Stock home plans are of the same quality as a set of custom designed house plans, but are less expensive. This is the primary reason we have seen such a boom in the sales of stock house plans since the mid 1990's. Stock house plans are generally home plan designs the were created for the mass public based on the current trends of the home plan shopper. Building designers gain great knowledge through feedback from builder clients as well as the general public to stay in tune with the market demands. By creating house floor plans that have the essentials of what is required by the public, building designers can continue to make buying house plans affordable to the average working American.

The biggest advantage of stock plans again is the affordability. Unlike custom home designs, stock house plans are a product and not a service. In other words, they are ready for immediate delivery upon ordering. Prices vary among building designers and average around 0.00 for a normal size home plan. The cost is a fraction of what a custom set of house plans would costs which can be several thousand on the low end.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of websites which offer stock house plans for sale. The choices can be a little overbearing. You have many broker websites offering thousands of plans by many designers and then you have the many designer owned websites with several hundred home designs or less. Most designers offer modification services if you require some changes to the house plans. The cost involved will vary depending on the amount of changes and the method by which the building designer charge for the service. A typical house plan purchase with modification request can be anywhere from ,200.00 to several thousands of dollars. This depends entirely on the extent of the modifications involved. For those who do not offer modification services, you usually are able to purchase a reproducible set (for minor changes) or the cad electronic files (for more extensive changes) so your local building designer can make those changes for you. In the end, you will have a stock home plan customized to your lifestyle without paying the custom design price. With so many options to maximize buying power of your hard earned money, it seems that stock house plans are here to stay!

In closing, you may consider preparing a list of things you want in your house plans before searching. Examples of the list will include architectural style, square footage, amount of bedrooms, baths, garage stalls, etc. You may also consider adding the builder designer in that list if you like the style of a certain designer. Narrow your search to two or three sites as you will tend to see the same plans on several websites. Do a price comparison for the lowest price. You will usually see lower prices directly from the designers website in most cases. Once this is established you are really to find your dream home plan. Happy house hunting!

Shopping for a house plan is not as simple as it may seem. When confronted by tens of thousands of different house plans available, it is easy to get overwhelmed. It is important to narrow your choices down as much as possible before you begin your search. Get specific on details such as the number of bedrooms and baths, the square footage you are looking for, the house style you desire, how many floors the house should have. Most decent house plan websites will have plenty of options with the criteria that you have specified. You can start your search on House Plan Central.

After the initial search, be systematic about tracking the house plans that you like. If you have definitely decided to build your own house, you should also set a date for when you will have selected a plan by. Local architects may customize a plan for you that you could have found for thousands less online if you had been diligent about the search process. Make sure to store your plans if the website you are using offers that feature. Make lists of pros and cons about each house plan. Ask for feedback from friends and family.

When you have found your dream plan, don’t hesitate to call the house plan website you found it on if you have any questions or you want to verify their credentials. I don’t want to scare you, but remember that taking someone else’s plan to a local architect to have them customize it is theft. Usually the same online designer will customize that plan for a fraction of the cost of taking the plan to a local designer.

By Kevin Carden

As the owner of houseplancentral.com I thought it would be important to provide some information to people shopping for house plans about what it takes to build a house yourself. My parents are approaching retirement age and wanted to move into their dream house that they will grow old together in. Over the past two years they have gone through the process that many prospective house plan buyers will be going through soon. I want to share some experiences that they went through that may help you in your process.

1) The lot. Although I think it is better to purchase the plans before you buy the lot, I do recommend getting comfortable with the type of lot that you are going to want your house to be built on. This can make a big difference in the ideal plan. My parents bought several acres overlooking a lake (and there's room for my family to build on the property in the future). They knew exactly what kind of lot they needed for the plans that they had purchased. Make sure you do your homework also and know the answers to the following questions and more: Do you want a flat lot; a basement; will your house have a view and how can you maximize that with the plan selection; how wide does the lot need to be, etc. Buying the lot first can significantly hinder your creativity in selecting your ideal house plan if you aren't taking these items into consideration.

2) Buy your plans. Assuming you have settled on the ideal plan, the next step is to order the plans. Make sure you get all the information you need when you buy your plans. Houseplancentral.com helps to make sure that you get everything you need with your house plans. If a materials list is available for your plans, I would recommend purchasing it. Also, it will be difficult to build your house if you only purchase 5 sets of plans. Paying a few hundred extra dollars for reproducible plans is usually worth it and can avoid costly mistakes from trying to work with too few plans. My dad purchased 8 sets and still struggled to complete the house with those 8. There were just so many people working on the house that needed the plans and they were always getting damaged or misplaced.

3) Select a Builder/Contractor. Many cities have local handimen who will help you to be your own contractor if you want to be the primary contractor for the construction of your home. I would highly recommend using one of these individuals or companies. I would also recommend interviewing several builders or contractors to make sure that you get the best possible quote. While my parents were building their home, they received framing estimates from k to 90k. With such a wide spread in quotes, it is important to always get multiple quotes to make sure you are receiving a fair deal.

…See the rest of this article in part II coming shortly.

When exploring options of building a new home, many individuals have a preconceived belief that their only affordable option is to settle for stock house plans rather than have custom house plans provided for their dream home.  Buying and building a new home will generally be the largest investment a person will make in their lifetime, so it makes perfect sense to have house plans generated for their ideal home which caters to their needs, offers design alternatives and is the ultimate reflection of who they are.

By purchasing stock house plans, these future homeowners are quite possibly compromising their needs by settling for home designs which were developed to fit the needs of a particular large group of the general public.  Unfortunately most individuals are unaware of affordable options to have custom house plans produced, which ultimately give them design alternatives to compromising their needs with stock house plans.

In every city there are plenty of competent home designers that can produce a set of custom house plans for literally thousands of dollars less than what is anticipated and generally costing about the same as some sets of stock house plans.  All available forms of communication these days also make it easier than ever to have custom house plans completed by home designers that could literally be thousands of miles away.

Unfortunately the general public is led to believe that a custom home design and house plans have too many disadvantages to make this option feasible.  Along with the obvious positive element of having a home truly adapted to their needs, there are several myths that need to be dispelled allowing all individuals the opportunity of having their own custom home design and house plans.  These so-called disadvantages can be proven as a misconception and actually be utilized as a positive consideration for building a new home.

The first misconception has actually been mentioned previously, which many people believe there are no qualified home designers that can generate the desired house plans.  There are an abundance of home designers which are more than capable of providing home design services and producing house plans.  Many of these home designers have countless years of experience in not only home design, but also in the project/construction management of custom homes.  It only takes a little time on the internet to locate these reputable designers.

Most individuals also believe that it will take too long to have their custom home designed.  Obviously it does require time to produce house plans, but most home designers will prioritize each individual project based on the customer's needs and time frame.  These designers are eager to please their clients, and many put in long hours to accomplish this task of providing a custom home design service.

The belief of never-ending meetings is also a huge misconception.  By utilizing a CAD (computer-aided drafting) system and email, most communication can be accomplished by using the computer and phone.  Even if an individual's schedule is too busy for any meetings at all, experienced home designers can provide these services with ease.  This leads into the next misconception of the necessity for making countless decisions.  Although having a truly custom home does require some choices, an experienced home designer utilizes years of experience to provide solutions and ideas which would not be resolved in stock house plans.

When considering to build a new home, the biggest misconception of having custom house plans drawn is that it costs too much.  All things considered, a lot of home designers can offer their services at relatively the same cost as some stock house plans.  By utilizing their knowledge and efficiency, these designers are more than qualified to provide design alternatives to stock house plans while also being very economical. 

In reality having a new home built should be the most exciting and positive experience an individual should have, and the development of the house plans should be the most enjoyable part of the whole process.  This stage is where all dreams and desires are incorporated into an individual's ideal home which could be lived in for the rest of their lives.  It's important to reiterate that building a home will indubitably be an individual's biggest lifetime investment, so it makes sense to get the custom home they desire.  The time and money an individual invests in obtaining custom house plans pales in comparison to the many years of living in their ideal home. 

Article by Kevin Carden

When a person begins the process of building a new house, there are many different aspects that need to be addressed including: where to build, what size home to build, what features to include, what items are the most important to have in the home, what costs should be included in the budget, what are the design/build timeframes, who will build the home, and a host of other issues.

After these initial questions have been successfully answered, the next item that must be addressed is that of house plans. There are two basic types of house plans that can be purchased, custom or stock, with each having distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Custom Houseplans

Custom house plans are just as the name implies. The house plans are custom drawn to meet you family's specific needs. The plans are normally drawn by a licensed building designer or, in some cases, a licensed architect in a geographic location close to where the 1.) owners live, or 2.) home will be built. The process is, normally, much more involved and time-consuming since the owner's specific requests will need to be integrated into the overall design of the home. Many times these type "special" requests can present significant challenges to the designer of the home, which as a result, may take additional time to resolve.

Since the home is being custom designed, specifically to meet the needs of that one person/family, the costs associated with the development of the house plans tend to be significantly larger than those for a similar set of stock house plans. However, in some cases, the custom house plan may be the only viable option based on the client's needs, home location, special building considerations, etc.

Advantages:

- Homeowner can get exactly what they want in home design - Special needs can be addressed in the design (i.e. extra large garage for boat, larger than normal master bath, handicapped access, etc.)

Disadvantages:

- Significantly more costly than stock houseplans - Longer, more arduous process to develop - Significantly more time consuming to produce (i.e. many meetings necessary with designer over several month period)

Stock Houseplans

Stock house plans are, by contrast, home designs which have been developed to fit the needs of a particular group of the general populace. They are not custom designed for a particular person, but rather, standardized for the needs of a larger group.

Stock homeplans normally include the "most requested" features including square footage, room dimensions, floorplan layout, amenities, and other like features. These house plans provide an excellent value when compared to the corresponding price of a set of fully custom house plans which may exceed several thousand dollars.

When you buy a stock house plan, you're not paying for the countless hours spent drawing up a plan, re-working the plan, and finalizing drafts. You're paying a reduced fee for a single re-use of that plan.

Advantages:

- Significantly less expensive - Minor plan modifications can usually be made by the original designer or a local designer for a minimal charge. - Very simple and quick purchase process - Can submit the plans for a building permit the day after receiving

Disadvantages:

-Not as extensively customizable

In conclusion, I would recommend trying to find a stock house plan, first, at a reputable online house plan broker website such as House Plan Central.com. There are thousands of stock house plans available online, and House Plan Central.com offers a huge selection of unique house plans in many different architectural styles.

More likely than not, you'll be able to find what you're looking for by doing a simple search. With so many plans available to choose from, it's a safe bet that you won't see your house plan replicated in your area. And if you find a plan you like, but want to make a few modifications - no problem! Most of the plans available at House Plan Central.com can be modified to your specifications.

Determining whether your particular needs merit custom or stock house plans is, ultimately, a personal choice based on your particular situation. Both types will provide you with the information that you need to successfully build your dream home.

About the Author

Kevin Carden is a publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources, the most famous being www.houseplancentral.com. House Plan Central has a large collection of home plans and unique house plans in many different architectural styles, from the nation's top house designers and architects.

When a person begins the process of building a new house, there are many different aspects that need to be addressed including: where to build, what size home to build, what features to include, what items are the most important to have in the home, what costs should be included in the budget, what are the design/build timeframes, who will build the home, and a host of other issues.

After these initial questions have been successfully answered, the next item that must be addressed is that of house plans. There are two basic types of house plans that can be purchased, custom or stock, with each having distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Custom Houseplans

Custom house plans are just as the name implies. The house plans are custom drawn to meet you family's specific needs. The plans are normally drawn by a licensed building designer or, in some cases, a licensed architect in a geographic location close to where the 1.) owners live, or 2.) home will be built. The process is, normally, much more involved and time-consuming since the owner's specific requests will need to be integrated into the overall design of the home. Many times these type "special" requests can present significant challenges to the designer of the home, which as a result, may take additional time to resolve.

Since the home is being custom designed, specifically to meet the needs of that one person/family, the costs associated with the development of the house plans tend to be significantly larger than those for a similar set of stock house plans. However, in some cases, the custom house plan may be the only viable option based on the client's needs, home location, special building considerations, etc.

Advantages:

- Homeowner can get exactly what they want in home design

- Special needs can be addressed in the design (i.e. extra large garage for boat, larger than normal master bath, handicapped access, etc.)

Disadvantages:

- Significantly more costly than stock houseplans

- Longer, more arduous process to develop

- Significantly more time consuming to produce (i.e. many meetings necessary with designer over several month period)

Stock Houseplans

Stock house plans are, by contrast, home designs which have been developed to fit the needs of a particular group of the general populace. They are not custom designed for a particular person, but rather, standardized for the needs of a larger group.

Stock homeplans normally include the "most requested" features including square footage, room dimensions, floorplan layout, amenities, and other like features. These house plans provide an excellent value when compared to the corresponding price of a set of fully custom house plans which may exceed several thousand dollars.

When you buy a stock house plan, you're not paying for the countless hours spent drawing up a plan, re-working the plan, and finalizing drafts. You're paying a reduced fee for a single re-use of that plan.

Advantages:

- Significantly less expensive

- Minor plan modifications can usually be made by the original designer or a local designer for a minimal charge.

- Very simple and quick purchase process

- Can submit the plans for a building permit the day after receiving

Disadvantages:

-Not as extensively customizable

In conclusion, I would recommend trying to find a stock house plan, first, at a reputable online house plan broker website such as House Plan Central.com. There are thousands of stock house plans available online, and House Plan Central.com offers a huge selection of unique house plans in many different architectural styles.

More likely than not, you'll be able to find what you're looking for by doing a simple search. With so many plans available to choose from, it's a safe bet that you won't see your house plan replicated in your area. And if you find a plan you like, but want to make a few modifications - no problem! Most of the plans available at House Plan Central.com can be modified to your specifications.

Determining whether your particular needs merit custom or stock house plans is, ultimately, a personal choice based on your particular situation. Both types will provide you with the information that you need to successfully build your dream home.