details may also be shown.

Roof Plan

Shows slope and location of roof elements such as dormers, chimneys, skylights.  If trusses are used for the roof construction, it is important that a local truss manufacturer design the trusses to conform to local codes and requirements.

Sample Site Plan

Showing Plan on a generic site plan

Typical Wall Sections

Plan-specific Details

Typical Details

Schedules

Presented in columnar table form, the Schedules list Appliances, Plumbing fixtures, Room Finishes, and Doors and Windows generically. They are formatted so that you may enter specific information on sizes, manufacturers, finishes, etc. as you make your selections.

Heating, Air Conditioning layouts

Are not included. Local mechanical contractor provide these as part of their service. These must be sized according to your site’s geographic location, local weather, orientation, window and door selections, and your choice of heating and cooling system (forced air, radiant heating, hot water) and fuel used (oil, gas, electric, solar). Because our homes are designed to be highly energy-efficient, we strongly recommend that you have your mechanical contractor perform a Manual J sizing of the HVAC system from our plans, and a Manual D sizing of the ducts. These are industry standards for the mechanical systems. Do not allow the contractor to do a rule-of-thumb calculation of sizing, such as “One ton of Air Conditioning per each 550 square feet of Living Space”. These are out-of-date standards and can be a cause for oversizing, stale air, and mold and mildew.

Provide general instructions and information regarding structure, excavating and grading, masonry and concrete work, carpentry and wood, thermal and moisture protection, and specifications about drywall, tile, flooring, glazing, caulking and sealants.  Shown on each drawing.

Square Footage Estimates

Unlike other Plan Services, our Plans include detailed itemizations of various square footages: Conditioned Space, Porches, Garages, Decks, Balconies, and Basement Areas. Each has a different costs associated with it, and must be totaled individually. Stairs are counted once. Floor areas with 5-foot and under head height are not included in total square footages of that floor level total. We recommend that your contractor do his own square foot calculations, as there are varying formulas for calculating square footages.

Estimating Construction Costs

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