You're ready to build your own home, or you think you might be. You've got the
land already or you've got your eye on that special spot. You're excited to
fulfill a dream but maybe a bit hesitant, with
no idea where to start. It's likely you're considering a plan from one of our architects rather than hiring an
architect yourself or simply relying on your contractor.
Houseplans.com was built people for people like you. Houseplans.com chief architect Nick Lee has some answers to help
remove the butterflies.
"Building a house is a journey," Nick says. "You want to take control of the process and build a house that suits your lot and lifestyle. By starting with a plan from one of our great architects and designers you get a number of benefits:
1. Lower cost. Compared with the high cost of hiring an architect, these plans leave you with more budget to invest in the building of your home. In other words, with a ready-made plan you can build a semi-custom home without the custom price. It's faster and easier than designing a plan from scratch, and you get to have a hand in the process.
2. Easy customization. You look at your lot and may think: 'I have neighbors on one side, so I want privacy. The view to the back is fabulous -- I want to capitalize on that. And I want a kitchen that makes the most of my love of cooking and entertaining.' This is where our staff designers step in, customizing your plans to meet your needs.
3. Personal assistance. When choosing a plan it's helpful to consider all the things you want and don't want in a house (and we'll soon be offering an extensive checklist to help you think through these options). Decisions range from systems -- solar hot water? security cameras or gates? -- to smaller details like fixtures and appliances. We assist you in the project, helping you hammer out details. When you know exactly what you want, you're better prepared to send the bid out to contractors. Then as you build, you’ll want to get more specific in design, and we'll help with that as well."
"Building a house is a journey," Nick says. "You want to take control of the process and build a house that suits your lot and lifestyle. By starting with a plan from one of our great architects and designers you get a number of benefits:
1. Lower cost. Compared with the high cost of hiring an architect, these plans leave you with more budget to invest in the building of your home. In other words, with a ready-made plan you can build a semi-custom home without the custom price. It's faster and easier than designing a plan from scratch, and you get to have a hand in the process.
2. Easy customization. You look at your lot and may think: 'I have neighbors on one side, so I want privacy. The view to the back is fabulous -- I want to capitalize on that. And I want a kitchen that makes the most of my love of cooking and entertaining.' This is where our staff designers step in, customizing your plans to meet your needs.
3. Personal assistance. When choosing a plan it's helpful to consider all the things you want and don't want in a house (and we'll soon be offering an extensive checklist to help you think through these options). Decisions range from systems -- solar hot water? security cameras or gates? -- to smaller details like fixtures and appliances. We assist you in the project, helping you hammer out details. When you know exactly what you want, you're better prepared to send the bid out to contractors. Then as you build, you’ll want to get more specific in design, and we'll help with that as well."
