Embarking on the process of building your own home can be exciting, but daunting. Enlisting a professional architect to create custom plans and blueprints for your home ensures that you will receive exactly the home you want, but soon becomes expensive. Whether your home budget doesn’t allow for this expense, or if you’re trying to save money to put in some super-luxe features in your home, there are solutions to create a custom home without the extra cost and time.
Unless you have something truly wild and original in mind, any plan of your choosing can most likely be found through one of these online sources. If the plan you find is almost perfect, but missing a few things you want, alterations can be made to the chosen plans to create a home that is still uniquely yours, without the cost and stress of starting completely from scratch.
The process is simple- search around for one of the many companies offering pre-made home plans, with your needs in mind. No matter where you find your plans, the basic premise is the same. Each company has enlisted a roster of architects and designers to provide a variety of blueprints, which are available for purchase for you to use with your builder. On the majority of these websites, you can cater your search to the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and floors you would like, or you can browse plans sorted by architectural style or designer. You can browse by regional-inspired styles, by exterior and interior features. There are plans for high-end luxury homes, or for environmentally-friendly “green” homes.
With purchase of the plans, you get the rights to use those blueprints for your home. Some services limit the number of usable plans you receive, while still others offer the option to receive electronic CAD files or PDF files to communicate your needs to the builder.
Once you’ve chosen your plans, most of these websites also offer resources and tips on building your home, from contact information for your chosen designer/architect, to a directory of suggested builders, to tips for finding the perfect piece of land. They also provide cost estimates for the basic plans and any modifications you’d like to make, and can guide you through the process.
You don’t have to be an expert to start building your own home! These services are designed to help even the most inexperienced of homeowners. There are plenty of resources online to find your perfect house plan, but here are a few to get you started:
