House Plans From Scratch®

Affordable Custom Home Design

Houseplans.com can design your new House Plans From Scratch® -- including a full set of working drawings -- for $9950, much less than the typical market price for designing a custom house, which is at least 10%-15% of the cost of construction. The fee is payable in installments. Use the following guidelines to understand what's involved.

Call us now at 1-888-705-1300 to learn more and start the design process.

$9950 Price Includes:
Programming
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Drawings

*All pricing based on homes 4000sf or less

YOUR IDEAS

OUR DESIGN TEAM

YOUR HOME

DESIGNING YOUR HOME STEP-BY-STEP
The process of designing your House Plans From Scratch® will proceed in phases as outlined below.

1. INFORMATION GATHERING
Every project has different requirements. This phase of the projects gives you time to prepare for your project by gathering the following data: Site Information, County/City & Community Requirements, Preliminary Program Requirements, Time & Budget Outline, and Ideas & Inspiration. *This is outlined in more detail under "Preparation".

2. PROGRAMMING
During this phase we will work with you to define the parameters of your project – Sizes of rooms, # of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. We will work together to refine the scope of your project based on the ideas and information brought together in “Preparation” for your project.

3. SCHEMATIC DESIGN
Houseplans will work with you to create Schematic Design Drawings based on the Information Gathering and Programming phases. This is the phase where we have the opportunity to work together and sculpt your home into something special. Through loose sketches we'll explore up to 3 Schematic Design Schemes.

4. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Once a schematic design has been agreed upon, Houseplans will make adjustments to the design if needed. This phase is intended to develop the design of the project to a suitable level prior to commencing with construction drawings. You agree to the final design at this point.

5. CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
The Construction Drawings phase begins once the Design Development Phase ends and you have signed off on the final design. From the Design Development Drawings Houseplans will further develop the design and provide detailed documents for construction. These documents will be sufficiently detailed to price and build the project. The Construction Drawings package includes:

• Floor Plans: House plan drawings indicating dimensions for construction.
• Roof Plan: Drawings indicating roof slopes and unique conditions.
• Exterior Elevations: Drawings showing appearance and the types of materials use on your home.
• Building Sections: Drawings cut through important locations in your home.
• Construction Details: Drawings showing specific construction of building elements at a large scale.
• Electrical Plans: General electrical layout - light fixture and outlet locations, circuit diagrams.
• Foundation Plan: Dimensioned drawings describing specific foundation conditions for your home.

6. DELIVERABLES
During the Schematic Design and Design Development Phases we will provide sketches and hard lined drawings to convey design intent of your house plan. During the Construction Drawings phase we will e-mail you PDF check sets for your review. Once we have your written approval of the Construction Drawings we will proceed to finalize your project. Upon project finalization, Houseplans.com will provide the following at no additional cost: PDF Drawings, 5 Printed Copies on Bond, and a Building License to construct one home.

7. TIME FRAME
The project time schedule is outlined below. Houseplans will proceed with due diligence to adhere to the schedule outlined below; However, this schedule is only an estimate as unforeseen circumstances during the course of the project may affect details and cannot be anticipated. The schedule indicated below will begin upon the execution of this contract, along with payment of your first installment.

PHASE	TOTAL TIME	PERCENT COMPLETE
Information Gathering	Week 0-2	5%
Programming	Week 2-3	10%
Schematic Design	Week 3-6	25%
Design Development	Week 6-9	35%
Construction Drawings	Week 9-13	90%
Project Finalization	Week 13-14	100%

8. PAYMENT
Houseplans From Scratch is paid in two installments.

1st Installment: $6000 - Paid at project commencement.
2nd Installment: $3950 - Paid at start of Design Development Phase.

Designing a house requires a thorough understanding of your needs and site. When you're ready to design your House Plans From Scratch®, you will need to gather the following information.

1. SITE INFO
Tell us about your site/lot: dimensions, slope, orientation, view, climate, prevailing wind direction, proximity to neighbors, and the character of neighborhood. The following information is important to locate and properly orient your home.

• Soils Report: Specific analysis of the soils conditions for your site.
• Site Survey: Site dimensions, property lines, contours, existing trees, utility locations, adjacent properties, sidewalk and street location, north arrow.
• Photographs: Site conditions, views, special features

2. CITY/COUNTY & COMMUNITY REQUIREMENTS

Planning Department Regulations
Check with the Planning Department in your City or County for the following information.

• Site Restrictions: Setbacks, easements, height limits, off-street parking, floor area ratio, etc.
• Design Review Requirements (if applicable)
• Neighborhood Reviews

Building Department Regulations
Check with the Building Department in your City or County for the following information.

• Permits and Fees
• Submittal Process & Requirements
• Engineering Requirements
• Sewer / Septic Requirements

Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions / CC+R's: Check to see if your property is under the control of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions. If your property is subject to these Rules and Regulations, they may influence the design of your home.

3. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Tell us about your living requirements: formal /informal; how many bedrooms and bathrooms; kitchen open to family or living areas? Entry/mudroom? How much storage, what type, and where? Size of garage? Laundry? Do you entertain? Is outdoor privacy important?

4. TIME & BUDGET
Time & Budget are very important considerations that will influence your design project. Understanding your time line and budget will put things in context, and guide our decision making process as we design your House Plan From Scratch.

5. IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
Gather images and ideas to share with us. Providing us photos, magazine clippings, web site images, and any other graphic ideas will help us understand your taste and design goals.

The following are additional services that Houseplans can offer you.

1. DESIGN REVIEW PRESENTATION DRAWINGS: $1500
If your City or County requires a formal review Houseplans can create rendered images to help you get approval from your Planning Department.

2. PLAN CHECK REVISIONS: $1250
Every building department is different, and often you will be required to make drawing revisions after you submit for a building permit. Houseplans can assist you through the plan check process, by answering questions and making revisions to your drawings. This price does not include the cost for printing.

3. MATERIALS LISTS: $500
A breakdown of materials is important in pricing your project. Houseplans can provide you with a comprehensive list of materials that you'll need to build your home.

4. CAD DRAWINGS: $800
CAD drawings are available in dwg and dxf format.

5. EXCLUSIVE DESIGN LICENSE: $2500
Keep your home unique by purchasing this license which gives you exclusive rights to your Home From Scratch in the state in which you are building. This means no one else will be able to build the same your home in your state.

6. STAMPED STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: $5,950
Through our engineering partners we are able to offer stamped structural drawings for your specific projects. Your home will be engineered for your local conditions. This process typically takes 3-4 weeks.

*All pricing based on homes 4000sf or less.