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How much will customizations cost?

Minor to moderate changes range from $250 to $700. If you make extensive changes to a large house, you may spend a few thousand dollars. If that seems like a lot, remember that custom house plans can cost as much as $5 per square foot, and the average stock house plan cost is about $700. You're still saving thousands. Keep in mind that requested changes may affect the total square footage—or width and depth—of the design.

In general, most people who customize a house plan spend between $700 to $1500 for the changes. The cost is directly affected by the complexity of the changes and the amount of labor involved. Your cost may be more or less depending upon the time needed to make your changes. If an exterior wall is moved, then more changes are involved because the changes affect more aspects of the drawings (such as the roof, foundation, exterior views, etc.). If exterior walls are not involved, the cost is normally less.

Why do I have to pay for a customization estimate?

Our professionals examine and evaluate each customization for feasibility. Should you decide to go through with the customization, the $29.95 fee will be credited toward the customizations. Furthermore, even if you do not decide to proceed with customizations, the $29.95 can be credited toward the purchase of your plans. Call 1-888-596-4353 to claim your credit. The $29.95 rebate does not apply to single sets or to study sets.

What are the most commonly requested customizations to plans?

Following are the most common customization requests: Eliminating windows, fireplaces, false dormers Rearranging certain interior walls Changing ceiling heights Changing exterior surfaces (brick, siding, stucco) Changing exterior wall framing (2x4 to 2x6 or ICF) Changing a foundation type. Relocating garage door openings / adding or eliminating bays. Kitchen or bath layout change. Changing an exterior elevation style. Adding or eliminating a room. Stretching house plans in either width or depth. Adding a bonus room over the garage. Reducing or increasing the square footage of the home.

What type of customizations are the most expensive?

One of the most requested customizations is to reduce the size of the house. Because most homes are currently drawn with CAD programs, you might think that it would be simple to just instruct the program to reduce the size of the house by 10%, 15%, etc. Actually, that can be done, but what happens is that everything gets reduced by that percentage – door & window openings, refrigerator openings, tub and shower spaces, etc. What happens is that the house doesn’t ‘work’ anymore. The designer would most likely have to start from scratch at a flat rate of $1-$5 per square foot of finished floor space to get the size of the home reduced for you. Therefore, reducing the size of a house is one of the most expensive customizations you can make.

Will the plans have all the information I need to get a building permit?

Almost, with a few exceptions, depending on where you are building your house. All building departments will require a site plan to show where the house will sit on your property. You might also need beams sized to accommodate roof loads specific to your region. Your home builder can usually help you with this. If you are not connecting to a sewer system, you also need a septic design attached to your application. And many areas now require compliance with local energy codes, which is normally a simple form you fill out and attach to your application. In some regions, you also need to ensure that your house plans are in compliance with local codes. Some areas of North America have very strict engineering requirements. For example, earthquake-prone areas of California and the Pacific Coast, hurricane risk areas of the Florida, Gulf, and Carolina coasts, as well as New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and parts of Illinois require review by a local professional. If you are building in these areas, you will most likely need to hire a state-licensed structural engineer to analyze the design and provide additional drawings and calculations required by your building department. If you aren’t sure, building departments typically can give you a handout, listing all of the items they require to obtain a building permit. Additionally, stock plans do not have a professional stamp affixed. If your building department requires one, they will accept only a stamp from a state-licensed professional where you plan to build. In this case, you will need to have your house plans reviewed and stamped by a local engineer or architect.

Once I receive my estimate and I decide to proceed with the customizations, what happens next?

First, we will ask you to fax back your signed customization agreement. Then, you will need to call to order the Reproducible Master. At the same time, we will also collect the agreed-upon customization price. Your customized design should be ready within 1-6 weeks, at which time the balance of the customization fee will be collected along with your shipping charges.

Is it necessary to have plans customized? Can’t I just do the changes myself during construction?

Often times, yes. It is perfectly normal to do what is called ‘red-lining’ changes you intend to make to the plans. Many changes can be made during construction without customizing the house plan, saving you additional design fees. However, this is dependent on your local building codes and the flexibility of your local building department. Consult with your home builder to determine whether the changes you want to make are feasible without having the design customized.

Why do I need to purchase a Reproducible Master in order to have customizations made?

For three reasons: First, because along with a Reproducible you will also receive a Copyright Release so that whoever is making the changes to the plan will have permission from the original designer to alter the drawings. Second, you will be sent the customized Reproducible after completion of the customizations and you will be able to make legal copies of the plans for your builder, lender, building department, and subcontractors. (It is illegal to make copies of a house plan without a Copyright Release from the original designer). Last, Reproducibles are on a special type of semi-transparent paper that allows professionals to both erase and copy. Regular blueprints are not erasable, nor are they able to be copied.

How long does it take to have customizations made?

It varies; depending upon our customization professional’s workload at the time and the complexity of the design. It is usually between 1-6 weeks.

Can your plans be adapted for universal design?

Yes, some plans will be easier than others to adapt, but there are always ways to customize plans to adapt to special needs.

Will my home plans come with a seal or stamp?

Stock plans do not have a professional stamp affixed. If your building department requires one, they will only accept a stamp from a state-licensed professional where you plan to build. In this case, you will need to have your house plans reviewed and stamped by a local engineer or architect.

Do the plans include engineering?

No. Even custom home designs don’t include engineering. Engineering is an entirely different profession. If your plans need engineering, you will need to hire a local professional familiar with engineering requirements in the location you intend to build.

Will my customized design include a Material List?

No. However, your local lumber yard will usually provide one for you at no cost if you purchase your lumber from them.

Will my plans conform to my local building code?

All of our house plans are designed to conform to the local codes where the original house was built. All building codes in the United States are similar because they meet industry-standard minimums that are based on three nationally recognized standards. Building codes are standards created to ensure the structural safety of buildings. They are established and enforced by your local government, usually through your city or county's building department. Every state, county, and local municipality has adopted their codes from one of the three nationally recognized building codes: UBC (Uniform Building Code), BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators), and CABO (Council of American Building Officials).The new IRC (International Residential Code) is a combination of the other three and is fast becoming the National Standard. All are very similar in content. You may request that your quote include IRC code compliance.

What if I don’t like the way the plans turn out after I receive the customized drawings?

This is unlikely, but in the event you don’t like the plans, the customization work still needs to be paid for. There are no refunds on customization services. You will need to pay for the cost of the blueprint master and the cost of labor that has been preformed for you. For example if you decide not to finish the final design phase then you are still responsible for paying for the cost of the blueprint masters and the preliminary design work that was done for you. The estimate you receive will show you the total cost to complete the changes you requested and the estimate will usually be broken down in to two phases of design work. If your changes are fairly simple then there may only be one phase of design work needed.

Will the plans include electrical, plumbing & mechanical details?

Location of heating, air-condititioning, duct work & water heaters will not usually be shown on plans since local codes and climate as well as your preference of heating and cooling systems varies. Your builder and subcontractors will help you determine selection and logical placement of equipment. The only plumbing related information that will be on the plans is the location of fixtures such as sinks, tubs, showers, etc. Electrical schematics, (location of lights, plugs & switches) is typically included unless otherwise noted.